In this modern era of video games, we can marvel at 4K UHD and super-smooth framerates, but that’s not always the case.
Sometimes it can vary on the game whether it be technical limitations, lack of financial backing or the talent of the developer at hand. While I do like to have the option of 60fps on consoles, it’s not always the be-all and end-all. For example, some games can target 60fps, but it can often fluctuate in performance making for an uneven experience. If this is the case, a more steady 30fps can often be the best option with the added 4K UHD. What’s more, there are some games in my opinion that are better experienced at 4K/30fps than 1080p/60fps, and vice versa.
Take a look at Starfield's latest trailer below.
Then we have cases such as Bethesda’s Redfall. Even before it had been released, Bethesda warned that it was locked at 30fps, which isn't great for a first-party new-gen game. It wouldn't have been so bad had that been a steady 30fps, but Redfall could barely achieve that at the best of times. So what about Starfield? Sure, this game is being created by a different developer, but being under the same Bethesda Softworks umbrella, this highly anticipated sci-fi RPG would desperately want to avoid the launch woes of Redfall, right?
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Well, despite being a totally different genre of game from a different developer, Starfield will share a similarity to Redfall by being locked at 30fps. Now, I know that alarm bells might be ringing but as I said earlier, this could actually be okay. Starfield is set to be a massive game, after all. It will not only feature the largest city that Bethesda has ever created, but it will also contain over 1,000 planets that we can explore so with that in mind, perhaps a target of 60fps might be too much to ask.
If Starfield was to perform at a consistent 30fps on console, considering its size and scope, I believe that would make for a better experience without a choppy targeted 60fps. Bethesda chief Todd Howard recently spoke to IGN following the Starfield Direct event and he confirmed the sci-fi RPGs performance and resolution setting on Xbox Series X/S. “I think it'll come as no surprise, given our previous games, what we go for,” said Howard. “Always these huge, open worlds, fully dynamic, hyper detail where anything can happen. And we do want to do that. It's 4K in the X. It's 1440 on the S. We do lock it at 30 because we want that fidelity, we want all that stuff. We don't want to sacrifice any of it.”
He continued: “Fortunately in this one, we've got it running great. It's often running way above that. Sometimes it's 60. But on the consoles, we do lock it because we prefer consistency, where you're not even thinking about it. And we don't ever want to sacrifice that experience that makes our games feel really, really special. So it feels great. We're really happy with how it feels even in the heat of battle. And we need that headroom because in our games, really anything can happen.”
In related news, it has been confirmed that the ‘Adoring Fan’ is making a triumphant return in Starfield. God help us all! Starfield will be released on 6 September 2023 for PC and Xbox Series X|S.