Earlier this week, the public was treated to a first glimpse of the sci-fi action-RPG Starfied by Bethesda, which was well received by most. A more controversial reaction concerns the 30fps limitation on Xbox Series X and S consoleswhich Microsoft describes as a “creative choice”. Nevertheless, some people are wondering why Bethesda can’t reduce the resolution and provide a 60fps Performance mode.
Low native resolution on Xbox Series X upscaled to 4K
Digital Foundry can help us find the answer to this question. They counted the pixels on Xbox Series X and found that it runs with a low internal resolution of 1296pwhich is then upscaled to 4K. Most 4K modes on consoles include some type of upscaling, but the native resolution of 1296p is much lower than true 4Kat around 60%. This means that Bethesda has less flexibility to provide a mode that normally runs at 60fps with a large number of pixels. Below is DF’s full analysis of Starfield if you have 3/4 of an hour to spare:
We assume that Digital Foundry estimates that Starfield runs at 30 frames per second with relatively low internal resolution because the game is probably limited by the processor given its many integrated systems. In a similar way to Skyrim, Starfield preserves the game’s objects, and keeping it in a complete galaxy on screen takes considerable processing power. What’s more, the visuals are packed with detail, thanks to real-time global illumination and several modern effects.
In other words, we can see that with Starfield, Bethesda has made the choice to rely on more advanced technologies than before to make a more complex and visually faithful game, but this comes at a price.
Watch 45 minutes of Bethesda’s presentation of the game:
Starfield will be released on September 6 on PC and Xbox Series X/S.