Planetside 2 is perhaps the most important free-to-play game arriving on the PS4 during its early years. The fact that the affordably priced console can run it is mind-blowing, but the real kicker is how well it can run it.
SOE Creative director Matt Higby told GameZone the following:
The PS4 version will be nearly identical to the PC version, with the exception of the User Interface. If you turned up your PC version to Ultra, that’s how it’s going to look on PS4,” he added when prodded for a graphical comparison. So if you’re like me and own an average PC rig, you might be better off going with the PS4 version.
Planetside 2 has remained one of the most hardware demanding PC exclusives since it came out in 2012. Users without a modern CPU and a healthy amount of RAM and VRAM have been treated to poor performance. Although the game has been optimized greatly during the past 13 months, it still requires a properly built gaming PC to run.
Being able to experience the large-scale MMOFPS world of Planetside 2 with $399 hardware is truly remarkable, let alone with the graphics turned up.
Now, chances are the PS4 version will make some sort of compromise, whether it be running at 720p or with a 30 FPS limiter, but at least it’ll look good. Best of all, it’ll be free-to-play, so all PS4 owners can enjoy the quality shooter experience without any investment other than the huge sum of hard drive space required.
I spoke to Matt Higby at E3 2013 where he shared SOE’s ambition during the PS4 versions early months of development. It was confirmed to me that the game on PS4 will not make any gameplay compromises. You’ll still see hundreds of players on screens, vehicles battling in every which direction, and everything else that makes it the best MMOFPS on the market today. In other words, you’re going to want to install Planetside 2 on your PS4 as soon as it releases at an unknown date in 2014.
