In a lot of ways, the Souls series is synonymous with the PlayStation brand. Demon's Souls started the franchise as a PS3 exclusive, and last year's Bloodborne returned to Sony's console with the PS4. One could even argue that the PlayStation 3 versions of the first two Dark Souls games are the best console ports available.
As a result, the series isn't nearly as well-known on Xbox as it is on Sony's machine. From Software apparently recognized this, and the only footage of Dark Souls III released so far has been running on the PlayStation 4 - or does the absence of Xbox One footage indicate that Microsoft's version isn't quite on par with the other ports?
Thanks to a loophole in Microsoft's online store, players have gotten their hands on the Xbox One version of Dark Souls III ahead of schedule. Digital Foundry has taken this opportunity to put Microsoft's version of From Software's latest through the ringer - and, while it's not necessarily a deal breaker, it looks like the Xbox One version of the game may have a bit of catching up to do.
Even in this early stage, Digital Foundry has found two major differences between the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of Dark Souls III: resolution and frame rate. The PS4 port runs at a full 1,080p - the Xbox One version, on the other hand, downscales the picture to 900p. This technique isn't anything new, and developers have been doing something similar with other Xbox One games since the console's launch. The downgrade won't necessarily affect the gameplay in any way, but as it stands, it looks like the PlayStation 4 version will have the overall clearer picture.
What could affect gameplay is the frame rate: Dark Souls games on consoles have usually aimed for a steady 30fps, and most of the time, they've managed to hit that mark (Blighttown notwithstanding). Dark Souls III is no different - though the Xbox One version doesn't always manage to hit that threshold. Digital Foundry found numerous occasions where the frame rate would drop to roughly 25fps or lower, and it makes a noticeable difference: looking at it from a gameplay perspective, if enemies aren't moving smoothly, players aren't going to be able to react nearly as quickly.
Without any similar data from the PlayStation 4 port, it's hard to compare the two side-by-side, but from what the developers have shown so far, it looks as if the PS4 version won't have nearly as much trouble with holding a steady frame rate.
So, what does this mean for the Xbox One version of the game? At this point ... nothing, really.
Digital Foundry was only able to analyze the first few hours of the game, and even then, From Software could always help the game's frame rate with a post-launch patch. It doesn't look like Dark Souls III on Xbox One will be the best choice for graphics junkies, but that doesn't mean the game won't be worth playing on Microsoft's machine.
Dark Souls III arrives on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on April 12.
