Digital Foundry recently found details that Quantum Break may only run at 720p, and that was just confirmed by Remedy.
In the age of Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and continuously more powerful PCs, Quantum Break is breaking the mold of 1080p games.
Remedy, developer behind both Alan Wake and Quantum Break, has confirmed that the game runs at a base resolution of 720p with temporal reconstruction. The game does manage to add new details, with additions like high quality multi-sampling anti-aliasing. The approach will get a high pixel quality in combination with complex shading and effects.
“Quantum Break’s 1080p output is a temporal reconstruction from four previous 720p 4x MSAA frames. This approach gets us high pixel quality in combination with complex shading and effects, allowing us to achieve a cinematic look. However, varying sample counts between passes and temporal upscaling makes talking about resolution, as it is traditionally understood, complicated in the case of Quantum Break. Since the start of Quantum Break’s development, the most important thing for Remedy and Microsoft has been delivering a compelling gaming experience with superior artistic quality. This is what Remedy is renowned for. We’re confident that we have achieved this, and can’t wait to hear what fans think on April 5 when they play the game.” (source)
According to inquisitr, the 720p is noticeable when you first start playing the game. Bearing in mind that not everyone is a stickler for graphics, you’ll still be able to join Quantum Break. Even if it is running in 720p.
If this has been enough to make you cancel your pre-order, you might want to consider when Phil Spencer has to say on the matter.
@Axel_Dreams_95 I encourage you to try a game before you make any pre-judgements about what makes a game good or bad.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) March 20, 2016