The Xbox Series X version of Cyberpunk 2077 currently offers by far the best graphics compared to the PlayStation 5, reports Digital Foundry.
Unfortunately, there are currently only two ways to play Cyberpunk 2077 as comfortably as possible. Either you have a powerful PC or you can count yourself lucky to have one of the rare next-gen consoles at home.
On the last-gen consoles Xbox One, Xbox One X, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro, the game is plagued with many identical, but also some individual problems, some of which are technically unacceptable.
The Xbox Series X | S and PlayStation 5 play the game, for which there is no optimized version yet, only in a backwards compatible mode. However, these consoles have their own advantages and disadvantages, which are now broken down in more detail.
Graphics modes, frame rates and resolution
- Xbox Series X.
- Quality mode
- Offers 30 frames per second with better effects, more details and a busier world at a resolution between 1512p and 1728p
- Performance mode
- Offers 60 frames per second at mostly 1080p
- Quality mode
- Xbox Series S.
- Offers 30 frames per second at mostly 1080p and the better effects like the Xbox Series X in quality mode
- PlayStation 5
- Offers 60 frames per second at mostly 1080p, but has significant graphical deficits to both Xbox Series consoles
Graphic comparison
Both premium models, the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, fall short of the maximum possible of the PC version because they only start the last-gen version in backward-compatible mode.
Due to the much higher resolution, better effects, more details and more visual features in quality mode, the Xbox Series X offers by far the best graphics on consoles and in direct comparison to the PlayStation 5, as Digital Foundry reports.
Cyberpunk 2077 also uses an aggressive TAA method as a measure for anti-aliasing. This means that the information of the coming image is always influenced depending on the resolution of the previous images. Furthermore, certain effects such as reflections or smoke scale with the general resolution of the game. Therefore, the presentation in the performance mode of the Xbox Series X and the entire presentation of the PlayStation 5 version is much more blurred than in the quality mode of the Xbox Series X.
In addition, both Xbox consoles have significantly more life in the game world of Night City and some additional graphics features compared to the competition. There are clearly more NPCs and more vehicles shown in the open world and only on the Xbox Series X in quality mode and the Xbox Series S there is ambient occlusion, whereby a scene is shaded in such a way that it makes a more realistic impression .
power
Xbox Series S: The targeted 30 frames per second are held in the vast majority of cases, streaming problems can only occur occasionally when driving around through the game world, which can result in brief stuttering.
PlayStation 5: This version of Cyberpunk 2077 runs very smoothly for most of the time with a constant 60 frames per second. Just like the Xbox Series S, most break-ins come from exploring the streets of Night City.
Xbox Series X: The quality mode runs at a rock-solid 30 frames per second. The targeted 60 frames per second in performance mode are mostly retained and are usually found in complex scenes in the range of 50 to 60 frames per second.
The quality mode of the Xbox Series X is currently the best way to consume Cyberpunk 2077 if you can live with the limitation of 30 frames per second. The higher resolution, the better effects and the activation of ambient obscuration make the picture appear sharper and generally more realistic at a considerable distance from the PlayStation 5.
If you only own an Xbox Series S, you get a version of the game that runs absolutely solidly, has the graphical advantages of the Xbox Series X, but is based on a lower resolution in the Full HD range.
If almost constant 60 frames per second are important to you, you currently have to switch to the performance mode on the Xbox Series X or use the PlayStation 5 version, which can keep the frame rate better with fewer details.
The PS5 version, which is graphically based on the PlayStation 4 Pro version, has some deficiencies. You have to accept compromises such as fewer NPCs and fewer vehicles, no existing surrounding obscuration and a blurred image due to the maximum desired resolution of 1188p.
What does the future hold?
The Polish developer CD Projekt Red has always been committed to supporting and improving its games over a long period of time. The previous project The Witcher 3 was also not a good star when it came to console implementation. Frame rates between 20 and 30 frames per second were not uncommon. The game now has almost fixed 30 frames per second on the last-gen consoles and on PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X it even offers an optional 60 FPS mode.
The console versions of Cyberpunk 2077 are currently on shaky feet. The past has shown that lots of patches and hotfixes will follow to improve stability and quality. Optimized versions for Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, which should appear in 2021, shouldn’t be forgotten either.
It will be exciting to see how both next-gen consoles perform with full use of the existing RDNA2 graphics set and whether additional features such as ray tracing will be used.
