After years of waiting, Starfield is finally here… at least for those who succumbed to Early Access.While some players can discover the game since this morning, DigitalFoundry analyzed the performances and the technique of the new production signed Bethesda.You can also discover our complete test here.
Starfield’s Global Render
If this generation of consoles is still struggling after three years of marketing to show what it is capable of, Starfield is a good indicator to see what the Xbox Series X | S have in store.The first observation made by Digital Foundry is that the game has a fairly high level of detail, excellent post-processing and splendid panoramas.These elements greatly surpass the studio’s latest productions, although the whole thing is far from breathtaking in all situations.
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If the experience is intended to be very deep and immersive, the scales sometimes tip the other way because of necessary compromises.The world is indeed segmented and sometimes interrupted by loading times, something that Bethesda has always accustomed us to.Of course, it is difficult to mention the concessions without mentioning the refresh rate on consoles which aims for 30 FPS on Xbox Series S, but also on Xbox Series X.
If we put these things aside, the console versions are doing quite well.The experience is very similar between the two machines, although a closer look obviously shows reductions in some settings on Xbox Series S.
Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S versions compared
The first observation that Digital Foundry can make is that the Xbox Series S displays a lower display distance than on Xbox Series X. For its part, the more powerful of the two machines offers additional geometric details, in particular concerning the rocky outcrops and stones that can be observed from much further away.
More visible elements, such as rock walls and trees, receive the same treatment on both platforms.Digital Foundry believes that it’s mostly detail that ends up degraded on Xbox Series S, but only at distances away from the player.
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Regarding the textures, no obvious difference was seen when the camera is close to them.That’s not the case from a distance, however, where the Xbox Series X fares much better than the Xbox Series S. They also look more detailed on the more powerful machine at oblique angles, surely because of the resolution between both versions.On this point, the textures can look a little blurry even on Xbox Series X.
The rendering of the ground is also affected by the difference in power between the two consoles.The surface looks different between the two versions, which is explained by a different mix of textures.
The shadows are also subject to some changes.They are less detailed on Xbox Series S in certain situations.The Xbox Series X also sometimes displays a result that leaves something to be desired, especially when it comes to reproducing the shading of foliage.
Also, while it won’t appeal to all players, there is a distinct visual difference in the rendering of cubemaps (a collection of six square textures that represent reflections on an environment).The latter have a very low resolution on Xbox Series S, it would be three quarters lower than that of Xbox Series X, although it is not very high on the latter either.Thus, the reflections are of lower quality on Xbox Series S.
Overall, the two versions look similar on the surface, although the Xbox Series S is lacking in distant detail, shadows, and highlights.
Resolution on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S
Regarding in-game resolutions, Digital Foundry has observed that the Xbox Series X version does indeed achieve 4K output while the Xbox Series S appears to be around 1440p.This is possible thanks to the use of AMD’s FSR 2, as the game runs natively at 1440p on Xbox Series X and 900p on Xbox Series S. It is not excluded that a dynamic resolution is used.
If both consoles offer a fairly sharp resolution in game, it may happen to encounter aliasing in areas with a lot of detail.The FSR 2 does indeed struggle to handle this.The Xbox Series S version suffers much more.
Digital Foundry believes that both versions provide a very good viewing experience on both consoles.The Xbox Series S hasn’t been amputated as much as with other games in the past.
Framerate on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S
Of course, performance plays an important role in the gaming experience. Fortunately, no problems were observed on the two machines on this side.Starfield enjoys a stable framerate at 30 FPS whether in combat or while exploring.
Decreases were however observed in two of the cities of the game: New Atlantis and Akila.The first of the two is much more prone to these occasional drops.Digital Foundry also experienced pauses of a few seconds on both consoles while traversing the New Atlantis spaceport.
Contrary to what some might have thought, Starfield therefore offers itself to players in a much more than adequate state, although they would certainly have liked to take advantage of a higher framerate, of course with some compromises behind.
Starfield is available now in early access and for everyone starting September 6 on Xbox Series X|S and PC.It will of course be included in Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass and Xbox Cloud Gaming.