For Microsoft, it’s not about the numbers. We’ve heard about how some Xbox One games don’t run natively at 1080p and for some fans, that’s unacceptable. However, Microsoft Studios executive Phil Spencer argues that it really comes down to what the individual creators think looks best for their games. In the case of Ryse, the game running at 900p and 30 frames per second was actually the most ideal experience.
“We actually ran the game at 720p, 900p and 1080p and looked at the different lighting techniques, all at 30 and said. 'Ok, where do we think the game looks the best with everything we're able to turn on?' 900p is where the game landed," Spencer said to Kotaku. "It didn't look better given all the techniques given all the techniques we were going to employ."
Resolution is important, but Spencer is much more concerned about a game that runs smoothly. It’s all about the user experience, and a title that’s chugging below the 30 frames-per-second mark won’t cut it.
"We don't really entertain anything below 30 [frames per second]," he said. "We see that as a bug and something we need to fix. Things like screen-tearing, I think, are bugs, when the framerate is out of sync… those kinds of anomalies break the immersion for people. The nice thing about playing a great game with great visuals is that you can kind of lose yourself in the scene. And, when things that happen that are anomalous to that, I think it pulls people out. So we're always looking to stomp those out."