The upcoming online shooter Star Wars Battlefront will be released for PC, Playstation 4, and Xbox One. How does the game look on consoles, what resolution does it run in, and how are the frames?
Console players are always a bit skeptical when it comes to the performance of new games on their systems. Especially shooters like Star Wars: Battlefront should run quickly and smoothly. How do Playstation 4 and Xbox One perform?
Using the example of the post-apocalyptic RPG Fallout 4 , it can be seen that despite the developers’ statements that a game would run at a constant 30 fps, this is not always the case. Console players actually struggle with fluctuating FPS numbers in the game. FPS measures the frame rate.
This is not the only reason many owners of a Playstation 4 and an Xbox One view the upcoming online shooter Star Wars: Battlefront critically.
Relatively stable frame rates on consoles
Digital Foundry took a look at the performance of the online game on PS4 and Xbox One and analyzed it. The PS4 version runs at a resolution of 1600×900 pixels and also utilizes anti-aliasing. The Xbox One, on the other hand, runs at a resolution of 1280×720 pixels without AA.
The Playstation 4 version is said to look slightly better than the version for Xbox One, while the Xbox One version appears better than previous Battlefield games. Electronic Arts and DICE claim that both versions should run at stable 60 FPS. Testing revealed that this is mostly the case on the PS4 with few situations where the frame rate dipped slightly below this value.
On the Xbox One, 60 FPS could also mostly be reached and maintained, but it experienced frame drops somewhat more frequently than on the Playstation 4, where the frame rate dropped below 60 FPS. However, it still remained in the mid-50s range, which represents an improvement over the beta that could sometimes drop to around 40 FPS.
Trade-offs in details
To maintain frame rates reasonably, both consoles have to make compromises in terms of detail. The level geometry and the detail level of objects change depending on the player’s distance to the objects. This can especially be annoying when acting from an elevated point, for example, to eliminate enemies in the distance.
The problem is comparable to that of Halo 5 or Metal Gear Solid V. However, this is likely unavoidable if one wants to achieve relatively stable 60 FPS on a console.
At the moment, the tests should still be approached with caution. The Xbox One version is fully playable in EA Early Access, but is not yet “fully” loaded; the tests on the Playstation 4 are based on a closed review event.
How all this will actually play out in practice will be seen here in Europe on November 19, when Star Wars: Battlefront is released for PC, Xbox One, and Playstation 4.
