Ever since the heated feud between Nintendo and Sega, competition between console manufacturers has allowed the competitive spirit of unwavering fans to prosper. For this current generation the hot-button topic has been one of console specs and the perceived disparity between the major players. With the release of Assassin's Creed Unity quickly approaching, however fans may find themselves with less to debate over.

It has been confirmed that Assassin's Creed Unity will run at a locked resolution of 900p and frame rate of 30fps for both the Xbox One and PS4 when it launches later this year. With so many games clocking in with slightly differences in specs, this news is sure to be a breath of fresh air for gamers worried that one console will be getting special treatment over the other. Amidst this confirmation, Ubisoft also shed some light on what could end up being a persistent issue for game development this generation.

In an interview with Videogamer, senior producer Vincent Pontbriand highlighted the potential worry that modern CPUs could present for performance in future games.

"Technically we're CPU-bound. The GPUs are really powerful, obviously the graphics look pretty good, but it's the CPU [that] has to process the AI, the number of NPCs we have on screen, all these systems running in parallel."

According to Vincent, if it weren't for the AI the game could very well be running at a more-than-modest 100fps. There's no doubt that the game will look great as evidenced by footage of its co-op gameplay, but it's disheartening to hear of the bottleneck that these consoles' CPUs are already presenting. If the current-gen consoles are to live up to their purported lifespans, a solution to this problem will be essential. Graphics are an important part of the current-gen experience, but there's no denying that features such as AI are just as - if not more - integral to such an experience.

With Ubisoft examining the future of the Assassin's Creed series, it's likely that a new strategy will need to be implemented as time goes on in order to remain on the cutting edge of the current technology. Recent release Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor has shown that creative use of familiar systems can be of benefit to large-scale games such as this (check out our review). With that in mind, it may take some creative development to get around a potential CPU bottleneck, but it's something that's wholly possible.

Persistent issue or not, Assassin's Creed Unity is quickly shaping up to be one of the biggest releases of the year. Not only will the game feature deeper customization than in previous titles, but it has even spawned its own clothing line. It may still be over a month away, but Unity looks as though it will be a must-have for any Assassin's Creed fan or stealth aficionado.

Do you think the CPU limitations of the PS4 and Xbox One will present a significant issue for the future of game development this generation?

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Assassin’s Creed Unity crashes onto the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on November 11.

Follow Ryan on Twitter @ThatRyanB.

Source: Videogamer