Final Fantasy 15 PS4 Pro Patch Is Taking Some Heat
By Kyle Sledge 21 February 2017
After Square Enix releases a PlayStation 4 Pro patch to upscale the visuals for its role-playing game, Final Fantasy 15, the update receives criticism for some problems.
Just yesterday, Square Enix officially provided players of Final Fantasy 15 with a patch that was originally intended to improve the game’s frame rate on PlayStation 4 Pro and bring it up to a maximum cap of 60 FPS in order to give fans experiencing the RPG on Sony’s enhanced platform some additional graphical clarity. However, it seems as if the patch is performing poorer than expected, as the update for Final Fantasy 15 does not help the game achieve 60 frames-per-second on a consistent basis. Not to mention, the latest patch also removes the 30 FPS cap from the game’s “Lite” mode on PS4 Pro, resulting in a “highly variable level of performance.”
These particular discoveries regarding Final Fantasy 15‘s PlayStation 4 Pro patch have come to light thanks to a performance test by the fine folks over at Digital Foundry. As seen below in the outlet’s video discussing the update’s problems, it’s said that “As of now, there is no longer a way to enjoy Final Fantasy 15 with a smooth, stable frame rate on the PS4 Pro,” with fans’ only choices being “bad frame-pacing at a higher resolution or a wildly unstable unlocked frame rate.”
For those unaware, Final Fantasy 15 allows players on the PlayStation 4 Pro to choose between “Lite” and “High” performance modes, and before the new patch went live, the Lite mode caused the game to run at 1080p/30 FPS. The High mode, on the other hand, made the resolution shoot up to 1800p with checkerboard rendering. When the update is downloaded and applied, the Lite mode manages to retain its 1080p resolution, but the frame rate runs at an inconsistent 40-50 FPS, which are the same rates of performance that were available on its release date in November. Supposedly, the only way for players to have the game reach 60 FPS on Lite mode is to be stationary while staring at the ground.
Interestingly enough, Final Fantasy 15‘s High mode on PlayStation 4 Pro doesn’t seem to be much better, and could even be seen as a regression in graphical prowess, as Digital Foundry describes patch 1.05 as a “retrograde step as opposed to a desirable upgrade.” Also according to the outlet, the standard edition of the game on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One – as opposed to its collector’s edition, apparently – is a better choice for those who are looking to have the best technical experience possible, with Digital Foundry going on to explain that the Xbox One version trumps the PS4’s in terms of a quality frame rate.
“At this point, both the Xbox One and standard PlayStation 4 now provide a smoother experience. PS4 still exhibits minor frame-pacing issues but the problem is less pronounced than the Pro’s flagship high mode. Xbox One uses an adaptive v-sync solution that produces completely smooth frame-pacing throughout, leading to a stable experience. There is additional slowdown on Xbox One and a lower resolution overall, but at this point, Microsoft’s system still provides the most consistent frame rate.”
Taking all of this into consideration, one can only hope that Square Enix can quickly address the issues inherent with Final Fantasy 15‘s patch for PlayStation 4 Pro and allow the game to harness the power of the PS4 Pro’s specs without further degrading any other aspect of the RPG. With any luck, the publisher and developer will have a more refined iteration of the update before we reach the release dates for the game’s upcoming DLC.
Final Fantasy 15 is out now for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
