Xbox decides to launch their second AAA exclusive of the gen at 30fps

[weirdfeline]

Redfall is launching on both Series S and the world's most powerful console Series X at just 30fps.

Redfall is a first person shooter. Call of Duty standardized 60fps for the FPS genre on consoles during the Xbox 360 era.

This is only Xbox's second AAA exclusive (Series X|S & PC) released this gen with the other being Microsoft Flight Simulator. (Update: I just learned Microsoft Flight Simulator also launched at 30fps on Series X and did not get a patch adding higher framerate options. Wow!)

60fps will be the standard output, but the architecture allows us to support up to 120fps.
5:50 AM · May 7, 2020 - Aaron Greenberg VP, Xbox Games Marketing at Microsoft.

Below standard.

Higher framerates are one of the few selling points this current generation with Xbox frequently proclaiming 120fps games on Series X.

Many people are calling this out for being unacceptable and for the game to just be delayed until the 60fps patch is ready.

Not entirely related but just imagine Xbox currently if they didn't buy Bethesda. Bethesda this gen has Deathloop, Ghostwire: Tokyo, Redfall and then Starfield later this year. Xbox has Halo Infinite and then Forza sometime this year.. so yet another generation where Xbox just delivers Halo, Forza, Gears over and over? Sure they announced a bunch of games but where are they? The Hellblade sequel had a trailer in 2021 and isn't even confirmed for this year.

[kamikazekeeg]

At least 60 is coming to console eventually, I believe it was Gotham Knights where they were just like "It's 30fps only on console! Tough luck!", but that turned out to primarily be due to the game being horribly optimized and it didn't run well on PC, so there was no chance of getting it going on consoles right at 60fps.

It definitely sucks, though it personally doesn't affect me, if I get around to playing it, it'll probably be through PC game pass (not interesting enough to buy), but there's no excuse for this.  It's clear the game isn't ready for launch, but they are pushing it out anyways and I could see a bunch of folks being annoyed that it's running at 30fps only.

[weirdfeline]

At least 60 is coming to console eventually, I believe it was Gotham Knights where they were just like "It's 30fps only on console! Tough luck!", but that turned out to primarily be due to the game being horribly optimized and it didn't run well on PC, so there was no chance of getting it going on consoles right at 60fps.

It definitely sucks, though it personally doesn't affect me, if I get around to playing it, it'll probably be through PC game pass (not interesting enough to buy), but there's no excuse for this.  It's clear the game isn't ready for launch, but they are pushing it out anyways and I could see a bunch of folks being annoyed that it's running at 30fps only.

You saying eventually reminded me they didn't even include a timeframe which is very odd. Makes it seem like it won't even be near launch if they can't say a date they expect it to be ready.

Gotham Knights I expect less from since its a third party developer that had not released a game in 9 years. Arkane though released what journalists and no one else thinks is a 10/10 this gen so if they can't achieve 30fps for their game at launch while being first party that's pretty bad.

I believe this is also Xbox's first $70 game too. Weird way to start off that price point.

[telekill]

I mean... there's a reason I stuck with Playstation since 1996. Playstation has always delivered every generation... until PS5. Thus far, everything they've released on PS5 with the exception of Returnal and Ratchet (did this get a PS4 release?) have been released on last gen as well.

Taking Playstation back out of my reply... Xbox has had a handful of exclusives over the course of the last three gens that I've been interested in. Gears series, Killer instinct, Recore and the upcoming Indiana Jones. Everything else has been a polite pass. I think once Indiana Jones PC specs are announced (assuming they confirm it won't release on PS5), I'll go ahead and upgrade my PC then to match the requirements. At this point... my PC is about as capable as an Xbox 360 and I don't really play any games on it -- except the occasional round of Unreal Tournament 2004.

As for the 30fps vs 60fps argument, I've never really cared about 60fps. I've always been a console gamer so for me, fps is only really noticeable when it dips below 30fps. I would imagine in a side by side comparison, I would be able to notice it, but not without while I'm playing.

[dhaabi]

Thus far, everything they've released on PS5 with the exception of Returnal and Ratchet (did this get a PS4 release?) have been released on last gen as well.

Demon's Souls
Astro's Playroom
Destruction AllStars
Returnal
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
The Last of Us Part I
Horizon Call of the Mountain

If one takes remasters or upgraded games into consideration, then Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut, Death Stranding Director's Cut, and Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves released as well.

I don't know to what degree the pandemic barred games from being exclusively released for PlayStation 5, but that happening is certainly a possible factor. With the demand shortages of PS5 consoles going until the latter half of 2022, releasing games exclusively to a system that is difficult to obtain is poor decision-making. I was also initially going to include that this could have been a possibility for the lack of games exclusively releasing for Xbox Series X/S, but I don't think there have been any issues for consumers to secure these systems.

[telekill]

Thus far, everything they've released on PS5 with the exception of Returnal and Ratchet (did this get a PS4 release?) have been released on last gen as well.

Demon's Souls -- Is this published by Sony?
Astro's Playroom -- Demo game on every system. Still a decent one and I forgot about it.
Destruction AllStars -- Forgot about this one honestly.
Returnal -- Mentioned above.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart -- Mentioned above.
The Last of Us Part I -- A PS3 game ported to PS4 and remade for PS5 is still a game on PS4.
Horizon Call of the Mountain -- DLC

If one takes remasters or upgraded games into consideration, then Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut, Death Stranding Director's Cut, and Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves released as well.

I don't know to what degree the pandemic barred games from being exclusively released for PlayStation 5, but that happening is certainly a possible factor. With the demand shortages of PS5 consoles going until the latter half of 2022, releasing games exclusively to a system that is difficult to obtain is poor decision-making. I was also initially going to include that this could have been a possibility for the lack of games exclusively releasing for Xbox Series X/S, but I don't think there have been any issues for consumers to secure these systems.

I'll bold my response above. Basically added two... maybe three. Only Astro's had my attention of the generational exclusives and it's essentially a controller demo.

[dhaabi]

Thus far, everything they've released on PS5 with the exception of Returnal and Ratchet (did this get a PS4 release?) have been released on last gen as well.

Demon's Souls -- Is this published by Sony?
Astro's Playroom -- Demo game on every system. Still a decent one and I forgot about it.
The Last of Us Part I -- A PS3 game ported to PS4 and remade for PS5 is still a game on PS4.
Horizon Call of the Mountain -- DLC

I'll bold my response above.

All the games I listed above are published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Here is a list of all first-party published games. The bottom half of the page more neatly organizes releases by system.

Astro's Playroom is not a demo, but a full-fledged game. It just happens to be free.
The Last of Us Part I is a remake. It was built from the ground-up unlike The Last of Us Remastered for PS4. If you consider the PS5 release of Demon's Souls acceptable, then you are also fine with The Last of Us Part I.
Horizon Call of the Mountain is not DLC but a full game exclusive to PlayStation VR2.

[telekill]

Thus far, everything they've released on PS5 with the exception of Returnal and Ratchet (did this get a PS4 release?) have been released on last gen as well.

Demon's Souls -- Is this published by Sony?
Astro's Playroom -- Demo game on every system. Still a decent one and I forgot about it.
The Last of Us Part I -- A PS3 game ported to PS4 and remade for PS5 is still a game on PS4.
Horizon Call of the Mountain -- DLC

I'll bold my response above.

All the games I listed above are published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Here is a list of all first-party published games. The bottom half of the page more neatly organizes releases by system.

Astro's Playroom is not a demo, but a full-fledged game. It just happens to be free.
The Last of Us Part I is a remake. It was built from the ground-up unlike The Last of Us Remastered for PS4. If you consider the PS5 release of Demon's Souls acceptable, then you are also fine with The Last of Us Part I.
Horizon Call of the Mountain is not DLC but a full game exclusive to PlayStation VR2.

I'll accept Horizon. Forgot it was the PSVR2 game and not the DLC coming out. Too much Horizon stuff going on at once. That said, I'll never accept the remake of The Last of Us as being it's own thing. Naughty Dog was straight up lazy. Sorry, but I'm incredibly sick of the IP as it gets so much attention while really only showing the worst of humanity in a dark narrative. A sign of the times, I suppose.

[kamikazekeeg]

As for the 30fps vs 60fps argument, I've never really cared about 60fps. I've always been a console gamer so for me, fps is only really noticeable when it dips below 30fps. I would imagine in a side by side comparison, I would be able to notice it, but not without while I'm playing.

60fps is pretty important to me, like I can play stuff at 30 for sure, but it's a pretty huge difference between 60 and 30 in terms of how good a game plays and looks.  I think a lot of that comes from being more a PC gamer, so going back to consoles, I prefer 60 and if we are talking about current gen systems, like the PS5, there is no excuse to not have a game run at 60.  I don't care if that isn't at 4k resolution, I won't be caring about 4k gaming for awhile, but it needs to be 60.  If it's on Switch, I'll let it slide if it's not, like I'm excited for Tears of the Kingdom coming up, even though I know it won't be the best performance wise.

[telekill]

As for the 30fps vs 60fps argument, I've never really cared about 60fps. I've always been a console gamer so for me, fps is only really noticeable when it dips below 30fps. I would imagine in a side by side comparison, I would be able to notice it, but not without while I'm playing.

60fps is pretty important to me, like I can play stuff at 30 for sure, but it's a pretty huge difference between 60 and 30 in terms of how good a game plays and looks.  I think a lot of that comes from being more a PC gamer, so going back to consoles, I prefer 60 and if we are talking about current gen systems, like the PS5, there is no excuse to not have a game run at 60.  I don't care if that isn't at 4k resolution, I won't be caring about 4k gaming for awhile, but it needs to be 60.  If it's on Switch, I'll let it slide if it's not, like I'm excited for Tears of the Kingdom coming up, even though I know it won't be the best performance wise.

Agreed. The new Zelda is more than likely my GOTY regardless that it will look (at best) like a PS3 title. Bells and whistles don't make or break a game. I think most of us on here are older gamers and fondly remember incredible games before HD if not prefer them to modern titles. That said, for modern games, I'm the opposite of yourself. I prefer 4K over 60fps. Perhaps one day, they'll release titles that will please us both.

[dhaabi]

Higher framerates are one of the few selling points this current generation with Xbox frequently proclaiming 120fps games on Series X.

I saw others elsewhere discussing the consequences of the situation. In brief, they were saying how players will be put off by the low framerate which will result in diminished anticipated player count. As a result, post-launch support could be limited or canceled as it's dependent on how popular a game is. After hearing this news, I'm sure many interested will pass on the game altogether, while others wait for it to either retail at a much lower MSRP or for its Game Pass release. When taking these considerations into account, delaying the game until at least 60fps is possible seems like the obvious choice to make.

For many here including me, high framerate is probably not a large concern. However, for those who play FPS games, it is a big deal.

[redblaze57]

[sworddude]

Higher framerates are one of the few selling points this current generation with Xbox frequently proclaiming 120fps games on Series X.

I saw others elsewhere discussing the consequences of the situation. In brief, they were saying how players will be put off by the low framerate which will result in diminished anticipated player count. As a result, post-launch support could be limited or canceled as it's dependent on how popular a game is. After hearing this news, I'm sure many interested will pass on the game altogether, while others wait for it to either retail at a much lower MSRP or for its Game Pass release. When taking these considerations into account, delaying the game until at least 60fps is possible seems like the obvious choice to make.

For many here including me, high framerate is probably not a large concern. However, for those who play FPS games, it is a big deal.

if the game is action based with tight timing more frames can't hurt. I think many on this forum would be into that.

[dodgykebaab]

I never saw Redfall as any sort of system seller at all, I don't really remember any sort of social media hype behind it in the run up to its release.  it was only really in the final month or so that people really starting talking about it.

I just think that the overall discontent with Xbox as a Platform is the only thing that has fueled discussion into the game in the first place.  If Xbox fans were happy with the games being released to the console Redfall would be nothing more than a footnote.

But the fact that Nintendo's far weaker and far older Switch is selling far more units that X and S combined really should be more cause for alarm than anything happening on the Sony side.  In no world should a seven year old console that's already sold over 124 million units be crushing Xbox Series sales numbers.  that's in no way a slight at the Switch.  The Switch is a great console, but it just shows how unhealthy Xbox is right now.

I just wonder if there really is a place in the market for Xbox still, or are we about to see a return of the two console war.  Sega VS Nintendo, but this time instead of Sega, it's Sony.

[weirdfeline]

Starfield confirmed 30fps on Series X. Great stuff going on over there!