With all of the shiny new features coming to the newly announced PS Pro, including 4K resolution and better frame rates, one thing people have been asking is how this will affect multiplayer?
It is true that better frame rates and the inclusion of HDR could impact how people play online, giving them a slight advantage. Christian Gyrling, Lead Programmer at Naughty Dog, told Polygon during the press event that this wouldn’t happen.
Frame rate wise, controller wise, lag, all of that will be identical.
From what it sounds like, one of the rules when developing with the Pro in mind is to keep the multiplayer balanced.
That is a big no, no. It’s part of the requirements for PS4 Pro, for multiplayer games in particular, you cannot have an advantage. It has to be the same frame rate as on the standard PS4.
That doesn’t mean that Naughty Dog will be capping the frame rate on the PS Pro for Uncharted 4. He added in that, theoretically, if you are working with an optimal setup, a 4K TV and the like, there could be a slight advantage.
We’re not capping the frame rate…Conceptually, if you have a 4K TV there will be more pixels and you are conceivably having slightly higher fidelity. That would be the one and only thing. But you would have that today if someone has a 720p TV or a 1080p TV, it’s a similar thing. Obviously, the step up from 108op to whatever you have in your game is larger. But it’s still a matter of whatever TV you have and those settings.
The PS Pro FAQ over on the PlayStation Blog agrees with Gyrling.
Generally, no. Playtesting and balancing is up to each game developer, and while it’s true that PS4 Pro’s more powerful hardware can drive smoother or more stable frame rates in supported titles, developers have many tools and processes they can use to prevent imbalances.
Gamers are going to have to wait until November 11th to see how the Pro will impact the multiplayer landscape. Although, knowing the community, we will still hear people crying “hacks” regardless of whether or not the player on the other end owns the upgraded console.
You can read more about the PS4 Pro and its capabilities here.