Yesterday, Microsoft released FPS Boost, a new backward compatibility feature for the Xbox Series X and S. FPS Boost will … dramatically increase the frame rate on specific older games when you play them on an Xbox next generation. After playing with FPS Boost for a while, I’m excited and impressed. This can be a big change in the way we experience old console games.
Microsoft has big plans for FPS Boost, promising to support many more games in the future, but for now, only five support can take advantage of that. These are Far Cry 4, New Super Lucky’s Tale, Sniper Elite 4, UFC 4 and Watch Dogs 2. Two of these titles, New Super Lucky’s Tale and Sniper Elite 4, are currently on the Game Pass. So, I downloaded them to see how FPS Boost worked.
My first impression was not great. I booted Sniper Elite 4 and there were 60 frames per second. It was still running at 30, with drops below that. Then I started New Super Lucky’s Tale and it was the same thing. It was running at 60 fps, not the promised 120. A quick Google search seemed to show that others were having this problem. (Currently, there is no icon on the screen saying that FPS Boost is enabled and there is also no way to turn it off or on. This will come in a system update this spring.) The games again and luckily FPS Boost has started work. But I’m glad it didn’t work in the beginning, as I was able to better compare the games before and after the feature was activated.
Guys, I’m very, much impressed.
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Sniper Elite 4 it was slow and heavy before FPS Boost. I found it difficult to play. With FPS Boost, it now works at almost 60 locked fps. I played the entire first level and saw only a few small drops, which I think most people in most situations won’t even notice. Doubling the frame rate greatly improves the game. Aiming, shooting, movement, everything looks better. Case in point, I didn’t plan on playing the entire first level, but I did it because I was having too much fun to stop.
One thing to keep in mind is that while FPS Boost looks like magic, capable of doubling performance in older games, it is not a miracle feature that improves everything. The resolution, textures and HUD on the screen found in Sniper Elite 4 they’re still the same as those on Xbox One. On my big, dumb 4K OLED screen this is noticeable, but the smoother performance still contributes to a big improvement in the overall experience. I will probably play the other levels now.
New Super Lucky’s Tale it’s more interesting. Microsoft says FPS Boost will eventually double the frame rate in many games, and even some 60 fps titles will benefit. Case in point Lucky’s Tale, which is now running at a solid 120 fps. This will only be something you can see if you have a TV or monitor that supports 120Hz. That big, dumb and expensive TV that I mentioned before, supports 120 Hz and holy shit, New Super Lucky’s Tale it’s great in FPS Boost mode.
Before FPS Boost, New Super Lucky’s Tale it looked good and it looked good enough. But running at 120 Hz, everything looks faster and more responsive. Even turning and opening menus feels better at this frame rate. Running and jumping benefit greatly from doubled performance. I felt that I had more control of the character and, combined with the improved load times of the Xbox Series X, it once again became difficult to stop playing. Like Sniper Elite 4, I’m excited to come back and play more of this wonderful platform game. I was worried that playing Lucky’s Tale right after playing the newly relaunched Super Mario 3D World it wouldn’t be fair to the poor fox. But now, I’m worried about going back Super Mario 3D World.
What’s impressive about FPS Boost is that, according to Microsoft, these improvements require little or, in some cases, no developer work. This means that older and less popular games, which are unlikely to be remastered or receive state-of-the-art patches, may still perform dramatically better in the future if Microsoft highlights them for FPS Boost treatment. This is also exciting for games that have never been released on PC and are stuck on consoles like the Xbox One. Without PC ports, big performance improvements like this were unlikely. Now, things have changed. We can see redemption of the red dead finally running at 60 fps? I’m not going to bet my life on it, but I’m happy to say yes, now it seems like a possibility. The future is exciting.