"Elden Ring's" Xbox One version is not worth buying, judging by a recent tech analysis.
TechRadar reports that the last-gen Xbox version of FromSoftware's open-world "Soulsborne" suffers from major performance issues on the console and is likely the worst version of the game-barring its problems on PC. This was determined by the tech analysis wizards of Digital Foundry, who took a closer look at how "Elden Ring" runs on last-gen hardware recently.
This is seemingly similar to the game's performance when "Elden Ring" was first tried out by select Xbox One users ahead of release during the Closed Network Test.
Here is the Digital Foundry analysis on YouTube:
As you can see in the video, there's no comparison when seeing the Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One versions of "Elden Ring" side by side. The overall graphical fidelity on Xbox One, as per the analysis, looks to be lower than the lowest visual settings on PC.
Furthermore, "Elden Ring's" Xbox One version runs on an even lower resolution than the competing base PS4. While offering far better graphical quality, Sony's last-gen console runs at a consistent 1920x1080 with occasional dips to 1536x864. The Xbox One version runs at a base resolution of 1600x900 and goes as low as 1200x675-even lower than 720p. Yikes.
In terms of frame rate, there's also almost no comparison. "Elden Ring" on Xbox One can go as low as 27 FPS, while the PS4 version of the game is mostly locked at 30 FPS with some slight dips to 29 FPS. Not to mention, the game's terrible frame times are making it feel jittery and unresponsive--something that could spell the difference between dying and surviving in a FromSoftwate game.
Considering how technical issues have plagued FromSoftware's latest title on PC, this sub-par performance from the Xbox One is absolutely telling.
'Elden Ring's Saving Grace On Last-Gen Xbox
For Xbox players who absolutely have no choice but to play the game on last-gen hardware, the only systems where the game looks respectable enough are the Xbox One X and S.
On the One X, the game runs at native 4K with slight dips to 2688x1512, compared to the PS4 Pro's checkerboard 3200x1800 (which also dips down to 1512p in heavier sections. But when it comes to framing rate, the PS4 Pro runs it far smoother than the One X, which can experience FPS drops to as low as 22 FPS-all while the PS4 Pro version consistently maintains an above-30 FPS experience.
All in all, the verdict is this: try to avoid playing "Elden Ring" on Xbox One if you want a respectable, fluid, experience-specifically the base version of the console. FromSoftware seems to have had to make insane compromises to get the game running on the base Xbox One, and even then, the game is barely playable.
For Xbox fans, it would be best to try to play the new "Soulsborne" title on current-gen platforms. Fortunately, you don't even need a Series X to get a decent experience, as even the tiny Xbox Series S offers a markedly better-looking and performing game compared to the Xbox One.
Related: Xbox Series S: 4 GREAT Reasons To Buy One In 2022
Story posted on GameNGuide
Written by RJ Pierce