"What a let down": Red Dead Redemption fans disappointed over barebones port for last-gen consoles

The latest announcement of Red Dead Redemption coming to PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch has surprised many gamers. The iconic open-world game has been revived over a decade since its 2010 debut, much to fans' excitement. However, much of this appeal was lessened when players realized the game was a basic port without any enhancements.

The exclusion of current-gen platforms and PC is a double whammy for fans clamoring for a modern port forever. As expected, the players are upset, and rightfully so.

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Fans express frustration over Rockstar Game's poor efforts towards the upcoming Red Dead Redemption port

Red Dead Redemption has been one of the top picks for a modern remaster, especially after fans were treated to the delightful prequel Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2018. As such, newcomers and series veterans wanted to see a second coming of John Marston's gripping story encapsulated by modern visuals and gameplay.

Players who fell in love with the original have taken to social media to express their disappointment with how low effort this port is revealed to be:

Fans also pointed out how this move contradicts the company's previous statement that their remasters intend to offer an enhanced experience, yet this upcoming release is anything but that.

Conversely, some fans are rooting for the positives that come from this move.

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The game has indeed been absent on modern platforms, especially Nintendo; this is the first time a Red Dead game has officially been released on a Nintendo platform. Furthermore, a PS4 release makes sense since, unlike the Xbox One, Sony's last-gen platform has no backward compatibility.

However, as fans have pointed out, this is a missed opportunity to have included any enhancements. The GTA Trilogy - The Definitive Edition was ported to Unreal Engine 4 with improved visuals from a technical standpoint. Even though the ports themselves were disastrous at launch, they featured more bells and whistles than this rendition of Red Dead Redemption.

What truly is confusing is how the original Red Dead Redemption has still eluded the PC platform. The 2010 original only launched on PS3 and Xbox 360, leaving PC users out. This was fixed with the 2018 prequel game Red Dead Redemption 2. This upcoming release could have been a great way to introduce PC players to the chronological successor, but that's not going to happen.

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Could Rockstar have other plans for Red Dead Redemption on current-gen consoles and PC?

Amidst past leaks and rumors of a remake, fans hope the game will be overhauled with current graphics tech to improve the game in infinite ways. As such, this release may not invalidate that possibility. No matter how fans view it, the PS4 and Nintendo Switch feature aging tech at this point. A potential cutting-edge remake would likely skip those platforms.

Instead, could Rockstar Games have treated last-gen platforms with a "classic" version while preparing a new rendition for modern systems? While we have no information to support this speculation, that possibility is not unfeasible. This port is handled by Double Eleven, an independent porting house, instead of an in-house team.

Yes, it could be that the main studio is hard at work developing GTA 6. But perhaps Rockstar also has something in the works for current systems. After all, it seems unfathomable that PC and console could get the short end of the stick for no apparent reason.

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Red Dead Redemption arrives on Nintendo Switch and PS4 on August 17, 2023, as a digital release, while physical release is scheduled for October 13, 2023.