Digital Foundry has performed an analysis of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on both Xbox One and PS4. Their results? That neither has frame-rates that are ideal.
Overall, they tip their hat to the PS4 version, though both versions clearly have strengths and weaknesses. The PS4 has a frame-rate cap at 30fps, while the Xbox One does not.
“To start with cut-scenes, a firm 30fps line is held on PS4 during an early griffin encounter, and in practice this gives us smoother motion compared to the 35fps read-out on Xbox One,” Digital Foundry reported. “However, the problem here is that if the PS4′s frame-rate drops below this number, it instantly locks to 20fps.
“It’s an instant switch, much like the double-buffer method of v-sync seen in Metal Gear Solid 4 on PS3. In one later scene involving heavy ice effects, it’s notable that Xbox One does glance this 20fps figure at a similar moment, but unlike PS4 it’s able to waver up and down the scale more freely. Meanwhile, Sony’s platform is stuck at this value for long stretches of a scene.”
The frame-rate cap on PS4 can sometimes trigger a stutter effect, while the Xbox One simply chugs along when demands are too high.
“Actual gameplay paints a slightly different picture,” Digital Foundry continued. “A trip through the busy Novigrad city really puts both consoles through their paces, and Xbox One is essentially reduced to a 29-31fps range of fluctuations that produces stutter. By comparison, PS4 doesn’t go over this line, but nor is it especially well optimised for large areas like this, with 25fps lurches seen at its worst.
“In open spaces, rapid gallops through forests produces similar results; regular single-frame drops on PS4 disrupt motion, while Xbox One runs above 30fps to cause its own frame-pacing issues. In battle, both platforms flatten at around 30fps, while a lengthy fight with a griffin shows bigger drops once we cast alpha-based spells such as Igni. The end effect is the same: neither console version feels as smooth as it should, and each is prone to big dips during gameplay.”
Despite the reports, Leo’s put in around eighty hours into the game on PS4, and I’ve done about ten hours on Xbox One. Neither of us are complaining.
How have you found The Witcher 3‘s performance on consoles?
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