Xbox One gameplay clips won't be 1080p, Microsoft confirms
The new console will record your oh-so-exciting game clips in the more ordinary 720p, and at 30 frames per second.
The Xbox One won't capture your exotic gameplay clips in full HD, Microsoft has confirmed.
Instead the upcoming console -- which will let you record, edit and share game footage -- opts for 720p capture, at 30 frames per second, Microsoft's Marc Whitten said in an online Q&A with IGN.
During normal gameplay the Xbox One will render games at a higher 1080p resolution and will be able to pump out a much higher frame rate. That means that when you watch your clips back, there will be a slight dip in quality compared with the original experience.
Is 720p a problem?
All your clips are stored online, so the cut-down resolution is probably a constraint imposed to create clips with a more manageable file size. The drop in quality is also unlikely to impair your viewing enjoyment too much, as 720p is still a very healthy resolution for a video clip.
More interesting is the length of the clips that you'll be allowed to upload. Microsoft has said that the Xbox One will constantly record the last five minutes of gameplay to the console's hard drive ready for editing and uploading, but it's not clear how long the final brag videos are allowed to be.
Sony's PlayStation 4 meanwhile will save the last 15 minutes of gameplay, CVG reports. That could give you more raw gameplay to edit down, though it's unlikely Sony will allow you to upload whole 15-minute swathes of video. We should learn more about both consoles' abilities in the coming months.
These kinds of nitty-gritty details may seem unimportant, but with both consoles looking very similar on paper, any advantage could eventually prove crucial. Sony's given its console the bigger leg-up at launch, with a price tag that's £80 lower than that of the Xbox One.
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