Video games in 4K – What do I need for high-definition gaming?

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1 Things to know about 4K, Ultra HD (UHD) and HDR
2 Video games for PC in 4K
3 Video games for consoles in 4K
- 3.1 Playstation 4 Games in 4K
- 3.2 Xbox One Games in 4K
4 Estimated cost for PC and console
5 Tricks for higher resolution
- 5.1 Checkerboard rendering
- 5.2 Upscaling
6 Video games on PC or consoles?

Everybody’s talking about 4K resolution. Cameras and screens improve in weekly cycles, movies and streaming content are produced in 4K. Accordingly, there are also video games in this resolution – both for PC and consoles. We explain which possibilities there are and which technical requirements have to be met.

Things to know about 4K, Ultra HD (UHD) and HDR

As in the television business, the terms 4K, Ultra HD and HDR are used extremely often – although not everything is factually correct. It’s comparable to the graphics in video games.

The industry speaks of upscaling, native 4K, HDR – as long as it sounds innovative and modern. Half truths hide behind it, because real UHD resolution is not used everywhere. Various techniques can be used to maintain the performance of the console or PC.

For example, a television may be referred to as Ultra HD 4K capable if the resolution is 3840 x 2160 pixels. “Real” 4K however means 4096 x 2160 pixel. This aspect ratio is used, for example, in cinemas.

Real UHD requires a lot from consoles and PCs, as content can only be partially pre-rendered and most of it has to be generated in real time. The components of a PC and a console run at peak performance and must be correspondingly powerful.

Video games for PC in 4K

A boy with headphones plays video games on the computer. — Gaming on the PC in 4K – Does it have to be? According to a survey, the majority is satisfied with Full HD. ©Anastassiya

According to the monthly hardware/software survey by Steam, only about 1.6% of all players play on Steam with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels. The clear majority, about 62%, play in Full HD, i.e. 1920 x 1080 pixels. This is probably due to the fact that the requirements for a PC with UHD resolution are extremely high. The required parts of the computer (graphics card, CPU, graphics memory, hard disks, etc.) are very expensive.

Native 4K resolution means that no upscaling and checkerboard rendering is used to artificially improve the image resolution. Native, real, 4K resolution for game consoles has a pixel ratio of 3840 x 2160 pixels.

After all, the technology is at least available and games move up bit by bit. The biggest production studios and publishers have recently started to produce their titles in native 4K resolution. For example “Fortnite“, “Battlefield 1”, “Grand Theft Auto V” or “Project Cars”.

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Video games for consoles in 4K

For many years, 4K was not an option for console players – but that changed with the introduction of Playstation 4 Pro in November 2016. This did not mean that all available video games could now be played in 4K. Only a handful supports native 4K resolution. For example “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” or “The Last Of Us Remastered”. Microsoft also offers UHD resolution: Both Xbox One S and Xbox One X are capable of this. The upcoming next-gen consoles Playstation 5 and Xbox Project Scarlett will clearly surpass this again.

This is the graphic difference between Full HD and 4K using the example of TES V: Skyrim.

Experts believe that the new Xbox will appear in two variants: 1. the gamer variant for demanding use with resolutions up to 8K and 120 fps. Its code name is “Anaconda”. The cheaper, more family-friendly variant has the code name “Lockhart”. These two models could be the respective successors of the powerful Xbox One X and the more beginner-friendly Xbox One S. The new Xbox One X is the most powerful Xbox One X. For this information, however, we do not guarantee.

What is very important to confessing gamers is the frame rate – the number of frames per second. In some of the games mentioned, the frame rate at 4K resolution is “only” 30 fps, which passionate gamers call not very fluid. At each value below, the human eye detects individual frames, losing the video effect. Up to now, very few video games on the console have managed 60 fps at the same high resolution. With performance-oriented gaming, even 100 fps or more are possible on the computer.

Playstation 4 Games in 4K

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Xbox One Games in 4K

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Estimated cost for PC and console

	Console	Price	PC	Price
Console	Playstation 4 Pro	$384.99	/	/
Monitor	4K TV, e.g. Samsung Q60R 43"	$697.00	Samsung-U28E590D	$299.99
Controller	Sony Dualshock 4	price included	/	/
Mouse + Keyboard	/	/	Gaming keyboard and mouse	$26.99
CPU	AMD x86-64 AMD 8-core	price included	AMD x86-64 AMD 8-core (FX-8350)	$74.99
GPU	AMD Radeon Polaris GPU	price included	AMD Radeon Polaris GPU (RX 480)	$179.00
Hard drive	1 TB	price included	1 TB	$48.63
RAM	8GB GDDR5	price included	8GB DDR3	$39.99
Rest	/	/	Chassis, cables, motherboard, cooler, power supply etc.	≈ $300
Gaming loudspeakers	Optional	/	Logitech Z906	$252.52
Windows 10 key	/	/	Windows 10 Home key	$139.00
Disc drive	Blu-ray disc drive	price included	LG Blu-ray disc drive	$64.68
Total	Playstation 4 Pro + amazing 4K TV	$1091.99	Entry-level Gaming PC + 4K monitor and great sound system!	$1425.79

A man plays video games on the couch on a console. — Consoles are more intended for occasional gamers. © Andrey Popov

For the comparative test (as of June 2019) we have adopted a Playstation 4 Pro and put together a PC with comparable technical specifications. While the PC has to be assembled and installed, the Playstation 4 Pro is immediately ready for use.

If you don’t have a TV yet, a 4K TV isn’t exactly cheap – but it’s versatile and not just for gaming. In addition to the existing parts that are built into the PS4 Pro, a pair of gaming speakers is also included with the PC. With the PS4, these are optional, because gaming speakers will sound better than the sound of a 4K TV.

Tricks for higher resolution

Checkerboard rendering

Some video games cheat themselves on UHD resolution using a technique called checkerboard rendering. This practice is not to be confused with upscaling. Its purpose is to reduce the load on the GPU and graphics card and keep them running at peak performance. Checkerboard rendering is most easily explained using the example of the chessboard.

The black fields of an entire image are rendered in 4K, while the white fields are not rendered in the resolution. In the next frame white and black can be swapped again. This means that half of all pixels in each frame are rendered in ultra-high resolution. This results in a very high-quality image for the user, which, strictly speaking, is not a 4K image.

YouTuber Wild Ponies explains checkerboard rendering in this video.

Upscaling

Upscaling, on the other hand, is a completely different way of generating 4K resolution. With this method, low-resolution images can be converted to higher resolutions. The free pixels next to existing pixels are filled with color values calculated from the existing pixels. The result is not always very qualitative, as the upscaling must not take any time. Checkerboard rendering usually looks better when gaming, as frames are to be displayed in real time.

Video games on PC or consoles?

Gaming on a computer or console is very different, although the same video games can be played. Both variants are aimed at different target groups who have different needs and desires. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of both options.