Xbox One boss Phil Spencer confirms on Twitter today that Square Enix’s Final Fantasy 15 will support HDR on the Xbox One S when it releases in late November.
Final Fantasy 15 might be officially listed as both a PS4 and Xbox One title, but Square Enix’s marketing campaign for the upcoming JRPG has caused some to speculate that the publisher is favoring Sony pretty heavily. Final Fantasy 15 has a custom PS4 Slim bundle arriving once the game launches, and Square Enix confirmed that the title would also support HDR on Sony’s PS4 Pro back in the beginning of September.Final Fantasy 15 is set to be one of the biggest holiday releases of 2016, however, and Xbox boss Phil Spencer is fully aware of this fact. The well-liked industry leader has been vocal over his support of the Xbox One S, especially given the criticisms that console has faced with the launch of next-gen console Project Scorpio tentatively scheduled for some time in the next few years. Today, Spencer confirmed that the Xbox One S would match the PS4 Pro – at least in the way it renders the Final Fantasy 15 experience:
.@FinalFantasy XV is confirmed to support HDR on #XboxOneS at launch. Can't wait to play on 11/29. @FFXVEN @SquareEnix @Xbox— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) October 7, 2016
Spencer’s confirmation of Final Fantasy 15
HDR support on the Xbox One S might not seem like a blockbuster
announcement, but it’s a crucial one. The PS4 Pro’s price tag might be
higher than the Xbox One S during the holiday season, but it is on paper
a more appealing machine as well, and lack of critical features like
HDR support for major game releases could be the deciding factor in how
gamers purchase new consoles in December.
Now, the Xbox One S can compete, and
even sway gamers back towards Microsoft’s lineup of consoles – a recent
study found that the Xbox One S improves the performance of some games,
meaning even older titles could get a bit of a boost from a machine
that’s base model severely undercuts the PS4 Pro on price. While many
gamers have long since decided which console they prefer based on the
actual titles they offer, it’s important to remain competitive in
virtually ever category of console performance, and HDR support for Final Fantasy 15 will ensure the Xbox One S continues to challenge the PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro this holiday season.
Beyond the competition, however,
Spencer’s tweet has also confirmed that gamers on both Microsoft and
Sony’s console platforms will be able to enjoy the most important thing
of all this holiday season. It was looking grim for a few months, but
now fans can rejoice in the knowledge that wherever they choose to play Final Fantasy 15, they will have the option of seeing its glorious Moogles in HDR.
Final Fantasy 15 releases on November 29, 2016 for PS4 and Xbox One.