Death Stranding Director’s Cut wide mode is quintessentially Kojima

(Image credit: Kojima Productions)

A 'final' trailer for Death Stranding Director's Cut has been revealed by director Hideo Kojima, showcasing the updated game's new wide mode.

The trailer, which was captured entirely within the PS5 version of Death Stranding and edited by Kojima himself, showcases the updated game's (initially confusing) widescreen picture mode.

Death Stranding Director's Cut wide mode sees horizontal cinematic black bars added to the top and bottom of the screen (without cutting off these parts of the image), making the aspect ratio 21:9 (rather than 16:9) and stretching the sides of the image out. Essentially it means that players will see more of the background, enemies, and items. You can see wide mode in action in the new trailer below:

Opinion: it's all very Kojima

While we've seen widescreen mode in action before, during the Death Stranding Director's Cut reveal, this is the first time we've seen it properly showcased and actually know what it is.

When the wide mode was first revealed with Death Stranding Director's Cut's announcement, there was some confusion as to what it actually was. And Sony's wording didn't help either. A PlayStation Blog stated that players would be able to “choose from two picture modes - Performance Mode with upscaled 4K and up to 60FPS or Fidelity Mode in native 4K – both with ultra-wide and HDR support”.

This led to speculation that Death Stranding Director's Cut would support ultra-wide monitors which, if true, would suggest the PS5 itself could be getting ultra-wide support.

However, that isn't the case. A Sony spokesperson told TechRadar last month: “Death Stranding Director’s Cut offers a Widescreen Mode for an ultra-wide play experience, using the console’s standard 16:9 aspect ratio to display letterboxed gameplay equivalent to 21:9 aspect ratio.”

It's not particularly surprising that the Director's Cut won't support ultra-wide monitors. What's even less surprising is the confusion. Hideo Kojima is renowned for being an artistic enigma. After its initial reveal, no one even really knew what Death Stranding was about - something about babies, black tar, and making deliveries? So it is only right that Kojima's next reveal was shrouded in a degree of head-scratching over its messaging, only to find the result is yet another cinematic feature from the sandwich-posting, riddler of games.

Love it or hate it, Kojima sure has a way of getting us to talk about Death Stranding.

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An award-winning games journalist, with seven years of experience in games journalism and a degree in journalism from City University, London, Vic brings experience from IGN, Eurogamer, The Telegraph, VG247, Dot Esports and more to the TechRadar table. You may have even heard her on the radio or speaking on a panel, as she’s previously appeared on BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5, BBC Radio Ulster and more. Not only is Vic passionate about games, but she's appeared on both panels and podcasts to discuss mental health awareness. Make sure to follow her on Twitter for more.