PSA: Resident Evil Village Xbox Series X ray tracing off by default

While PS5 has it on. Why? No idea.

Resident Evil Village reviews are going live now — including our own, critiqued using PS5 code — and it’s at this point where I feel the need to weigh in on the game’s Xbox Series X version.

Code for PS5 was available well ahead of the game’s review embargo, though Xbox code came through less than a day before embargo — at least, here within Australia. Being the Resident Evil fanatic that I am, I asked for the opportunity to play both console versions.

While the versions largely look, feel and play the same — though I note that I’ve gone through four full playthroughs on PS5 at this point and I’m yet to finish a single Xbox Series X run — I can confirm that the PS5 version of the game comes with ray tracing turned on by default and the Xbox Series X without, just like the demo.

It’s not a huge deal of course — you simply need to exit the game and head to Options > Display to toggle HDR and ray tracing settings to your liking — but it’s nonetheless a strange situation. Why not have the same default settings across both consoles?

I’ve also noticed that PS5 loading times seem to be faster than those on Xbox Series X, with the latter showing an image appropriate to your point in the story while a (still rather quick) loading progress bar ticks away. The PS5 is fast enough that Capcom didn’t feel the need to worry about parity there.

Our very own Luke Lawrie reviewed Resident Evil Village, and while I feel I’m more of a franchise fan and a tad more forgiving of its quirks (or perhaps more used to them), I largely agree with his assessment of and experience with the title. Simply put, Resident Evil 6 was a garbage fire (though I couldn’t admit it at the time; I fixed that thanks to a re-release) and Resident Evil 7 was a shining rebirth for the survival horror series. Resident Evil Village sits firmly in the middle — it tries a lot (read: too much), has some great set pieces that are incohesive as a whole, and features heavy narrative and character flaws. Its map and puzzle design are top notch though, meaning those of us who’ve been with the series since its beginnings will nonetheless enjoy it despite its flaws.

Resident Evil Village heads to Windows PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PS4 and PS5 on 7 May.

Resident Evil Village 7 May 2021 PC PS4 PS5 Xbox One Xbox Series S & X   Buy on Windows PC via Steam Buy on the PlayStation Store Buy on the Xbox Store Buy on Amazon: Xbox, PS4, PS5