The Witcher 3’s latest patch improves the frame rate on PS4, hurts it on Xbox One

The Witcher 3’s latest patch improves the frame rate on PS4, hurts it on Xbox One
While The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has been an unqualified success both critically and financially, the game has suffered from some performance issues since its launch back in May.

has been an unqualified success both critically and financially, the game has suffered from some performance issues since its launch back in May. Thankfully, the most recent patch (1.10) smooths out the vast majority of the frame rate issues on the PS4.

From the get-go, the PS4 version has had a slight edge over the Xbox One release. Witcher 3 runs at 1080p on the PS4, but scales dynamicallyon the Xbox One — hovering around 900p most of the time. But regardless of the resolution differences, neither console could maintain a solid 30fpsin certain parts of the world. Eight patches later, and we’re finally getting somewhere.

With the latest patchin place, the folks over at Eurogamer’s Digital Foundry took a look at both platformsto see what’s different. So let’s jump in, and look at the results on the PS4.

When the player is in Crookback Bog and Novigrad City — two of the most graphically intense areas in the game — the frame rate is much more stable than it was previously. There are still dips below 30fps, but the frequency and duration are significantly reduced. And the texture pop-in? That’s improved as well.

In the marketplace of Novigrad, the frame rate is slightly worse than it was under patch 1.08, but this is a very small price to pay for the overall performance improvements. It’s still not perfect, but it’s getting very close to a solid 30fps. And since the game doesn’t require any real precision aiming, that’s fine by me. 60fps would certainly be nice, but The Witcher 3 isn’t the kind of game that demands it.

Better yet, turning off two post-processing effects will make the frame rate even more stable. Pause the game, and then navigate to Options > Display > Postprocessing . Toggle off “motion blur” and “blur” in this menu, and you’ll be even closer to a locked 30fps. And since many of us actually prefer the blur-free aesthetic anyway, this quick fix is definitely worth considering.

Unfortunately, the substantial performance gains seen on the PS4are nowhere to be found on the Xbox One. The frame rate is, for the most part, the same as the 1.08 version of the game — except the frame rate is actually worse in Novigrad City. The texture pop-in issue is improved in this version, but that’s cold comfort to Xbox One owners.

Worse yet, turning off the post-processing blur effects don’t seem to change the frame rate one way or the other on the Xbox One. As of right now, the Xbox One release is unambiguously the worst version of The Witcher 3 .

Of course, CD Projekt REDhas a track record of supporting its games long after the initial release window. We’re five months into The Witcher 3 ‘s lifespan, and we’re still getting major patches that drastically impact the experience. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if CD Projekt RED plans for another performance patch aimed at smoothing out the frame rate on the Xbox One. Even when you take into account a few missteps here and there, it’d be nice if more developers offered this level of post-release support.