Bethesda’s Todd Howard has confirmed thatStarfield’s frame rate on Xbox Series X/S will indeed be locked to 30 FPS. This comes after both the publisher and Arkane received intense backlash from gamers aboutRedfallbeing locked to 30 FPS, and that limitation was only at launch with a planned 60 FPS performance mode coming to the game later.
Xbox Series X was promoted as the most technologically advanced console on the market. With that came the expectation from many people that games released for the platform would offer basic features previously associated mainly with PC gaming, namely 4K resolution and 60 FPS. Though it’s not obvious to some, a lot ofgamers can feel and see the difference between 30 and 60 FPS, and they claim that it greatly impacts their enjoyment.
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In an interview with IGN just before the Xbox Games Showcase 2023, Bethesda’s Todd Howard confirmed thatStarfield’s frame rate on Xbox Series X/S will be locked to 30 FPS. Part of the explanation lies in the types of games Bethesda creates: dynamic, highly detailed open worlds that inevitably require a lot of memory and processing power. to maintain consistent quality and not sacrifice performance, the company decided to limit the frame rate. Howard goes on to say that, on PC at least,Starfieldoften runs above 30 FPS and sometimes even reaches 60.
As for resolution,Starfieldwill play at 4K on the Xbox Series X and 1440p on the Series S, as expected. In general, Howard maintains that the game “feels great” and the team is pleased with the way it plays even in the heat of battle when a lot of things are happening at once.
At least the transparency aboutStarfield’s potentially controversial frame rate lock has come before the game’s release. Much of theanger aroundRedfall’s frame rate limitationsstemmed from the fact that, despite Xbox Game Studios and Arkane knowing that it would be locked to 30 FPS at launch, gameplay footage showed otherwise and consumers weren’t warned ahead of time.
Despite the frame rate reveal perhaps disappointing a lot of gamers, the reception to the Starfield Direct showcase and the Xbox Games Showcase in general has been very positive, with many people on social media proclaiming it to be the most successful gaming show so far this year. Those anticipating the upcoming space-faring RPG from Bethesda were finally able to see more gameplay footage, including ship customization, combat, and space battles. TheStarfieldlimited edition controller, headset, and collector’s edition were also officially revealed.
Starfieldlaunches September 6 on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
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