Red Dead Redemption 2: Xbox One X is on top with native 4K resolution, near-locked 30fps - report
Xbox One X is reportedly the best way to play Red Dead Redemption 2.
Red Dead Redemption 2 releases tomorrow on four platforms, each with their own strengths and weakness. As fresh Digital Foundry analysis reveals, the visual assets are largely the same across PS4, PS4 Pro, Xbox One, and Xbox One X.
Foliage, draw distances, environment detail and almost everything else that has to do with the quality of the image doesn't differ from one platform to another. Of course, the more powerful PS4 Pro, and Xbox One X utilise higher-resolution textures.
There are also certain effects like depth of field and shadow quality that vary from one console to the other, and that's because they're tied to the target resolution.
Resolution in this case is the main differentiating factor between the four platforms. Xbox One X runs Red Dead Redemption 2 at an impressive, native 4K resolution, according to the report, compared to PS4 Pro's image reconstruction techniques, which take a 1920x2160 image and turns it into a 4K output. Sony makes up for it on the regular PS4, producing a 1080p image compared to Xbox One's 864p.
Interestingly, none of the four consoles dynamically change the resolution based on the intensity of the scene, meaning the resolution is locked in all instances.
The Xbox One X's visual advantage doesn't hamper its performance, as seen in some other games. According to the site, Xbox One X delivers a near-locked 30fps in almost all situations, save for very minor drops in the most busy scenes. While Red Dead Redemption 2's frame pacing is mostly consistent across the different platforms, frame-rate drops are more common on PS4 Pro, and the base consoles.
The report suggests it could be a CPU limitation, seeing as the Xbox One S ends up delivering smoother performance than the standard PS4 due to its higher clock speed. Dips are common on either, however, especially in towns.
You can watch the video above for the full analysis. You may also want to check out our spoiler-free review, or these review scores from the rest of the games press.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is out tomorrow on PS4, and Xbox One.
Whether you're just getting started or are a few hours in, head over to our ultimate Red Dead Redemption 2 guide for all the tips, tricks and walkthroughs you'll need.