PS4 and Xbox One versions of Marvel's Avengers include next-gen upgrades

Cal Jeffrey

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Highly anticipated: Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix released a deluge of information on the upcoming Marvel's Avengers game with back-to-back press announcements on Monday and Tuesday. Not only are PS5 and XBSX versions coming, but those who buy the game for current hardware will also be able to upgrade for free.

In January, Crystal Dynamics pushed the release date for its Avengers game out to September 4, 2020. It was initially slated for a May release. The developers said they wanted a bit more time to polish the title to bring fans the "ultimate Avengers gaming experience."

With the delay putting it so close to the release of next-gen consoles, stymied sales are a distinct possibility. Why buy last-gen if you are already planning to get a next-gen console? Realizing this, publisher Square Enix announced Tuesday that those who buy the game for PS4 or XB1 would get a free upgrade to their respective next-gen versions. It also said that PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X editions would be ready by each console's launch.

Players will be able to carry over their progress and profiles seamlessly. They are also adding cross-generational support so that your buddies who don't upgrade to the latest and greatest can still play with you. Although, they may not be your buddies for long once you start bragging about how much better the PS5 or XBSX version is.

Crystal Dynamics CTO Gary Snethen delivered an update for Marvel's Avengers yesterday. Immediately after receiving its first PS5 devkits, Snethen was anxious to see how far the studio could push its Foundation game engine. The results have been promising.

Avengers on the PS5 will have increased texture resolutions, enhanced ambient occlusion, increased render distance, improved isotropic filtering, and various other improvements. The game will also have an enhanced graphics mode that will use the PS5's extra horsepower to render the "highest image quality possible." Alternatively, a high framerate mode will target 60fps at 4K resolutions.

Snethen also touted the PlayStation 5's incredibly fast SSD architecture. The Avengers' massive worlds will stream in real-time at "ridiculously fast speeds." Those times when there are load screens, they will typically only be one or two seconds.

"Without any optimization work, the loading and streaming of Marvel's Avengers improved by an order of magnitude on PS5," said the CTO. "When optimization is complete, loading content will be nearly instant, allowing players to seamlessly jump into missions anywhere in the game world. And as Iron Man flies through content-rich levels, higher resolution textures and mesh will stream in instantly, maintaining the highest possible quality all the way to the horizon."

The team is also working on incorporating some of PS5's platform-specific features and enhanced 3D audio. Snethen didn't go into specifics, but Square Enix said it is hosting the Marvel's Avengers War Table stream on Wednesday, June 24, at 10am PDT, where it will reveal all the latest information on the state of the game, including what's new on the Xbox, Stadia, and PC fronts.

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Am I the only one who does not care at all about this game at this point? I was not impressed by what I've seen and heard regarding it.
 
This article focuses mostly on the PS5 but I thought both consoles were similarly powered. Is there something I don't know?
On Monday, CD posted info on the PS5 version. On Wednesday (today), it will be focusing on XB, PC, and Stadia.

Dang it. I thought I said that in the article. ;)
 
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