Is 4K gaming the
next VR?
I don’t know if you paid
attention during Microsoft’s E3 conference, but they’re pretty darn excited
about the hardware capabilities of the new Xbox One X. According to them, it’s
the most powerful console ever created, capable of rendering graphics the likes
of which have never been seen in gaming…outside of a PC, that is.
This is just adding to
the current gaming craze: the big 4K. As TVs capable of streaming video of super
high definition started rolling out, both Sony and Microsoft have very quickly
jumped onto the hype train, releasing the PS4 Pro and the Xbox One S, as well
as the Xbox One X releasing this November.
But the question I’ve had
ever since this 4K craze started has been a big one: is it really worth it?
The big issue that I feel
is holding back 4K from being as accepted as high-def streaming was when that
came out is that you need a bunch of new tech just to make it work. So let’s
say I’m just jumping into gaming this year and my ultimate goal is to play Horizon: Zero Dawn in 4K while spending
as little money as possible. Let’s visit Best Buy Canada to see how much it’s
gonna cost me.
So first off we need a TV
that can stream 4K visuals. The cheapest ones Best Buy has are $500 exactly
with no tax. Next we need a PS4 Pro, because the standard ones don’t support 4K
visuals even if you have a TV that does. That’s another $500 gone. And last but
not least we need the game, so that’s $80 more out of our budget and one Best
Buy manager we just made extremely happy.
In total, if you want to
play Horizon: Zero Dawn in 4K and
don’t have any prior equipment and want to spend as little cash as possible,
it’ll cost you $1080. I’d make a joke here about 1080p resolution, but honestly
it’s not super clear.
Awful jokes aside, right now 4K gaming costs a
little more than a comic book to say the least. It’s even more costly than the
ludicrously over-expensive VR craze from last Christmas. I still don’t know
anyone who’s actually bought a 4K TV either, with most of them saying that at
this point it isn’t really worth it. Most of the major movie releases don’t
support 4K yet, and even Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aime recently spoke to Verge,
saying that the audience for 4K was way too limited for them to even start
thinking about supporting it yet.
So the question remains:
is 4K going to be accepted the same way high-definition was, or will it wind up
undersold and forgotten alongside 3D TVs and VR? Sony and Microsoft sure seem
to hope for the former. 4K visuals were a huge selling point this E3, and the
Xbox One X’s entire selling point is the fact that it’s the most powerful
console on the market, especially since all their exclusives are also available
to PC users patient enough to brave the Windows 10 Store.
I think that right now we’re
in the baby phase for 4K, and it’ll eventually become the industry standard. I’ve
even heard rumblings of stuff like 5K and even 8K resolution graphics being
available in the future. I can only assume that by the time I’m an old guy the
TVs will be 200K and will melt the eyes of the unworthy.
Only time will tell if 4K is here to stay or
not. Right now I’d say it’s way too expensive to gain the wide appeal high-def
TV got when it launched, but it has potential. I feel that once it stops being
the new and hot thing that everyone wants to upgrade to and is allowed to sit
for a while, it’ll be much more affordable. Plus I have no doubt that the next
generation consoles will have 4K graphical capabilities to start without the
need to upgrade. But as we’re not quite there yet, I think 4K’s still got a
while to go before it makes it out of the gates.
Song
of the Week
Night Atmosphere – Horizon: Zero Dawn
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