Free Borderlands Update Bringing Improved Graphics To The Handsome Collection

While series fans are eagerly anticipating Borderlands 3, those interested in playing some of the existing games will soon be treated to a better-looking experience. As part of its PAX East panel, which was unfortunately plagued with technical issues, Gearbox revealed that it’s releasing improved texture packs for both Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, and expanding Borderlands 2 VR.

Specifically, 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 the 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.

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