what's up with the frame rate of the console? • Eurogamer.net

What is the performance of Borderlands 3 on the consoles of the current generation? The cover of the new Gearbox hit by Digital Foundry will be a little off the mark since 2K has failed to provide the revision code, but now we have an idea of ​​what the developer has targeted and delivered on the improved consoles – Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro. The initial verdict? Some confusing technical decisions are in place and obvious performance issues need to be resolved, but the game is gilded.

What's interesting in the Pro and X versions is where there is parity and where there is none. Gearbox is committed here with the best intentions in the world, offering users of both machines the ability to choose between resolution and performance in the settings menu. In terms of the number of pixels at least, Pro and X are equivalent: the resolution mode aims to maximize the output of 4K displays, offering a 3200×1800 presentation, which is nice because of the anti-aliasing of the 4K displays. Unreal Engine 4 – not to mention the artistic style heart. The frame rate is capped at 30 frames per second, unlike the performance mode, which aims to produce 60 frames per second by reducing the internal resolution to 1080p on both machines.

Curiously, there are some differences in visual features and, remarkably, PlayStation 4 Pro offers a slightly richer experience. Next to Xbox One X, it's clear that it's the Pro that offers improved anisotropic filtering on ground textures – and it's also obvious that aspects such as leaf density far outperform performance. of the Pro. This is a surprising configuration, but the working theory that we have for the moment (corroborated by other cross-platform versions that we have seen) is that some aspects of the basic version of Xbox One persist in X version – we will check this in our follow-up on how Borderlands 3 works on vanilla consoles.

That's the performance that's the real problem here, though. With two consoles each offering two different game modes, four potential iterations of Borderlands 3 are to be taken into account. And to tell you the truth, there is only one with which we are comfortable to play, no matter the duration: the Xbox One X in resolution mode. This provides a consistent frame rate of 30 frames per second, clocked evenly, combined with a very good 1800p image quality.

Usually, we preferred to give up the resolution and aim for 60 frames per second, but the performance mode of Borderlands 3 presents real problems. On Xbox One X, it's all about crossing truly locked environments at the target rate. In combat, performance drops in the 50s, punctuated by longer stutters that add even more inconsistency to the experience. If I had to guess, I would say that Borderlands 3 pushes the processor a bit too hard here so that the X can handle it properly. The situation worsens when one is fighting in a vehicle, with declines in the 40s.

And so, by extension, the performance mode on PlayStation 4 Pro is all the more degraded, perhaps because of its weaker processor. Again, there is a 1080p60 target here, but the machine fails to provide anything outside of the crossing. The frame rate decreases in the same areas as on Xbox One X, with the difference that the weaker hardware configuration of the Pro sees the declines approaching further. It's nice to see games giving users the ability to choose between the number of pixels and the pace – but a fast-paced action shooter relies on consistency and Borderlands 3 offers no function in that fashion.

This leaves another permutation of performance to consider. Xbox One X works well in its resolution mode, but unfortunately the Pro does not follow. Running the game at 1800p with a visual specification slightly higher than that of the X does not work very well for the machine, the game ranging from 20 to 30 frames per second, depending on the load. The fighting often takes place in mid-twenties, which is not really enough in the best conditions, let alone for an experience at the border.

Some online reports indicate that adjusting the field of view option can improve performance. The fact that we have a field of view option is to the credit of the developer. Although the default value is set to a 90 degree view, users can choose between 70 and 110 degrees. In theory, reducing the field of view could reduce the geometry and draw the configuration of the calls, which could be useful in some cases. However, testing extreme values ​​(70 vs. 110) in the PS4 Pro resolution mode has not changed at all – additional tests in different modes will be needed here.

We will be back soon with more information on the game, by looking at both the basic consoles and the PC version, but from what we have tested so far, it is clear that the improved machines lack of finishing, which makes puzzling. frame rate problems. To be fair, Gearbox has some form of performance enhancement – Battleborn has gone from 30 fps to 60 fps after all – so fingers are crossing each other for the situation to improve.