Doom on Xbox One X barely hits native 4K resolution, PS4 Pro doesn't come close

Because it’s always fun to stoke the flames of the PS4 vs Xbox One debate, Digital Foundry has analyzed the recent high-resolution patch pushed to Doom, allowing it to take full advantage of the Xbox One X and PS4 Pro. The verdict? Xbox One X barely gets to 4K, while the PS4 Pro doesn’t come close.

According to the analysis, the Xbox One X is able to achieve native 3,840 x 2,160 Ultra HD 4K resolution in ‘select circumstances.’ Otherwise, the game uses dynamic resolution, which reduces or increases pixels produced according to demands of the game scenario to maintain as close to 60 frames per second (fps) performance as possible. 

From that point, the highest resolution Digital Foundry saw Doom most commonly achieve was 3,072 x 2,160 – still sharp, but not 4K. However, the outlet saw the resolution drop to as low as 2,880 x 1,620, saying that "it can actually drop even lower than that".

Meanwhile, the PS4 Pro was found to cap out its resolution at 2,560 x 1,440 while still resorting to dynamic resolution to maintain that 60 fps as much as possible, dropping as low as to 2,176 x 1,440 to do so.

Meanwhile, on PC

It’s always interesting to see these analysis articles on sites like Digital Foundry, not to mention extremely helpful for console gamers looking to decide which one to buy a particular game for. 

However, albeit not for under $500 or £500 (AU$500), a PC equipped with a single Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 has been able to render this game at true, unwavering 4K resolution since the game’s May 2016 launch. Granted, it’s far more expensive even today to accomplish that feat.

But, if you’ve already saved up the 500 bucks or quid for a 4K games console, what’s another $500 or so for a PC that could do the same thing and be upgraded nearly ad infinitum. Well, until another motherboard standard comes out for that hot new processor.

At any rate, if you’re looking for the absolute best 4K performance from Doom on a console, the Xbox One X appears to be your black box of choice. But, remember, PCs work with controllers, too.

• These are the best gaming PCs we’ve tested to date

April 06, 2018 at 09:07PM
Joe Osborne