The basic Xbox One and PS4
Resolution on the PS4 is set at 1080p (1920 x 1080), just as it was in the beta. The Xbox One is even worse with a resolution of 864p (1536 x 864). Moreover, Capcom, MHW’s developer, appears to have used an in-house technique to maintain resolution which produces fairly sharp images when the character is motionless and noticeably blurry images during movement.
Frame rates are uncapped on both of the vanilla consoles. The PS4 runs just like the beta with extended time spent below and occasional jumps above 30 fps. Again, the Xbox One is worse with generally lower frame rates and less frequent rises above 30 fps. Frame time is ragged on both consoles adding additional visual judder and uneven controller response.
The PS4 Pro and the Xbox One X – Resolution mode
There’s a lot to consider when looking at how MHW plays on the top-of-the-line consoles because each console offers the choice to prioritize frame rate, resolution or graphics.
Resolution mode produces a surprise when compared across consoles. The Pro uses checkerboard rendering to arrive at 1800p (3200 x 1800). Again, just like the beta. The graphically much superior One X renders at a lower 1728p (3072 x 1728). That’s right, resolution is lower on the One X than the Pro.
The difference in resolution between the two consoles is offset by the Pro using checkerboard rendering while the One X does not. This translates into smoother edges on the One X. Which looks better comes down to whether you prefer the smoother image displayed by the One X or the sharper detail seen on the Pro.