PlayStation 5 backwards compatibility can bring some stunning improvements to PlayStation 4 games, as the likes of Days Gone and Ghost of Tsushima demonstrate. However, one thing we learned with Rocket League this week, is that developers need to port their games to Sony’s next-gen console in order to get them running at 120 frames-per-second.
Here’s what Psyonix’s senior communications manager Stephanie Thoensen told us about its vehicular multiplayer smash: “Enabling 120Hz on Xbox Series S|X is a minor patch, but enabling it on PS5 requires a full native port due to how backwards compatibility is implemented on the console, and unfortunately wasn’t possible due to our focus elsewhere.”
That same situation appears to have occurred with Call of Duty: Warzone, which has been quietly updated to run at 120 frames-per-second on Xbox Series S|X, but is locked at 60 frames-per-second on PS5. That’s despite the rest of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War offering an excellent 120 frames-per-second mode on Sony’s new console.
So, why is this? Well, despite being included as part of Cold War’s install, Warzone is actually running within the framework of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare [Are you keeping up? - Ed], and thus is technically a backwards compatible title within a next-gen game. Thus, due to the way PS4 games work on PS5, there’s no 120 frames-per-second option.
To be fair, an early Digital Foundry analysis shows that Warzone doesn’t appear to be running all that smoothly at 120 frames-per-second on Xbox Series S|X anyway – and remember, you’ll need a television that supports the feature to take advantage of it in the first place. These new consoles are crazy complicated, aren’t they?
[source eurogamer.net]
Comments 28
My belief was fast loading times lots of frames per seconds were for the big money making shooters.
looks like Microsoft have nailed that one too..... 🤦♂️
Shame! But 60fps is still an improvement. Wish I had my PS5 this weekend as the weather is pants ☹️
It'll be interesting to see how many devs upgrade their games for the 120hz. Surely there's some good will here too.
@Number09
PS5 has been shown to have faster loading AND (surprisingly) better frame rate than Series X in true next generation games. It’s only back compatible games where MS have done better...well, accept where games are adapted for Pro/X where often the FPS are better on PS5 due to the lower resolution used on Pro games compared to X.
It does feel like the approach Sony took with BC is causing more trouble than its worth. That’s a few games now that don’t include features the Xbox version does not out of some deal, but more out of the overwhelming hassle it takes to get it running on PS5.
120 Hz is nice and all but the issue is it's not persistent; it is running at high frame rates and sudden drop from 120 FPS to ~ 90 FPS will be very noticeable compared to slight dip from 60. Besides majority of people will not have equipment needed to experience it. Those that do don't worry we'll get it soon I believe in December next gen version will be rolled out.
@thefourfoldroot Except that there are none to compare yet. It's all cross gen.
@Menchi
Next gen SKUs are absolutely comparable. Valhalla, for example. There are next generation versions of games that were largely built alongside the current gen games and so can be compared and (for some strange technical reason) are running slightly better on PS5 than Series X.
On the flip side, all the thousands of older games run better in back compat on series x (apart from those upgraded for mid gen consoles or which were capped at a level possible to hold on older machines anyway).
Not at all bothered by this as i am sure that my eyeballs have passed the point of being able to tell...60fps is enough for me and i cant ever see myself needing any more...want yes as it would be nice but need? No..
@thefourfoldroot There is nothing truly next gen about a game designed around a jaguar CPU and GCN GPU.
@thefourfoldroot I do not play online shooters so fps is not an issue with me .................. I have not yet seen a full on multiplayer shooter on the "true next generation games" have you?
@Number09
FPS = frames per second(?).
I will direct you to my comment below as I think we are talking at cross purposes.
@Menchi
There are significant differences in how the next generation machines handle next generation games compared to games in backwards compatibility mode.
@thefourfoldroot I have not yet seen a full on multiplayer shooter on the "true next generation games" have you?
@Total_Weirdo CoD is always 60fps we didn’t need a new generation of consoles to achieve this...
@thefourfoldroot Good points. Technically PS5 and XBox Series X is current gen now. Ill be playing on my last get PS4 until Monday.
@2cents I can't be locked though? As i have experienced slow down during gameplay. PS5 must be locked at 60FPS which will be an improvement.
I think ps5 os is more like ios while xbox os is like android. You can’t just port iphone apps to ipad for example, the devs need to make native ipados apps, it’s more work but the end result is great.
I keep seeing articles about 120fps, how many people even have TVs capable of supporting that?
Plus I fully expect new PS5 games to be targeting 60 or depending on the genre 30 so the visuals can be improved as much as possible...
Meh I'm good with 60fps, not much point in higher fps when there's always trade offs, and while double the frames is immediately noticable once your eyes adapt to the stimuli it basically starts to fell the same old
Oh boy. The console war fan boys are probably rubbing their hands together about this little gem.
@thefourfoldroot
There are no true next generation games as of yet as games that are working on the newer systems are also cross platform with PS4 and Xbox One with the addition of ray tracing, enhanced features and taking advantage of the SSD speeds ect. If you’re referring to DmC then there are modes where both consoles have limitations and advantages. But that in no way should be indicative of what lies ahead as developers are still optimising for the new hardware. And you can’t really compare spiderman and demons souls as they’re PlayStation only titles.
I’m just finding the middle ground here, both consoles are showing advantages and limitations in some areas but we are not going to know for sure until we have games running on both consoles designed for next generation in mind and not running off of an older pre existing engine.
@xIFoxHound
If you are waiting for game that are ONLY on next gen (rather than designed for next generation with cut backs for current gen) then I’m afraid you’ll be waiting forever. The Series S means that will never happen.
But it doesn’t matter as games scale in resolution anyway and can cut out ray racing and drop to 30fps
The only real difference is between new gen and back compat. That is all.
There may, theoretically, be games that has AI only new gen can run, but they will be few and far between.
@thefourfoldroot
The thing is while the Series S doesn’t have as much compute power as both machines the reality is you don’t need as much memory bandwidth because you’re not loading the highest level MIP levels into memory. You don’t need the same amount of memory as well. All consoles are running RDNA architecture as opposed to the older machines. There’s a reason why it’s the cheaper next gen entry, it’s not 4k and it’ll downgrade the effects ect, but that’s for developers to implement, it won’t affect the newer machines. I don’t know why people get so caught up in that fact. It’s been stated by multiple developers that it’s not going to hold back next gen gaming. Microsoft is also relying on a technique called sampler feedback streaming in the Xbox Series S and X to improve the efficiency of SSD bandwidth. Sampler feedback streaming gives developers much more control over how data is delivered to the GPU for rendering, meaning only the textures that a GPU needs for a scene will be loaded into memory so it’ll save big on performance. Like I said, it’s only up to developers if they choose to optimise for the series S which developers already do for PC anyways so there is no reason why the can’t effectively, I’m not a fan of the series S, but for the price and for the technology inside it, it’s quite clever, even with the compromises to catch up with the now current gen.
@xIFoxHound
The games on series s are already dropping below 1080p. If the majority of customers are on the S then, yes, they will cut back. Many will do it intelligently and cut back on number of assets, enemies etc, but other devs won’t want to create two versions of a game.
But you are getting off point, all I said was you can definitely compare if the same game is on series x and ps5, irrespective of whether it’s also on last gen. This is obvious. I have no interest in getting sucked into a console war discussion, too old for that stuff.
@thefourfoldroot
There’s no console war going on, you stated that all games ran better in true next generation games so far but there’s barely any we can compare as there’s no next gen titles yet other than the PlayStation exclusives and a special edition of a game released the previous year. I’m simply stating that the situation is no different on the Series S like it is on PC hardware, it’s all about developer scaleability
@xIFoxHound
Erm...read again, no I didn’t. I said it has (surprisingly given the spec disparity) been the case PS5 has run games better. I never said all games. I suspect the Series X API is not fully developed but will be improved moving forward.
@thefourfoldroot
All good, though you only said (“surprisingly”) so I did read again but it was my interpretation 🤷♂️ it’s early days so we will see
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