This PC-Exclusive Borderlands 4 Feature Proves Console Players Were Right to Be Upset

There are plenty of reasons why someone might want to play Borderlands 4 on PC rather than console, and there are plenty of other reasons some might prefer console over PC. While these reasons can come down to the cost of a PC versus a console or the stability of a console versus a PC, however, they aren’t the only differences that matter. Sometimes there are features implemented into one platform that aren’t implemented into another, and in the case of Borderlands 4, that feature is field of view — which PC currently has and console does not.

Field of view isn’t everything in a game, and sometimes it’s not even thought about by casual players, but in a game like Borderlands 4, it can make all the difference. That’s ultimately why there has been such an outcry for an FOV slider to be added to the console version of Borderlands 4, as it essentially offers benefits to PC players that console players aren’t able to take advantage of. Borderlands 4 isn’t a competitive multiplayer game, so it’s not an issue of one player having a combat advantage over another. Rather, it’s more about the principle of the playing field being level for all players, and it simply isn’t right now.

Borderlands 4’s FOV Slider Creates a Rift Between PC and Console

Why This Visual Setting Matters More Than It Seems

Again, some players may not even consider what adjusting the field of view in a game like Borderlands 4 can really do, but it’s one of those things that, once it’s done, it’s hard to undo — not because it’s impossible, but because it makes such a difference that it’s hard to go back to the default setting. When the field of view is expanded, its primary function is that it allows players to see more of the world around them. They have more peripheral awareness with a greater field of view, and in Borderlands 4, that can really help with intense firefights.

It’s more than just about seeing more on the screen though. Increasing the field of view in any game gives the illusion that things are moving faster, even if they really aren’t. But this fits in especially well with Borderlands 4, which, like its predecessors, is incredibly chaotic when a firefight breaks out. With the field of view slider turned up, players can really feel like their chosen Vault Hunter is a true action hero as they fly across the screen dropping bombs and firing off payloads in their enemies’ direction. It’s such a huge difference, in fact, that attempting to go back to the default setting after increasing the field of view can make things feel painfully sluggish.

What Gearbox Is Saying About Bringing It to Consoles

That’s really why it’s so unfortunate that console players currently don’t have the option to adjust their field of view, ultimately putting PC players at both a gameplay and an entertainment advantage. However, the backlash has been loud enough that Gearbox has already acknowledged it. CEO Randy Pitchford admitted on social media that an FOV setting could raise questions about “fairness,” but added that the team is actively looking at ways to implement it on consoles. Developers have also hinted that technical limitations, such as frame rate stability, may be part of the delay. Still, knowing that the option exists on PC today makes the wait sting even more for console players who feel left behind.

Borderlands 4 isn’t the first game to spark this debate, and it won’t be the last. Other shooters have launched without FOV sliders on console, only to add them later after community pressure. The difference here is that Borderlands 4 thrives on chaos and speed, both of which benefit from a wider field of view. Until Gearbox delivers, console players will continue to feel like they’re fighting the same battles as PC players, only from inside a tunnel.