Update 15/03: Microsoft has now confirmed that FPS Boost is now active for Dishonored: Definitive Edition, Fallout 4, Fallout 76, Prey and Skyrim, when played on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.
Update 2: Note that Fallout 4 and Fallout 76 do not have FPS Boost enabled by default, and activating this mode reduces game resolution to Xbox One S levels.
The original article follows.
Five Bethesda games on Xbox Game Pass will soon be supported by Xbox Series X|S backward compatibility FPS Boost, doubling frame rates from 30fps to 60fps. The games include Dishonored Definitive Edition, Skyrim Special Edition, Fallout 4, Fallout 76 and Prey.
The news came in the Xbox Podcast with Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb’s and Jeff Rubenstein, as part of their discussion over the Bethesda acquisition and the flood of Bethesda games now on Xbox Game Pass. However, there’s no details on when the capability will be added – I’ve just checked and Fallout 4 does not currently have the FPS Boost option on my Xbox Series X – but we expect it soon.
The first five Xbox Series X|S games with FPS Boost were unveiled in February, with Microsoft picking an oddball selection of titles to enhance via the system level backward compatibility. Far Cry 4, New Super Lucky’s Tale, Sniper Elite 4, UFC 4 and Watch Dogs 2 all now have their frame rates doubled from 30 to 60fps or, in Super Lucky’s case, from 60 to 120fps. This has been done without needing to update the game code with a patch, and seamlessly occurs in the background for games where it’s enabled. However, it’s only for frame rate and not resolution.
This will mean that the games run at the following maximum dynamic resolution and frame rates on Xbox Series X:
- Dishonored Definitive Edition – 1080p at 60fps
- Skyrim Special Edition – 2160p at 60fps
- Fallout 4 – 1080p at 60fps *
- Fallout 76 – 1080p at 60fps *
- Prey – 1440p at 60fps
* Fallout 4 and Fallout 76 do not run at Xbox One X enhanced resolutions.
It’s worth noting that Skyrim and Fallout 4 have already been playable via in-game mod support. Dishonored was released prior to the Xbox One X, and so is stuck at 1080p, while Prey was updated to support One X after launch. Fallout 76 is the big unknown here and it will be interesting to see how the Xbox Series X can power the game to reach the upper limits.
FPS Boost was first announced back in October using Fallout 4 as an example, a more selective sister feature to Auto HDR, which is enabled almost across the board by default. The March Xbox system software update released in the last few days adding new management tools for these features. A new “Compatibility Options” section lets you toggle FPS Boost as well as Auto HDR on or off on a game-by-game basis. You will also be notified when FPS Boost is being applied to a game via the Xbox Guide.
Enhancing Bethesda games is some of the low hanging fruit from Microsoft’s $7.5 billion acquisition of Bethesda, as they also add a bunch of the company’s games to Xbox Game Pass. With 12 more titles added today, there are now 20 Bethesda games on Xbox Game Pass.
Xbox boss Phil Spencer also signalled pretty clearly that Bethesda games will no longer be on PlayStation (unless already contractually tied to the system). In his words, the Bethesda acquisition “is about delivering great exclusives games” for Xbox Game Pass and the platforms where you can get access to Game Pass.
via Wario64
