Would Starfield Achieve 60 FPS no Consoles? Digital Foundry's Experiment Answers
If Starfield allowed for gameplay at more than 30 frames per second on Xbox consoles, would it be an unacceptable experience? A test by Digital Foundry proves that nothing of the sort.
In June 2023 we learned that Starfield would only run on Xbox Series X and S at 30 frames per second - on the former in 4K resolution, and on the latter in 1440p. Todd Howard - head of Bethesda and the game's director - defended the decision with the game's visual consistency, while some developers supported his opinion (such as Dannie Carlone of Santa Monica Studio).
Gamers, however, seemed inconsolable, especially since reviewers ultimately recommended that - if you have the opportunity - you should play Starfield on a powerful PC, rather than on the XSX. Would a performance mode - prioritizing fps count - be unplayable on Xbox Series X and S? Nothing of the sort - Digital Foundry checked.
For the test, a PC was assembled with power as close as possible to that of the XSX. The resulting rig was not perfect, but it is impossible to unlock the 30 fps limit directly on the console. In addition, it was necessary to properly configure the game. What was the result?
- In closed spaces, the game ran at 60 frames per second with an output resolution of 4K and FSR 2 enabled (without dynamic resolution scaling).
- In open locations and during space travel, however, it was worse. In the former, the number of fps ranged from 30 to 40, and during the latter - from 35 to 50.
Interestingly, Digital Foundry conducted a similar test for the Xbox Series S - only reducing the resolution to 1440p, although there would probably be more changes in the potential target version. Almost all the time the game ran at around 40 frames per second. Meanwhile, in some locations - such as the detail-rich city of Neon - the counter showed a fully satisfactory 60 fps. The same was true during space battles.
Even taking into account that the specs of the test computer were slightly more powerful than that of the Xbox Series X and - especially - S, one might be tempted to conclude that the performance mode in Starfield would not be as bad as Todd Howard seemed to suggest. It is therefore somewhat surprising that Bethesda did not implement it as one of the available options, as many gamers might appreciate such a solution.
