It's exciting times for fans of Resident Evil. Remastered versions of the last three series entries are on their way to current-gen systems, while a remake of the second game is also in development. Resident Evil 6 is the first of these titles to land, and the PS4 and Xbox One releases bring upgrades to both resolution and frame-rate over the last-gen versions. With the recent GameCube remakes capped at 30fps, we were concerned that Capcom would go down the same route for the other titles in the series. Thankfully, that isn't the case for Resident Evil 6, which hands in a superb 1080p60 experience. But aside from resolution and frame-rate boosts, just how far does the remastering process extend across the game?

The PC version provides us with a solid base for comparison, alongside the Xbox 360 and PS3 originals. The PC game provides the ability to scale up both resolution and frame-rate but beyond that, graphical upgrades are thin in the ground. A boost to image quality is delivered by FXAA3HQ anti-aliasing, allowing for a crisper and clearer presentation. However, asset quality and effects work remains the same.

And it's this version that PS4 and Xbox One remasters appear to be based on. Resolution is native 1080p on both consoles, though a different post-process solution handles anti-aliasing duties, with what looks like an MSAA-like pass applied underneath. However, in terms of overall image quality, the end result looks virtually identical to the PC game in motion, with just a touch less coverage across parts of the scene.

The core assets and effects work remain unchanged, though there are some variances in the way lighting is deployed. In an early scene, light from the street lamps is clearly cast onto the walls inside an abandoned building on PS4 and Xbox One, but this is missing on the other platforms. A little later on, a view of the road shows cars illuminated by lights inside on the PC game, an effect that is absent in all console versions old and now. Yes, we're in extreme nit-pick territory here.

This content is hosted on an external platform, which will only display it if you accept targeting cookies. Please enable cookies to view. Manage cookie settings Dave and Tom stack up Resident Evil 6's remaster with the PC and last-gen versions.

Despite the lack of tangible art upgrades, the improvement in graphical quality is quite sensational when compared directly to the 720p last-gen console releases. On the Xbox 360 and PS3, the lower resolution and post-process edge filter tends to blur over texture detail and often gives the game a soft and slightly murky look in dark scenes - something we don't see in the PS4 and Xbox One remasters. Here, native 1080p resolution allows for more detail to be extracted from the highest quality textures across the game, while the use of a much more refined anti-aliasing solution avoids heavy blurring over the artwork. As such we see a much cleaner and clearer presentation that is still respectful to the original artistic look of the original, but without some of the technical limitations that sometimes distracted during gameplay.

Of course there are downsides to Capcom simply porting across the original art and effects work, without making any improvements in these areas. For the most part, texture quality was designed around a 720p presentation and often the art can present as appear rather blurry and almost pixelated when stretched across higher resolution geometry. This is particularly noticeable across environmental assets. However, characters fare much better, and the core artwork in this area holds up pretty well in comparison.

Visually, one area that does see a dramatic change is the default field of view, which is opened up considerably compared to the original game. This leads to more of the characters and surrounding environment shown on screen as you gun down the undead and infected, and also provides the game with a look more in keeping with the Resident Evil Revelations titles.

Here we get the feeling that Capcom is trying to standardise the presentation across the series - and in gameplay terms, the extra screen space suits the action-focused nature of the game. However, we also feel that the more constrained field of view of the original release created a better sense of tension and horror by limiting just how much you can see. Thankfully, Capcom understood that purists may not like the change, and it's possible to adjust the field of view so that it matches the original release. [UPDATE 5/3/16 11:36am: with the latest patch installed, it's also possible to adjust the field of view on PS3, 360, and PC to match the PS4 and Xbox One remasters.]

The same core assets are used across all platforms and aren't designed to be displayed in extremely high resolutions. Character textures and normal maps hold up well, but many of those deployed across the environment often appear blocky and last gen in nature. PS4 and Xbox One render natively at 1080p, with improved post-process AA over the 360 and PS3 versions. The PC game uses FXAA3HQ, which provides slightly better coverage. Despite a massive bump in framebuffer resolution, shadow quality remains unchanged, with current and last-gen consoles matching up to the PC game running on high settings. Also notice how the jump to 1080p brings out more detail across textures across the wooden boards beyond the doorway. The field of view is opened up considerably on PS4 and Xbox, with the camera style more closely matching the Resident Evil Revelations titles. This makes action feel less claustrophobic due to more of the character and environment on display than before. Black crush is an issue on the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, with a lack of visible detail in dark areas of the game. While on the PC, PS4 and Xbox One, we see a decent amount of shadow detail in dimly lit locations. The amount of bloom used on fire effects is somewhat randomised, leading to varying levels of glow across each platform. Post-process effects such as motion blur and depth of field remain identical across all platforms. These are used sparingly and add a cinematic touch to the game. The PS4, Xbox One and PC versions operate using a higher levels of anisotropic filtering compared to the PS3 and Xbox 360 releases. This leads to ground textures and artwork appearing clearer when displayed at oblique angles.

Where the PS4 and Xbox One conversions really shine is with regards to performance. While the series has always served up an immersive experience that felt fun to play at 30fps, making the jump to 60fps transforms the feel of the gameplay. Since Resident Evil 4, shooting continues to play a central part in the series, and here the doubling of frame-rate alone leads to smooth motion and slick controls that offer more responsiveness and precision than before.

In the case of Resident Evil 6, both 360 and PS3 versions suffer from near constant frame-rate drops which often lend the action a somewhat jerky look and feel that impacts upon the quality of the experience. Uneven frame-times lead to frequent variances in controller response and makes aiming harder than it needs to be. Moving to a 60fps set-up on PS4 and Xbox One eliminates all of these issues, with a combination of consistently and extra fluidity helping to get the most out of the action-heavy focus favoured by Capcom for the game. Sections which previously languish in the mid-twenties or below now operate at 60fps, and the difference is huge.

Both consoles hit a solid 60fps for extended periods of time, but only the PS4 manages to stay absolutely locked at the desired frame-rate. The experience is seamless on Sony's system throughout heavy firefights and action-packed cut-scenes. By comparison, Xbox One delivers a similar level of stability most of the time, but there are points where the engine is put under stress. Explosions and the use of heavy alpha-based effects see performance briefly impacted during both cut-scenes and gameplay, resulting in moments of mild judder and variance in controller response while frame-rates are unstable. These segments of play don't look or feel quite as polished, and perhaps use of an adaptive v-sync, essentially allowing for some mild tearing, but with less impact on controller latency.

It's mildly disappointing to see any performance drops at all on current generation hardware, but on the plus side we only encountered a handful of noticeable frame-rate dips across several hours' worth of gameplay. And the jump to a mostly locked 60fps is still a massive step up from the last-gen versions of the game. The increased frame-rate turns previously barely playable sections into enjoyable moments in the remaster, thanks to the elimination of technological bottlenecks.

This content is hosted on an external platform, which will only display it if you accept targeting cookies. Please enable cookies to view. Manage cookie settings It's 1080p. It's 60fps. That readout is locked on PlayStation 4, with only small fluctuations on Xbox One. Here we've compared with Xbox 360, and the leap is substantial.