Borderlands 2, Pre-Sequel Update Adds 4K Graphics To The Handsome Collection

Borderlands fans can finally rest easy knowing Borderlands 3 is real, and those who are hyped and ready to dive back into the series will soon have reason to revisit the previous games. Alongside the other Borderlands news shared during its PAX East panel, Gearbox announced that it's releasing graphical improvements for The Handsome Collection's games--Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel--and expanding Borderlands 2 VR.

[Update: Alongside Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition, which is out now, the ultra HD texture pack for the Handsome Collection's two games is now available. You can grab it for free from your respective platform of choice. Additionally, Handsome Collection is free to play for a limited time on both Xbox One and PC, making this an ideal opportunity to check both games out and see what the visual improvements are like. Besides all of this, we've also learned more about Borderlands 3, including who its playable vault hunter characters are and when its release date is: September 13.]

When it came time for the news to be shared at PAX, Gearbox's panel was struck with some unfortunate technical issues that hampered the rollout of a few trailers. Below, you can see what's in store in terms of the technical improvements coming for the last two Borderlands shooters. These ultra HD texture packs are coming to Borderlands 2 and The Pre-Sequel on PC, and the Borderlands: The Handsome Collection (which consists of those two games) for PS4 Pro and Xbox One X. You can see the improvements in the trailer and screenshots below.

There are some differences between how the texture packs work on consoles versus on PC. Console players get 4K and HDR support, along with remastered environment textures, characters, and vehicles, along with improved anti-aliasing and improved shadows. PC gets many of these same things, but there's no mention of HDR, though Screen Space Ambient Occlusion (SSAO) has been improved. The full lists for the respective platforms follows below.

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The ultra HD texture packs will be available for free on all supported platforms; they release on April 3. PS4 Pro owners will find it as a single DLC pack for Handsome Collection, while PC and Xbox One X players can download the packs individually for Borderlands 2 and The Pre-Sequel.

PS4's Borderlands 2 VR is also getting an improvement, as Gearbox will update the PlayStation VR game to include all of the non-VR version's DLC. A free update arriving this summer will add Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate's Booty, Mr. Torgue's Campaign of Carnage, Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt, and Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep.

Alongside all of this, Gearbox's PAX East panel brought some other exciting news. Borderlands 3 is officially real, and the studio is also re-releasing an enhanced version of Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition.

PS4 Pro/Xbox One X Improvements:

• 4K Ultra HD resolution and HDR for Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro players
• Remastered 4K environment textures, including geometry and skyboxes
• Remastered 4K characters and vehicles
• Updated weapon meshes and textures
• Re-encoded 4K Cinematics
• Improved Anti-Aliasing, including improved edge line implementation
  • This includes improved ink line definition and framing/outline around character models
• Higher Resolution Dynamic Shadows
  • Improved quality and smoothness of shadows, especially during movement

PC Improvements:

• Remastered 4K environment textures, including geometry and skyboxes
• Remastered 4K characters and vehicles
• Remastered 4K weapon meshes and textures
• Improved Anti-Aliasing, including improved edge line implementation
  • This includes improved ink line definition and framing/outline around character models
• Higher Resolution Dynamic Shadows
  • Improved quality and smoothness of shadows, especially during movement
• Improved Screen Space Ambient Occlusion
  • An improved SSAO method for more realistic ambient lighting