I play Fallout 4 on my 60 inch 4k tv and I play the game at 4k. My situation is different than most because my screen is so big(not meant to be a brag by no means) 1080p looks worst than on a smaller tv due to pixels per inch.

In any case, Fallout 4 to me looks like a step up from skyrim graphically in most cases.

The Theory: I think the non "graphical leap" might be for a reason that most people didnt quite think of...

Elder Scrolls is Bethesda's baby. And while Fallout 4 is part of their circle now but their original series is Elder Scrolls.

So what if Bethesda looked at what was to come and put it all on the table to make the decision to not focus too much on graphics.

What if the reason Fallout 4 doesnt look up to par with "next gen" because it would bring down the "Wow" factor of their baby Elder Scrolls. What if the "graphical leap" was planned to happen once they got acquainted with the new tech?

http://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2015/11/03/fallout-4-development-started-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-ported-xbox-one/

With the next Elder Scrolls Bethesda should have Directx 12 available to them. Its up to them to modify or create an engine that fully facilitates the new technology.

What do you think?

I think graphics isn't the most important thing in games like this. In game content and immersion is. Also it's an open world, so graphics must be sacrificed in some regard because of that. Plus it also means that even if your comp is good now (like mine is) it means the next game that doesn't focus solely on graphics should be able to be played with what you got now. Meaning less money on upgrades. It also means people with slightly older comps can keep up and enjoy the game. Ultimately, in games like this, immersion, content and story comes first and foremost. Fancy graphics would just be a bonus. But even then, more graphics means more memory, which can mean less content overall because it's being to busy looking pretty instead of setting the mood. Do you wan a small mob of bad guys or would you rather have a whole army against yours? There's a reason the best looking games lacks things like that, because it's new and shiny that needs newer hardware. Basically it's a case of "60 memory, 8 ram, I7 3.8 processor" or aiming below the mark. My specs surpass that, but when a game offers more then just looking pretty pretty and simple combat "coughCallofDutycough", it's best to target as many people as possible. Which means as many comps as possible.

Seems unlikely to me.

Purposefully gimping your own game just so you can '"outdo" it the next time isn't a very smart thing to do especially considering one of the biggest complaints for FO4 are its graphics.

Wouldn't be the first developer to bait and switch *cough Ubisoft* *cough Watchdogs*...

I think they made a tactical decision to give a slight graphics bump and offer Fallout 4 to as many gamers as possible. The practise of releasing a game that will only run well on hardware released in a year or two's time is over. That turns a game into a benchmark. Gamers get the impression that they cannot play that game, they ignore it.

There's also what could be a future ambition to support 4K for those that haven't invested yet (like me). I think hitting 4K at 60hz could've been a real decision. I don't know anything for sure but it would be sensible to allow that to happen. If they overdid it at lower resolutions, perhaps it would've been completely unplayable at 4K.

I've been gaming a very very long time and this is the most stable it's been. Fifteen years ago or more, every six months your computer was obsolete because another amazing game pushed the envelope or another processor and graphics card had been released.

If you look at how well the Crysis games sold on the PC, it's just not sensible or financially viable any more and I think most companies know this now. It still amazes me that the Unreal Engine survived for so many years, it's responsible for delivering highly reviewed modern games, such as Bioshock.

i think right now the biggest complain Fallout 4 is getting, is the F3 fans not been happy, or the RP fan not been happy, or FNV fans not been happy. Lol on the pass 2 days i just read complains not related about Graphics.

You bring up a good point as far as the 4k goes. Longevity is important to bethesda. I get about 45-50 fps @ 4k and 30 fps lows with a gtx 980ti. I'm sure that the next cycle of graphics cards will do 4k 60 for fallout 4 easy.

But I beg to differ on the crysis point. PC's at that time wasnt naturally a real money maker for games hence why so many companies depend on consoles due to its bigger audience.

Graphics may not matter to hardcoe gamers like us. But it matters to a huge amount of people who play games and want a visual jump with each console they invest in.

Fallout 4 imo happens to look like a beefed up Skyrim.

*shrugs* i think the game looks brilliant.

I think people simply confuse graphics and art style. They don't like how the game looks so they say it has bad graphics. The game doesn't fit their idea of what they want the game to be so they complain about it. It's kind of funny. It's like everyone wants to play their own version of fallout and can't stand that this game isn't the game they want to play. Who does that? It's like wishing minecraft was more like star wars battlefront so you'd enjoy playing it.

This does not make any sense, none what so ever. On Ultra, the graphics are completely on par with the "new generation." They are amazing. Haters are either woefully ignorant or playing it on a Console, and Console still isn't even bad. I think I'll upload some in-game screenshots I took later to prove my ppoint.

I don't feel we're haters here unless I can't read, I guess someone said the graphics were being called underwhelming. I put too few hours into New Vegas so many other games came out. I put 500 hours into Skyrim. The first thing I noticed in 4 was the warmth in the introduction scenes, then the colour of the world. It looks great in dialog scenes. I'm not allowed to link my steam pictures yet though.

I went back and had a look at Fallout 3 wondering why I remembered it as being all concrete grey. I think the graphics/design issues are self-trickary. It's possible to remember a game in your head as being better looking than it was, even if you felt they were under-par at the time. If you look at the pictures side by side you can tell sigificant work has been done to make Fallout 4 look better.

I don't even know where to start explaining my love for Fallout in general, but seriously.. with mods, you can fix anything. Even the graphics, just like in 3.

But even without mods, I'll play the living [censored] out of this game. LITERALLY the only thing I don't like, is that guns aren't holstered anymore, and that I can't put doors into the old houses at Sanctuary Hill.

THANK YOU TODD HOWARD, MY LORD AND SAVIOR.

^This^

I heard that console players have it pretty bad.

^ This +1 ^

I wonder how many of the graphics complainers are console players. At which point, they are fools to complain; consoles have always lagged far behind PCs on graphics. Even the latest 2 (XB1 & PS4) were at best equivalent to mid-range PCs at development. At release they were already falling into low-end range. No console will ever have mind blowing graphics. At best, they will be mid-range. Console players can rightly only blame themselves.

Also, low-end PC users will also be underwhelmed by graphics because they are lagging behind. It's always been the burden we have to bear as PC gamers, you have to spend the money to stay up-to-date (even more so to get ahead) or the graphic intense games look like crap.

Consolers and behind-the-curve PCers have the same real issue - it isn't the game; it is the machine the game is running on.

Currently, I am behind-the-curve, so I haven't even bought the game yet. I'm waiting for end of November deals and then hope to score an ahead-of-the-curve system and decent monitor.

I am so happy I am not the only one that thinks this.

I am playing on an XBOX and I'm very happy with the graphics. That's Xbox though, I never have seen it on the PS4.

I just don't agree with the statement that it looks like a "beefed up Skyrim".

Gfx are pure junk maxed out @ 4K for me it looks like subpar Fallout 3 DLC & belongs 7 years ago not in a 2015 release.

Bethesda obviously took the cheapest possible option in reusing the already dated Gamebryo engine & renaming it to give the impression it was a different game engine. Wish I could get a Steam refund I will not be spending anymore time on this for a few years until modders can make something better out of it. but even then the missions & content are very lacking/repetitive.

Massive disappointment to me the biggest of 2015 by a long way. This game does not deserve to sell strongly its a rehash made cheaply with bland content then rushed out the door to make a late 2015 release date. Fallout 3 was in development for many years & that showed in the amazing content/gfx at the time.

You dont have to agree, you should go back and load up vanilla Skyrim @4k on PC and compare it to Fallout 4 at 4k on PC. The lighting is better in Fallout 4, some textures surpass Skyrim. But overall Skyrim looks amazing with no mods at that resolution and rivals Fallout 4 minus the new graphical features I mentioned.

Our pip boy doesnt even cast proper shadows on objects, whereas in Skyrim fire does a very good job casting shadows.

You said you play on Xbox so I could assume that you played Skyrim on xbox 360 which was a lower resolution than Fallout 4...

Bad textures in Skyrim from time to time but the same can be applied to Fallout 4.

But to end this... Have you seen Witcher 3 at 4k with your own eyes? Its so detailed that it was hard to believe when I seen it for the first time. People that dont play games much came to my house and saw it at 4k and they immediately wanted to play it.

on ps4 very satisfiying graphics, just plug and play. this time equal to highend pc fallout graphics. on a 200 dollar console. great work japan !!!

I have only seen badly compressed youtube video; so I cannot really know what the graphics look like in person on a good system;

but what I saw made me think of Team Fortress 2.

I'm very aware of that, but even with this limitation, The Witcher 3 looks like a game from 2020.

I don't believe the theory that they sabotage their own work (and reputation) just to make TES look better, lol! I think it's just a timing coincidence that FO3 and FO4 came in the early life of a console generation and Skyrim (hopefully TES VI too) in the late cycle.

The people criticizing and trashing the game on metacritic are going out of their way to find conspiracies, excuses, I've even heard funny stories about an evil partnership with Nvidia meant to cripple the performance on Amd... lol! How about we take a moment to think about this very very simple explanation that nobody seems to consider:

what if this is the actual level of competence @ Bethesda games Studios at this time? What if they want to give Fallout the best graphics, the best features and the best quality control they can, but they are very limited by their own skills? Maybe with this team, with this director, with this abomination of a Gamebryo iteration this is all they can do.

I wish they eventually decide to ditch Gamebry my bad, Creation and hire a bigger team with more competent people and give us a genre defining TES 6. Fallout 4 is anything but genre defining.

Thats a joke isnt it. What game are you referring to Witcher 3 or Fallout 4?

I can upload a vid just for you if you'd like...

I agree with a lot of your points but I really think that graphically Fallout 4 is just an "improved" Skyrim and not a "graphical upgrade"...

As far as the engine and bigger team goes, I'm starting to think that Bethesda has took a ton of Skyrim's Profits and reinvested that money into other studios such id, zenimax online, Arkane... Rather than take that money and reivest in their flagship company. As a result the budget couldnt compensate a bigger team or R&D for a new up to date engine.

But I also think that they will take Fallout 4's profits and invest it into the next TES because its their flagship franchise.

What are you on about, really? The game looks amazing.. What do you expect BF4/Cryengine level for a detailed open world?

Actually no... I looked at the color palette, and the mesh contours, and while it looks nice and crisp, it looks like a cartoon. That's not particularly bad, it's just unexpected [to me].