Obsidian Entertainment, part of Xbox Game Studios, is attempting a double-edged sword that could backfire on both them and Microsoft…
In an interview with Parris, Avowed director Carrie Patel talked about the risks Obsidian is taking. According to Patel, Avowed will run at a minimum of 30 FPS on the Xbox Series X, but that level of performance is not the studio’s goal. Right now, the team is focused on getting the performance right and is committed to delivering a beautiful world at the best possible frame rate that the studio can deliver to players.
That’s why we say it’s a double-edged sword, because if they want good visuals AND a high frame rate, the only way Obsidian can achieve that is to upscale from Avowed’s low native resolution to, say, 1440p or 4K. Since the game (at least as currently planned) won’t be coming to PlayStation 5 (and therefore PlayStation 5 Pro), Sony’s artificial intelligence-based upscaler, PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), can’t help Microsoft…
But it is a task that is a good reason for not releasing Avowed this autumn, as the studio will have a few extra months to do just that. But the phrase “at least 30 FPS” sounds a bit strange. In general, frame timing is good if you have a stable 30 or 60 fps frame rate. If it fluctuates between 30 and 50, it has a slightly negative effect on gameplay and Obsidian should probably rethink the whole thing, although 40 fps might still work because of VRR (variable refresh rate). But what about the Xbox Series S?
Avowed is out on Xbox Series and PC on 18 February. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will have access to this title as well from day one.
Source: WCCFTech
