{"id":838317,"date":"2025-12-12T08:39:57","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T08:39:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/digitalfoundry-2024-starfields-big-new-patch-adds-60fps-support-for-series-x-but-does-it-work"},"modified":"2025-12-12T08:39:57","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T08:39:57","slug":"starfields-new-xbox-performance-modes-are-thoughtful-and-comprehensive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/starfields-new-xbox-performance-modes-are-thoughtful-and-comprehensive\/","title":{"rendered":"Starfield&#8217;s new Xbox performance modes are thoughtful and comprehensive"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/starfields-new-xbox-performance-modes-are-thoughtful-and-comprehensive.jpg\" \/> <\/p>\n<p>Bethesda&#8217;s Starfield was generally <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/digitalfoundry-2023-starfield-the-digital-foundry-tech-review\">a well-regarded RPG<\/a>, but the game&#8217;s 30fps target on consoles was the subject of some controversy. The game&#8217;s massive scope <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/digitalfoundry-2023-the-starfield-tech-breakdown-what-we-learned-from-bethesdas-deep-dive\">arguably justified that 30fps refresh rate<\/a>, with only <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/digitalfoundry-2023-starfield-on-pc-is-the-best-way-to-play-but-the-game-still-requires-a-lot-of-work\">high-end PCs<\/a> capable of hitting 60fps and higher, but now Bethesda has changed course and opened the floodgates on Xbox Series X consoles following significant optimisation work. Players can now independently select performance and visuals modes at arbitrary frame-rates. How exactly do these new combinations fare, and is 60fps really a possibility after it was explicitly ruled out before? <\/p>\n<p>Starfield presents players with a pretty dazzling array of options at first glance. We have two key modes &#8211; visuals and performance &#8211; along with display targets for 30fps, 40fps, 60fps, and uncapped frame-rates, with different availability depending on your display type and system settings. Plus, there&#8217;s an on\/off toggle for v-sync, allowing for lower input lag at the expense of screen tearing. <\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s start by untangling the visuals and performance modes. Beyond making for different-looking procedurally generated terrain, there&#8217;s consistently more ground clutter in the visuals mode with more shrubs, small rocks, grass and other incidental details, especially at a distance. I also noticed that some distant objects use lower LODs in the performance mode at a distance, and some texture mips are higher resolution in the visuals mode. More significantly, the visuals mode uses higher resolution cubemaps for refections, providing a noticeable improvement to detail and clarity. Neither mode gives especially convincing results with a flat reflective at point-blank range, but undulating water or rougher metals can look quite passable. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/digitalfoundry-2024-starfields-big-new-patch-adds-60fps-support-for-series-x-but-does-it-work\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/digitalfoundry-2024-starfields-big-new-patch-adds-60fps-support-for-series-x-but-does-it-work\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bethesda&#8217;s Starfield was generally a well-regarded RPG, but the game&#8217;s 30fps target on consoles was the subject of some controversy. The game&#8217;s massive scope arguably justified that 30fps refresh rate, with only high-end PCs capable of hitting 60fps and higher, but now Bethesda has changed course and opened the floodgates on Xbox Series X consoles following significant optimisation work. Players can now independently select performance and visuals modes at arbitrary frame-rates. How exactly do these new combinations fare, and is 60fps really a possibility after it was explicitly ruled out before? Starfield presents players with a pretty dazzling array of options at first glance. We have two key modes &#8211; visuals and performance &#8211; along with display targets for 30fps, 40fps, 60fps, and uncapped frame-rates,&hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"excerpt-more\"><a class=\"blog-excerpt button\" href=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/starfields-new-xbox-performance-modes-are-thoughtful-and-comprehensive\/\">Read More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":838318,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[230],"tags":[259,2879,317,1572,773,91,424,59,34,53,86,54,1669,3987,4616],"class_list":["post-838317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-eurogamer","tag-action-adventure","tag-bethesda-game-studios","tag-bethesda-softworks","tag-digital-foundry","tag-first-person","tag-fps","tag-open-world","tag-pc","tag-rpg","tag-science-fiction","tag-shooter","tag-single-player","tag-starfield","tag-third-person","tag-xbox-series-x-s"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Starfield&#039;s new Xbox performance modes are thoughtful and comprehensive | Arcader News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Bethesda&#039;s Starfield was generally a well-regarded RPG, but the game&#039;s 30fps target on consoles was the subject of some controversy. 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