A report surfaces from German website PC Games Hardware that indicates the difference between PC and console versions of The Division will be bigger than previously reported.
The Division is a game that requires little introduction, but its history regarding which platforms it will be releasing for might need some explanation. Massive Entertainment originally intended for the game to only be released on PS4 and Xbox One, but a vocal number of computer gaming fans managed to sway the developer to bring The Division onto the PC as well. Now, PC Games Hardware is reporting that the extra work Massive put into making a computer version of The Division may have unintentionally created a sizable graphics difference between the PC and console versions of the game.
The German website reports that "there hasn't been such a drastic different (sic) between PC and console versions for a long time", stretching as far back as 2013 and the end of an era that saw many high profile PC games like The Witcher 2 get ports to the Xbox 360 with worse graphics settings. The report also seems to corroborate the recent announcement of The Division's PC specs and PC-only features, which include an option to unlock frame rate entirely.
It is worth noting, however, that the report comes directly from the German website and that the translation of just how "drastic" these differences are might be an exaggeration resulting from the switch from German to English. The only way to know for sure how big the differences are will be when players are given access to The Division's beta, which hits January 28 for Xbox One players and a day later for those on PS4 or PC platforms.
The fact that The Division is releasing for the PC at all gives it a big edge over the game that many consider to be its primary competitor in Destiny. After all, both games place a similarly high priority on implementing features more commonly found in MMORPGs than FPS titles, including player emotes and detailed character customization that helps players set themselves apart from each other aesthetically. The Division will also contain a skill tree system that will allow players to carve out specific niches for themselves within combat - again, much like Destiny's Guardian sub-class system.
Whether or not there is a significant graphics difference between its computer and console releases, The Division is still one of the early favorites for a game of the year title in 2016 based on alpha footage and developer interviews. Many have suggested that Massive's title needs to embrace even more successful RPG tropes like narratively significant and compelling side quests, but until fans get their hands on the game and explore the depth of a disease-ridden New York themselves, we simply won't know what to expect or what the game needs to improve upon. Luckily, the wait will be over soon, and PC and console players can all agree on the fact that that's a good thing.
Tom Clancy's The Division is set to release March 8, 2016 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
Source: PC Games Hardware (via Gamepur)