A console game now has a field of view slider is likely the largest take away from this; a likely strange experience for console users to experiment with, become addicted to a singular setting that works best for how far away they’re sitting from their screen and then become frustrated with every title afterward that doesn’t have the option.
Welcome to the experience.
Call of Duty: Cold War is the developer Treyarch‘s opportunity to swing for the fences with Activision and the newly developed Call of Duty League (colloquially CDL) and it’s coming with the zombies, the run-and-gun multiplayer that the series is known for, and also support (and content) for the popular Warzone battle-royale.
The title comes with cross-play and cross-progression that many consumers are beginning to expect as a standard experience (that some developers are opting out of with apparently dishonest statements) and yes, it also finally brings a field-of-view slider for console users.
This is something that has confused some console players as to its purpose; we’ve had multiple comments discussing field of view sliders as frustrated users stating that they aren’t necessary for games.
In PC gaming, users sit close to their monitors which act as a type of window into the action; the FOV is higher as PC players sit closer to the screen; for consoles, the metaphorical window is farther away, so lower FOV tends to feel better. Having access to the FOV will allow you to tailor the experience to how far away you’re sitting, but be warned: it’s difficult to go back once you’re used to it, and it’s extremely rare for console titles to offer the option.
Further, many users need a FOV slider to ensure they don’t get motion sick while playing games, which was the catalyst for concern about Horizon Zero Dawn being playable in the PC port.
This being said, playing on a higher FOV than your competition can give you an advantage in terms of being able to see more of the world around you than your opponents, making this a standard staple of contention when FOV sliders are brought up in competitive matches.
Early users of the title have noted that the newest iteration feels like a downgrade from the recent Modern Warfare, and that the maps are heavily cluttered making it difficult to discern opponents from environment.
Still, this is a beta that is allowing everyone to dip their feet; it’s more than likely that Treyarch is continuing to polish up the mechanics and feel of the gameplay and visuals between now and release, bring those classic day-0 patches that leave us all downloading instead of playing. Time is limited for the free open beta until October 12: get a move on, soldier.
