Halo 5's resolution will dynamically scale down from 1080p during the game's more intensive scenes to help keep the framerate at a "consistent" 60fps, 343 Industries has said.
The lowest possible resolution Halo 5 will run at, however, has yet to be clarified.
"From the beginning, we set ourselves the goal of delivering consistent 60fps gameplay across all modes of play," 343 studio head Josh Holmes explained on Xbox Wire. "Delivering on this goal meant re-engineering the gameplay systems at the core of our engine. It required sustained commitment from the entire team as we continually optimized the experience, and the difference it makes to the play experience is immediate and obvious.
"60fps gameplay is supported by a new progressive resolution system that allows us to dynamically scale the resolution at which we render the game (up to 1080p) based on the needs of the scene. This enables us to deploy resources where they have most impact across a diverse series of experiences throughout the game while delivering the most visually stunning Halo game ever."
Much of the campaign may actually be playable at 1080p, campaign environment art lead Justin Dinges adds, "but when we want to get really crazy with vehicles, visual effects and combat we can trade some of the resolution in order to maintain the crucial 60fps. Without this system, we would need to either reduce the scale of our most intense combat encounters or lower the quality of content across the game in order to stay at 60 fps at all times.
"With progressive resolution, we get the best of both worlds: epic scale experiences that look incredible while running at a consistent 60fps."