Final Fantasy 16’s long-awaited Xbox release has several performance issues, according to game tech experts Digital Foundry.
Final Fantasy 16, which was released as aPlayStation 5exclusive in 2023, is out now onXbox Series X/S. However, according toDigital Foundry, the port is far from perfect.
A brief analysis of the game, based on early cutscenes from Final Fantasy 16, suggests that theXboxSeries X version is experiencing performance issues.
“The graphics mode has some weird problems relative to PS5. Firstly, the Series X is softer and lower resolution,” the publication said.
In the video below, Digital Foundry demonstrates that one shot from the early game is rendered at 1440p on the PlayStation 5 version of the game and at 1224p on the Xbox Series X version. “The Xbox version is consistently lower resolution,” Digital Foundry continues.
“There is a dramatic divergence in foliage rendering, where the Xbox just kind of looks broken in some trees and some bushes, so that’s very odd.”
Next, Digital Foundry highlighted that in performance mode, which boosts the game’s frame rate, Final Fantasy 16 runs at 1080p on PS5, whereas on Xbox Series X, it runs at 720p. The Xbox version also has a lower level of detail when compared to the PS5 version.
However, the performance mode on PS5 is still inconsistent, as it was at launch, going between 45 and 60 FPS, whereas the Xbox version, at its lower resolution, is locked at 60 FPS during gameplay. Cutscenes on all versions of the game run at 30 FPS.
VGC’sFinal Fantasy 16 reviewcalled it “an incredible action game that doesn’t quite deliver the RPG heritage”.
DuringSummer Game Fest,Square Enixannounced that five years after it was initially released on PlayStation 5,Final Fantasy Remake Intergrade is coming to Xbox platforms.This follows the news from April that the game will be coming toNintendo Switch 2.
Final Fantasy 7 Remakecoming to both Xbox andNintendoplatforms points to Square Enix’s transition away from exclusives, something that it has previously suggested had impacted sales.
After revealing in September thatFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthand Final Fantasy 16 sales“did not meet expectations”, Square Enix announced plans to “shift to a multiplatform strategy”.
