Console Battlefield 3 to Include Optional High-Res Textures

If you pick up Battlefield 3 for Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 later this month, you'll have the option of installing a set of higher resolution textures, too, Electronic Arts confirmed this afternoon.

It's optional on both platforms.

EA didn't have additional details on the texture pack, and we may have to wait until the game's released to find out whether there's a substantial difference if you choose not (or in the case of some Xbox 360 machines, cannot) to install the add-on.

Is this because the game can't handle the higher texture when streaming from the disc?

Klepek, something tells me your trolling with that picture.

i can feel the panic in your posting :P

@Yoda: aren't your posts supposed to be like reversed? lol how is he trolling though?

Interesting, I would like to see the kind of drop in performance you would get.

of*

If it's anything like RAGE it's more about the textures streaming from the disc. Shouldn't be much of a performance hitch once installed.

Wait. The multiplayer beta probably already had the high-res textures? I thougjt it looked like shit.

LATE-BREAKING NEWS. This is actually really cool. Giving the console player options like that is always welcome in my eyes. Like the frame rate locking/unlocking in the Bioshock games.

I'm guessing they wanted to find a way to store larger textures on the hard drive. More power to 'em.

Huh. Well won't be missing out on them; lot's of space on my PS3 hard drive.

Well that's weird but more choices doesn't hurt.

That screenshot is actually from leaked alpha footage from before the beta was released.

well shit, now i gotta get a new graphics card for my xbox for these new hd textures.

Possible framerate decrease and loading time increase? Might be like PC versions where the hardcore turn off lots of effects to minimize cover and distractions.

Any chance the already low 30FPS will take a hit with this?

@rudyarr: that screen shot is not from the map that's currently in the open beta on the consoles, it's likely from a closed internal beta.

Curious if they'll suffer a framerate loss. 
 
 
 
Also, lol at picture/caption combo.

No, Patrick, that screenshot does not include the high res textures. It's a low-res screen from an internal testing session. 
 
@WiqidBritt said:

@rudyarr: that screen shot is not from the map that's currently in the open beta on the consoles, it's likely from a closed internal beta.

@gigapower said:

If it's anything like RAGE it's more about the textures streaming from the disc. Shouldn't be much of a performance hitch once installed.

lol, keep telling yourself that.

I'm happy about that. Pc will always be the best at this. so, if i can install a better gfx, i will. sure as hell can't play bf3 on my comp.

I don't see a difference...

Probably pop-in related, I'm guessing.

This is just weird. Why would this be optional on a static hardware platform. Either the machine can do it or it can't. Does it drop the frame rate in such a way that they weren't sure if everyone would be ok with the aesthetic trade off with the fps.

@Krisgebis said:

Is this because the game can't handle the higher texture when streaming from the disc?

More likely because the high-res textures wouldn't fit on the 8 gb multiplayer DVD.

Patrick was obviously joking with that picture. Come on people. Keep up.

@Chubbaluphigous: It certainly doesn't inspire confidence. It's nice that they're giving the option though. Options are always better than none. On PC I'm always having to flick at different settings so that I can get the right balance of pretty and FPS, there's no reason why console games shouldn't have the same options.

Obviously part of why people go to console gaming is because of the simplicity, but now that online FPSs on consoles are so competitive, it makes sense to open up options like these. If lowering the textures speeds up the game a little, then that's certainly something that people who play seriously would want to do.

EDIT: I realise in this specific case, it's probably got more to do with something weird going on besides just freedom of choice. But is it really to do with disc size? Surely the PS3 bluray has room for the textures? Or are they harming the PS3 version so that the consoles are equal - if so, that's bull.

@Chubbaluphigous said:

This is just weird. Why would this be optional on a static hardware platform? Either the machine can do it or it can't. Does it drop the frame rate in such a way that they weren't sure if everyone would be ok with the aesthetic trade off with the fps?

Disc size, seems likely very similar in GBs for the DVD and Blu-ray.

Welp the game is appears to be designed with console play in mind anyway, might as well make it look prettier too.

Can't wait until my 250gig hdd comes in the mail. Man, they best announce new consoles next year. This Christmas season seems to have shown the peak.

@ThePhantomnaut said:

@Chubbaluphigous said:

This is just weird. Why would this be optional on a static hardware platform? Either the machine can do it or it can't. Does it drop the frame rate in such a way that they weren't sure if everyone would be ok with the aesthetic trade off with the fps?

Disc size, seems likely very similar in GBs for the DVD and Blu-ray.

I was gonna say hard drive installation policy differences between Sony and Microsoft. Microsoft can't guarantee every 360 owner buying the game will have a hard drive that can have the texture pack install, and this is DICE/EA's way around it.

Who wouldn't want that option? :)

Well, I'm glad we'll have some great textures as we sink into the ground, or the screen showing you zoom into a blank black window in a void instead of seeing who killed you.

@Burglarize: Nowhere does it say the discs don't have enough space, it just says that you have the option to install it on your HDD. Clearly the issue is streaming textures from the disc, not a disc space issue. It could be in the case of the 360, but surely the Blu-Ray would have enough space.

Also, where do you get that this in some way harms the PS3 version? The PS3's disc drive is much slower than the 360s anyways. You would WANT to have the textures installed.

@billyhoush: You get the feeling that we're not going to see anything from Sony and Microsoft over the next 12 months or so at the very least. That's not to say I wouldn't welcome an announcement soon. Both machines are beginning to show their age.

@wireframefool: Dice has stated that the beta is months old code and those issues will be fixed in the retail version. Not sure what your point is.

@LEGITLakers: Have you played Xbox 360 games recently? Out side of Gears 3, it looks pretty much on par with everything else.

If you're comparing it to current PC games, then we might as well end the discussion, because there isn't a discussion to be had.

Another reason to buy console BF3 - the beta already looks better then the PC running at Low settings, so this will hopefully be competitive with the PC at Highest.

That's cool I guess but I will turn it off if it makes the frame rate drop.

@dezvous: Well to be fair, nowhere does it say that the issue is to do with streaming textures. I was just commenting on the speculation being thrown around in here about disc size. IF it was to do with disc size the PS3 version would be being harmed by this optional download, because it could've just been put on the bluray. However, I agree with you that is probably to do with the speeds of the disc drives - it's weird that it hasn't been clarified by DICE (at least in this article anyway).

@DFSVegas: Out of interest, what are these "current PC games" of mystical lore? I constantly hear people gushing over PC gaming and it's graphics, but the examples these days are few and far between. Recently there's been what, Crysis 2, The Witcher 2... ? For the record, I've got a nice PC, but I don't often find many games that really strain my graphics card.

That's pretty good, right?

@Burglarize said:

@DFSVegas: Out of interest, what are these "current PC games" of mystical lore? I constantly hear people gushing over PC gaming and it's graphics, but the examples these days are few and far between. Recently there's been what, Crysis 2, The Witcher 2... ? For the record, I've got a nice PC, but I don't often find many games that really strain my graphics card.

The best I've seen lately is GTA IV with realistic texture mod.

I suppose that's one way to fill up a Blu-Ray disc.

@Mcfart said:

Another reason to buy console BF3 - the beta already looks better then the PC running at Low settings, so this will hopefully be competitive with the PC at Highest.

Are you high?

Oh, nevermind. Your name is green.

BF3 look fantastic on PC.

Glad I have a beast of a computer that can run it on the highest settings. Battlefield on a console just sounds wrong.

@Mcfart said:

Another reason to buy console BF3 - the beta already looks better then the PC running at Low settings, so this will hopefully be competitive with the PC at Highest.

Please stop over-dosing on your farts.

I would always install a game completely. What do I have the 250GB hard dive for. But I can not imagine that the framerate would not take a hit, so no...

That picture and caption are perfect.