Gears of War 4 developer The Coalition and publisher Microsoft have recently shared details on the upcoming Xbox One X version of the game. The update will launch as a free download the same day of the console’s launch, November 7th. The majority of Gears of War 4‘s enhancements will be visual, with a 4k mode, two preferred rendering options, and a number of technical improvements.
According to a Coalition post, the update’s “true 4k visuals (3840×2160)” will come with one of the two rendering options, the Visuals Rendering Mode. Visuals Mode “uses Ultra Quality Textures, a wealth of new and improved graphical features all at 4K resolution,” focusing completely on enhanced visuals. The second mode, Performance Rendering, focuses on prioritizing framerate while still featuring higher-quality graphics than the original version of the game. Performance Mode will “play at up to 60fps in 1080p in Campaign and Horde – all including higher resolution textures and some of the new enhanced graphical features available in Visuals mode.” Additionally, the game’s Versus mode will run at 4K 60FPS with adaptive resolution scaling, regardless of which rendering mode is in use.
Gears of War 4 on the Xbox One X will also come with Dolby Atmos support for more “immersive, moving audio,” enhanced light shafts and character textures, dynamic shadows, increased draw distances and superior reflections. For those who don’t own the game but pick up the Xbox One X when it launches, Microsoft is also offering a free 10-hour trial of the game. In the meantime, Microsoft has published a new Gears of War 4 trailer for the enhanced update, which you can check out below.