THE WITCHER 3 PC VS XBOX ONE 1080P
THE WITCHER 3 PC VS XBOX ONE PS4

As for shadows, we get a matching grade of quality here with only minor dithering present towards their edges. Likewise, texture filtering across the wooden boards ahead is a match. Foliage draw distance is identical between the two, as shown across the mountain expanses on the left.

THE WITCHER 3 PC VS XBOX ONE 1080P

Curiously, Xbox One's dynamic resolution rarely goes much higher than 900p during gameplay - and the promised 1080p is a rarity. Each console version uses CD Projekt Red's own post-process anti-aliasing method, which falls close to the standards of FXAA, albeit with a temporal component for reducing pixel-pop in motion. However, Microsoft's platform loses out on clarity the further you look into the distance - its 1600x900 resolution here blurring over details to the left side, compared to the PS4's sharper 1920x1080 resolve.

THE WITCHER 3 PC VS XBOX ONE PS4

The Witcher 3's stand-out visual feature is its density of foliage, and neither PS4 or Xbox One let up in this area.

The end effect is the same: neither console version feels as smooth as it should, and each is prone to big dips during gameplay. In battle, both platforms flatten at around 30fps, while a lengthy fight with a griffin shows bigger drops once we cast alpha-based spells such as Igni. In open spaces, rapid gallops through forests produces similar results regular single-frame drops on PS4 disrupt motion, while Xbox One runs above 30fps to cause its own frame-pacing issues. Sadly, each turn prompts Sony's platform to hiccup to 29fps as we canter forward, meaning it rarely feels much smoother than Microsoft's platform in a synced test, despite the frame-rate cap. This is perhaps an issue of background streaming lots of new geometry and NPCs at each turn - as made evident by the heavy texture pop-in for each console. By comparison, PS4 doesn't go over this line, but nor is it especially well optimised for large areas like this, with 25fps lurches seen at its worst. A trip through the busy Novigrad city really puts both consoles through their paces, and Xbox One is essentially reduced to a 29-31fps range of fluctuations that produces stutter. That said, whenever PS4 does render at a clear 30fps, the presence of a cap and the resultant steady frame-pacing makes it the superior game in motion.ДЄctual gameplay paints a slightly different picture. Where performance is sub-30fps, Xbox One also retains a frame-rate advantage overall - and there's rarely a point in our analysis where Microsoft's hardware isn't ahead. The PS4's approach causes the sensation of stutter to be worse at these stress points. Meanwhile, Sony's platform is stuck at this value for long stretches of a scene. In one later scene involving heavy ice effects, it's notable that Xbox One does glance this 20fps figure at a similar moment, but unlike PS4 it's able to waver up and down the scale more freely. It's an instant switch, much like the double-buffer method of v-sync seen in Metal Gear Solid 4 on PS3. However, the problem here is that if the PS4's frame-rate drops below this number, it instantly locks to 20fps. To start with cut-scenes, a firm 30fps line is held on PS4 during an early griffin encounter, and in practice this gives us smoother motion compared to the 35fps read-out on Xbox One (higher frame-rate does not automatically mean a better experience overall, something we've covered in-depth before).

However there are issues on the Sony side side as well, and the net result is that neither feels truly smooth, though for very different reasons. This means Sony's machine is in theory capable of a smoother experience - with the cadence of frame delivery forced to a consistent rate. The first distinction is that PS4 caps its frame-rate at 30fps (with v-sync), while Xbox One runs with no cap at all to allow a variance between 30-40fps during play. For those still mulling over which console version to go for, we can confirm both consoles offer world detail, shadows, lighting and alpha effects to a matching standard - but it's resolution and more importantly frame-rate that sets the two apart. However, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One each throw a curve-ball in their delivery of the game, particularly when it comes to the subject of performance. It's one of the finest RPGs of this generation to date. In the critical sphere, and despite some rough technical points

The witcher 3 pc vs xbox one