It’s been a few months since the release of the Xbox One X, but Overwatch recently got a 4K update to give a boost for those invested. Slipped nonchalantly into some patch notes, there were obvious questions in how the performance would compare to high-end PCs or the PlayStation 4 Pro update of the game. And that is where publication (and graphics-experts) DigitalFoundry from publication Eurogamer comes in.
According to the usual in-depth analysis from Digital Foundry (seen in the video below), the update is far and above better than the PlayStation 4 Pro update for the game. Where the PS4 Pro version swaps out the HUD for a 4K version, that is about all it does resolution-wise. In comparison, Xbox One X’s version has dynamic horizontal scaling with a fixed vertical scale of 2160p. How this works in practice is the resolution will shift (based on stress) from a low point of 2112x2160p and 3840x2160p. After regular sampling, Digital Foundry noted that the most common range in Overwatch gameplay was 2752x2160p — roughly 71% of a full 4K resolution.
Though resolution numbers are all well and good, even more impressive is the “seamless” transitions between these dynamic changes in horizontal shifts. The game is locked in at 60fps, which is far more important for Overwatch‘s reaction-dependent gameplay. Though PS4 Pro will boast more stable framerates, Xbox One X’s only concern is occasional screen-tearing to render out incomplete frames.
In addition to this, other visual components were touched on. PS4 Pro and Xbox One X spar equally when it comes to shadow quality, however Xbox One X dominates over ambient occlusion and texture filtering. At the end of the analysis, Digital Foundry comes to the conclusion that Xbox One X is the best place to play Overwatch on consoles, with very few compromises.
Overwatch is currently available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Check out the full Digital Foundry video, below: