The jury is still out on whether or not the PS5 is the king of the next-gen console war or if Microsoft will finally take the top spot with the Xbox Series X. It’s a close fight, and it doesn’t get much closer than on Borderlands 3.
Digital Foundry recently did yet another comparison video to help people decide which next-gen console is right for them, and this time they took aim at the next-gen upgrade of Borderlands 3. This version of the game comes with two graphics modes: Resolution for 4K gaming at 60fps, and Performance for buttery-smooth 120 fps at 1080p.
On Resolution Mode, both the PS5 and Xbox Series X make use of Dynamic Resolution Scaling for when the action on-screen gets too heavy to keep rendering at 4K and still maintain that 60fps benchmark. Digital Foundry noted that both PS5 and Xbox Series X were fairly consistent at keeping to 60fps and it was really impossible to tell the difference between the two consoles.
However, there were a few bizarre things worth noting. The PS5 version of Borderlands 3 features more foliage and grass than the Xbox version, as well as clearer, sharper shadows. The PS5 also had slightly faster load times when using the fast travel system.
Strangely, both the PS5 and Xbox Series X saw frame rates dip into the 50s whenever they opened chests in Resolution mode, a clear sign that Borderlands 3’s loot generation system is quite resource-intensive.
On Performance Mode, the Xbox Series X edges ahead of the PS5. Both consoles would dip into the 80s on certain levels, but the Xbox Series X was just generally able to stick to 120fps than the PS5. And when the Xbox’s framerate did dip, variable refresh rates meant that the dropped frames were less noticeable.
By and large, it takes a trained eye to spot the differences between the two consoles, and whichever version you get will likely depend on what version you currently own. Both Xbox and PlayStation are offering free upgrades for their next-gen console for whoever owns a previous-gen version.
Source: Digital Foundry
