The Xbox team was teasing some large platform updates this week, and the often discussed “FPS Doubling” is now a reality. The Xbox Platform team detailed the new feature via a blog on Xbox Wire.
The official name for the feature is “FPS Boost” and according to the Xbox Platform team, the feature will nearly double, and in rare cases nearly quadruple, framerates of titles that originally had lower limits.
To that end, 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. 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.
The feature debuts today with a select group of titles.
- Far Cry 4
- Super Lucky’s Tale
- Sniper Elite 4
- UFC 4
- Watch Dogs 2
According to Xbox, this is just the beginning with more titles to roll out soon. Best of all, all of this will be manageable directly from the UI. Thus the player decides how they want to play their games.
This is just the beginning. We will announce and release more titles featuring FPS Boost soon, as well roll out new menu icons and system settings in an upcoming system update. Starting this Spring, you can go into the “Manage Game” section for any title, where you’ll be presented with a new “Compatibility Options” button that will allow you to toggle FPS Boost (as well as Auto HDR) on or off. There will also be a new indicator informing you when a game is running with FPS Boost whenever you hit the Xbox Button on your controller. You decide how you want to play your favorite games, whether in its original form or with FPS Boost.
Our Take
The continued work by the Xbox Platform team to optimize and improve gaming across generations is simply amazing. Being able to play through games you love with new settings and improvements brings console players improvements that PC players have exclusively enjoyed for years. With the more advanced hardware, it’s really a no-brainer. We can’t wait to see this rolled out for more titles in the near future.
