Gears of War 4 Uses New Xbox One S Tech To Truly Shine

The new Xbox One S coming in August may seem like a strange mid-console cycle release to some (especially with another confirmed as coming late 2017). Sure, it's the now-standard slim model that seems to come to almost every console for the last few generations, but it also has some tech upgrades. While 4K video for streaming and 4K UHD Blu-ray is fairly self explanatory, (watch movies and select TV through Amazon and Netflix in ultra hi-def, and buy new blockbuster films like Deadpool and Batman v Superman in 4K on blu-ray), other functions like "HDR" and what this all means for gaming is less clear.

Well, it's less clear until you see it with your own eyes, anyway, then it's clear as day. At an E3 2016 Xbox showcase, the Xbox One S was on display, showing off its sleek new design and shiny white exterior - it's a beautiful looking piece of equipment, taking some design cues from other consoles, and generally looking more like something you want on display than the previous model. More importantly, though, they also had the new console in use, with demos of the campaign for Gears of War 4 running on the One S.

Microsoft strategically showed off Gears 4 on a 4K TV directly next to a standard 1080p model. While the new version of the console doesn't output 4K resolution for gaming, the higher bandwidth signal still allows developers to make use of HDR, or High Dynamic Range lighting, and it looks considerably different, especially side-by-side. With that advanced lighting, the increase in range makes the entire setting, objects, and characters look more natural and real; it genuinely looks like the resolution is higher, because that's the only way your eye can process that you're simply seeing more levels of light. What that means to fans is that those gorgeous screenshots are much closer representations of what you'll actually be seeing on screen (if you're on a 4K TV).

"Coming out as a 4K signal [though not 4K resolution] and running on the High Dynamic Range, you get more detail and precision in the color and the brightness range," explained Coalition's technical director Mike Rayner. "So we have more detail in the darks and the brights - it makes for a more high-quality image."

That gave developer Coalition a "new technical foundation" for the Gears franchise, running for the first time on Unreal Engine 4 and taking advantage of the "ten years plus of improvements in graphics, animation, and physics systems," Rayner said.

Getting more technical, they're also working with Direct X 12 now as a graphics API, something they borrowed from some of Microsoft's other studios, giving them "much more control in the layers," and a game that simply performs better. With the new Play Anywhere feature, the game ships to Windows 10 and Xbox One simultaneously, and one purchase gets you both versions. Rayner confirmed there will be crossplay, as well, so PC players can play with Xbox One players in "Campaign, all our cooperative modes."

The game itself feels very much like Gears of War, with controls and gameplay style nigh-identical to previous editions in the franchise. In about a twenty minute hands-on demo, the player meets the new hybrid villains, as humans infected with/merged with the Locusts come out of Emergence holes in versions that go from speedy and reckless to the cunning and ruthless. The sprint, cover, and melee systems will be very familiar to any fans, and the new, much smarter A.I. will keep things fresh. Gears of War is Gears of War, but for fans, that should be a great thing. The focus remains on it being "a game that you play with friends," Rayner said, whether that's in campaign, Horde mode, or competitive multiplayer.

"You should absolutely play it with someone else, whether that's on Xbox Live, on the couch playing split-screen, whether you're playing Horde, campaign co-op - playing Gears of War 4 with friends is the best way to play it," he concluded.

You can play Gears of War 4 on Windows 10 PCs, Xbox One, and Xbox One S (for the shinier look) on October 11, 2016.