Digital Foundry: FPS Boost, Sony Store U-turn, & CMOS Issues

FPS Boost for Xbox Series X/S

Microsoft has introduced a new wave of FPS Boost titles, specifically targeting 120Hz displays.
• Key Titles: The update includes Titanfall 2, Mirror's Edge Catalyst, and various Battlefield and Battlefront entries.
• Performance Disparity: There is a notable performance gap between the Series X and Series S consoles, with the latter often missing out on high-frame-rate modes for several titles due to hardware limitations.
• Resolution Concerns: Many of these titles retain their original, lower-resolution rendering targets, sometimes as low as 720p, raising questions about whether potential future updates could increase resolution via system-level techniques.

Sony's Digital Store Reversal

Sony recently reversed their decision to close the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita digital stores after significant community backlash.

"To me, it just demonstrates why it's important to when the consumer base has an issue with something like this, make your voice heard, because clearly companies do listen."
• The team celebrates this as a victory for digital preservation.
• Experts urge Sony to develop a long-term solution for technical debt regarding legacy server code and user account authentication.

The CMOS Battery Problem

A critical issue has been identified affecting PlayStation 3, 4, and 5 consoles regarding internal CMOS batteries.
• The Threat: If the CMOS battery dies, consoles may require a server connection to resynchronize the time before launching digital -- or in some cases, even physical -- software.
• Hardware Longevity: There is shared concern regarding the long-term viability of modern consoles compared to older platforms like the Atari, which function autonomously without server authentication.

Development & Tech Highlights

GameStack Live & DirectX 12 Ultimate

The introduction of the Agility SDK allows developers to ship DirectX 12 Ultimate features within game code, bypassing the need for end-users to manually update Windows to access the latest features.

AMD FidelityFX

AMD is providing more developer-friendly, open-source FidelityFX solutions that allow for better integration of post-processing effects and RDNA 2 hardware features across platforms.

MLB The Show 21: Cross-Platform Dynamics

Despite the controversy surrounding a PlayStation-published game appearing on Xbox, the team concludes the game maintains technical parity between platforms.
• The focus shifts to business models: the high cost of the cross-gen bundle on PlayStation versus its inclusion in Xbox Game Pass.