Phew, it turns out that Final Fantasy XV isn't the technical mess that many feared it could be. Both the Episode Duscae demo and the Platinum Demo suffered from shaky frame rates, leading many to wonder whether the final product would be able to hold strong at a smooth 30 frames-per-second. Thankfully, as explored by the tech heads over at Digital Foundry, the role-playing release does, for the most part, manage to stick to 30fps on both the standard PlayStation 4 and the PS4 Pro.
However, the publication does note one recurring issue, and that's a problem with frame pacing. As some of you may already be aware, irregular frame pacing is an issue that impacts PS4 exclusive Bloodborne, and to this day, still hasn't been fixed. Essentially, this has nothing to do with low frame rates or anything like that - it's not the game slowing down or running particularly poorly. Rather, it basically means that the frames aren't displayed smoothly, which can result in a twitchy, awkward look and feel - especially when you're controlling your character.
Fortunately, this isn't a problem that crops up in Final Fantasy XV when it's running on a standard PS4. On the PS4 Pro exclusive 'High' setting, however, it's a near constant annoyance. As such, Digital Foundry recommends the PS4 Pro's 'Lite' setting. This second mode doesn't boost the title's resolution like the High setting does, but it also isn't marred by poor frame pacing. It caps things off at 1080p, but it adds various other visual boosts to the game, so it's a worthwhile trade.
Strangely, Digital Foundry does say that the irregular frame pacing could actually be caused by some sort of bug. If that actually turns out to be the case, then there's a good chance that it'll be patched at some point.
How are you playing Final Fantasy XV? Are you enjoying it on a regular PS4, or is the PS4 Pro your new best buddy? Hit the road in the comments section below.
Comments 10
Won't get to play it until tonight, but I'm pumped! Standard PS4 here.
Have to use lite mode on my pro otherwise the screen turns pure white with annoying regularity.
Really enjoying the game but only about 3 hrs in.
Getting ff15 tomorrow, playing it later when I got ps4 pro next month. Also I heard ps4 pro 60 fps patch come in december so I think it's better to play it later after the patch. For now I'm still playing world of final fantasy.
The frame pacing issue is a bit of a bummer, I think they did mention that while it hasn't been fixed in Bloodborne, it was resolved very quickly in Mafia 3, so there is hope it can be dealt with.
But, the available options are a nice touch, so we aren't forced to play it in a specific way.
I was hoping the unlocked framerate option would be available at launch, but I have faith that SE will release it in a timely manner (and fix the frame pacing issues). Despite the issues, I still plan to play it in 'high quality' mode until patched to remove the 30fps cap on "lite".
Isn't there a 60fps option coming in December?
Well we can see that Square put a lot of effort and love in this game.
Japanese games are going back to the top.
I'm playing on the high resolution mode and I can't say I've noticed it most of the time, don't get me wrong lite is way smoother but it doesn't seem much worse than many other PS4 games I've played.
One thing I can say is that the HDR is absolutely stunning on this game and makes a much bigger difference than the resolution. It truly is a beautiful game with night time and sunsets being particular highlights.
Totally gonna get it, but possibly eatly next year got a few other stories to beat first!
I can't decide which mode I like more, game mode or hdr+ mode. Uhd is set to always on but while both look fantastic, game mode has better response and less frame skips. Hdr+ mode looks and runs super smooth but skips frames here and there... anyone find a balance?
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...