Hi! I've been very curious about something for years at this point. Why do some console games use low-resolution textures even when the hardware is relatively modern? I can guess it's to improve performance, but I wonder if there's a particular component that is the primary limiting factor, if the engine or developers play a role, or all of the above. Thank you.
It's difficult to treat something as broad as game textures as something monolithic. For example, it would be silly to have 4k textures applied to an arrow, especially if that arrow is only in flight for a few seconds at most and won't be closely observed by the vast majority of players. This principle applies to many things like background elements, props, or even characters who have no in-game purpose other than as set dressing.
That said, we sometimes do want to use lower definition textures across the board. Textures can get extremely large very quickly - they are one of the two largest hogs of drive space in games, right alongside high quality audio. 1080p textures are roughly 1/4 the size of 4k textures. This can have a tremendous effect on download times, which is one of the key indicators on how many players will actually give a game a try. The longer a new player has to wait before she can play, the more likely she is to bounce off the game. Also, the amount of installed space a game takes has an effect on players - many players just won't install a game if they don't have enough space. Having an optional high-res texture pack for the more engaged players helps reduce the disk footprint a game has while still offering the premium player experience.
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