The Assassin’s Creed Valhalla PS5 version can’t hit native 4K resolution according to recent comments by Ubisoft, although the Xbox Series X may be able to manage a higher level of graphics.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is the next game in the long-running franchise that puts players in the middle of a battle between the Assassin Order and the Templars. Each game typically puts players in a different setting; this time, the game will be focused on a Viking player character set in medieval Britain. A blog post detailing the game’s graphical features has confused some players, causing Ubisoft to better clarify the game’s capabilities.
Why the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla PS5 version can’t hit native 4K
The Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Ps5 version can’t hit 4K for one simple reason: power. The Xbox Series X version was said to run at “4k resolution at 60 frames per second” in an Ubisoft blog post detailing the next-gen versions of its upcoming games. The PS5 version, however, was noted to have “4k and 60 frames per second visuals,” subtly hinting that the PS5 might not be able to keep up with the Xbox Series X.
The differences between the Xbox Series X and PS5 specs have been known for some time; the PS5’s processor is slightly weaker than the Xbox Series X (3.5 GHz vs. 3.8 GHz) and the GPU is also less powerful (10.28 TFLOPs & 36 CUs vs. 12 TFLOPS & 52 CUs). The distinction between how the resolution was explained for each console had some players concerned that the PS5 would let you run in 4K resolution or 60 frames per second.
Full details: https://t.co/XP05Hznw6y pic.twitter.com/00abqS9jvp
— XboxCore (@_XboxNews) October 26, 2020
DualShockers reached out to Ubisoft and a company representative has clarified that the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla PS5 version runs at upscaled 4K rather than native 4K. This means that the game actually runs at a lower resolution which is then scaled up to a larger size, sacrificing a slight level of detail. (Naturally, the less powerful Xbox Series S is unlikely to manage 4K resolution of any sort.)
The Ubisoft blog post has since been updated, clarifying the language on the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla PS5 version to say that it provides “detailed 4K at 60 frames per second visuals.” The blog post does not mention that the PS5 version runs at upscaled 4K rather than native 4K, nor does it clarify whether the Xbox One X version runs at native 4K or upscaled 4K. Even if the Xbox Series X version runs at upscaled 4K as it does on the PS5, the higher Xbox Series X specs may allow the developers to provide better visuals overall for the beautiful rendition of England created by Ubisoft Montreal.
