Microsoft wasn’t joking when they said that the Xbox Series X and the Xbox Series S will get new functions throughout 2021.

We can read on Xbox Wire that the Redmond-based company pulled out its next big move, the FPS Boost, which – going by the name – increases the frame rate of select games, and by a significant amount. „The backward compatibility team has developed FPS Boost, which employs a variety of new methods for nearly doubling (and in a few instances, quadrupling) the original framerate on select titles,” Xbox senior program manager Paul Eng wrote.

„Higher, steadier framerates make games visually smoother, resulting in more immersive gameplay. We partnered closely with developers to enhance the experience while maintaining the game’s original intent. And while not applicable to all games, these new techniques can push game engines to render more quickly for a buttery smooth experience beyond what the original game might have delivered due to the capabilities of the hardware at the time,” Eng added.

The first five games that support FPS Boost are Far Cry 4, New Super Lucky’s Tale, Sniper Elite 4, UFC 4, and Watch Dogs 2. UFC 4 pushes the frame rate to 60 frames per second, and New Super Lucky’s Tale increases it to 120 (but for that, you would have to play the game on a display that supports 120 Hz). More FPS Boost-supporting titles will be announced soon. In the next few months, the Xbox Series consoles will get a new firmware update that will allow us to go into the Manage Game section, and under the Compatibility Options button, we can toggle FPS Boost. There will also be a new indicator informing you when a game is running with FPS Boost whenever you press the Xbox button on the controller.

This is a decent move, but not all games can support it, as some titles’ physics could be tied to the frame rate. Still, we are curious to see what Sony’s response will be.

Source: Gematsu