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Hardcore gamers have been demanding it, and next-gen console could well deliver it: the joy of 60 frames per second gameplay, potentially at full HD 1080p resolution. The news from Microsoft's E3 press conference that Battlefield 4 runs at full frame-rate was impressive enough, but the fact that the next Halo game will also deliver 60fps action was a genuine surprise. Meanwhile, newcomer Titanfall from ex-Infinity Ward developers Respawn also appears to be aiming for the gold standard in fluidity and response in console gameplay while delivering breath-taking visuals.After the false dawn of 1080p gameplay on current-gen console, what's becoming clear from E3 2013 is that full HD resolution on console is no longer a pipe dream, it's the expected norm for next-gen gaming - but it's the standardisation of 60fps for all of the top-tier Xbox One shooters revealed at Microsoft's E3 presser that is remarkable. The most important key competitive advantage that the Call of Duty games had over its rivals on Xbox 360 and PS3 is now a thing of the past. Rival developers have prioritised smooth gameplay and faster response over making visuals as pretty as they can be, and as a result, Activision's prize FPS franchise has never looked quite so vulnerable.
Some might suggest that it's the culmination of evolution vs. revolution. The Call of Duty engine has been improved and iterated over the years, but as Infinity Ward readily admits, the franchise's next-gen console debut rolls out utilising an enhanced version of its existing tech, with a lineage that takes us back to the days before the developer even started work on Xbox 360. Of course, the tech has advanced substantially over the years, and there are plenty of new systems incorporated into the next-gen version of the engine. We see improvements such as high-dynamic range lighting, "Sub-D" tessellation, improved animation and lavish displacement mapping - but hand on heart, we've not seen anything yet that truly blows us away in terms of a true generational leap over competing technologies.
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