PlayStation 4 Pro vs. Xbox One X: Which Console Runs Final Fantasy XV Better?

We’re big Digital Foundry fans around here. Whenever a hot new game hits the shelves, we can always count on Eurogamer’s tech-heads to conduct a thorough deep-dive and give us a competent report about which platform is offering the best visuals and performance. Today, a brand new video is looking at Final Fantasy XV on the PS4 Pro and the Xbox One X. Final Fantasy XV is a game that will push any console to its limits, so how do Sony and Microsoft’s flagship consoles handle this epic RPG, and how do the two versions compare? Check out the video above to see the comparison, or keep reading to see what they found.

So, as it turns out, the Xbox One X will not run Final Fantasy XV without issue. In fact, we’re still seeing some major dips in resolution and frame rate, depending on the scene or the action unfolding on-screen. In Digital Foundry’s article, they note that the performance mode on PS4 Pro was their mode of choice due to the alleviation of some frame pacing issues, but on Xbox One X, high quality mode offered the best all-around experience.

The team made some interesting discoveries in regard to the resolution in each version. Neither the PS4 Pro, nor the Xbox One X, offers a stable resolution. “In one shot,” the article states, “while looking at the sky, we got 3360×1890 – an increase over the original claim. If we lower the camera, it drops to 3072×1728 – which is a match for the original quote – but elsewhere, we can shift that resolution downwards to 1584p, 1440p or even 1360p. We ran the same tests on PlayStation 4 Pro and found something very similar. Dynamic resolution scaling is in effect here, with very similar pixel counts to Xbox One X. In fact, occasionally, resolution can even be a touch higher on the Pro.”

The key difference is that the PS4 Pro utilizes checkerboard rendering to up-res the picture, while the Xbox One X is pushing those resolutions natively, offering a cleaner picture overall. Texture filtering is also improved on the Xbox One X, along with shadow quality. Small things, but important things.

Frame-rate in the Xbox One X version, however, takes noticeable dips one the Xbox One X, apparently dipping below the 20 FPS mark at times. What’s frustrating is that the frame rate never fully recovers from these drops, and will sometimes require a restart of the game. This could be an issue related to the Xbox One X’s sleep mode, and it’s something that Square Enix could potentially patch in the near future. Regardless, it’s something to keep in mind for those of you who notice frame rate drops. Even at 1080p, the Xbox One X cannot maintain a consistent 30 FPS.

“Ultimately though,” the report concludes, “we have to hand it to the Xbox One X port as the best way to play the game – while the performance issues and potential sleep mode bugs are annoying when they manifest, it’s still the best-looking version on consoles with mostly stable performance overall… provided you start it from a fresh boot. It’s just a couple of steps away from being a brilliant experience, it just needs a little more polish to get it to where it needs to be.”