With the much anticipated Xbox One X right around the corner, many are wondering how patches of games will compare to their PlayStation 4 Pro version. Microsoft has already released a list of over a hundred titles getting an upgrade on the Xbox One X — including Rise of the Tomb Raider.
With that in mind, the technical wizards at Eurogamer’s Digital Foundry have analyzed the PlayStation 4 Pro version of Rise of the Tomb Raider against the Gamescom demo and trailer for Xbox One X, showing somewhat predictable results. Narrated in the video below, Digital Foundry makes the whole-hearted claim that “the Xbox One X version of the game will become the best iteration of Rise of the Tomb Raider.”
To come to that conclusion, Digital Foundry compares the varied visual settings while at motion, at 50% speed, and in still frame images. As you can see in the video below, in all circumstances the visuals on the Xbox One X look noticeably better — often incorporating much more detail than the PS4 Pro version.
Now, you may be asking yourself “what makes for the difference in visuals if they are both 4K?” Digital Foundry answers that question, and it comes down to how the 4K is rendered by the differing machine. The PlayStation 4 Pro reaches a technique known as checkerboard rendering to reach its pixel count. Meanwhile, the Xbox One X with its upgraded equipment is able to seemingly push native 4K resolution, which brings notable refinement in detail (as noted in the gallery below).
Comparatively, Digital Foundry notes that the Xbox One X version in terms of textures, depth of field, and blur visuals are able to match the PC version fairly well. These improvements also carry over to the optimized framerate mode, which Digital Foundry boasts it hitting an unwavering 60 fps throughout the demo. Worth noting however is the name of the mode: High Framerate Mode. With this in mind, it is likely mode will not be 60 fps throughout.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that this test and analysis is simply being done with the current game’s demo — not on the game’s final version for the Xbox One X. While the current demo is faring well in comparison to the PlayStation 4 Pro version, we have to wait until the final build comes out to make summary judgments.
