Bethesda Clarifies How Fallout 4 Next-Gen Update Works on Xbox Series X

gamerant.com:

The next-gen update for Fallout 4 works a bit differently on the Xbox Series X than its official changelog suggests. That's according to Bethesda itself, who just offered a clarification on how the new Fallout 4 update handles frame rate targets on Microsoft's most powerful console to date.

According to the official patch notes accompanying the Fallout 4 next-gen update, the latest version of the game targets 30 frames per second in its newly introduced Quality mode, while aiming for 60 FPS in Performance mode. The RPG renders at a 4K resolution on all current-generation consoles irrespective of the graphics mode selected.

But it turns out that the Xbox Series X version of Fallout 4 targets 60 FPS in both modes. Bethesda said as much in a recent tweet, which was shared two days after the next-gen update rolled out. According to the developer, the main difference between the two modes on the Xbox Series X is that choosing Performance will see the game lower its graphics settings in a «more aggressive» manner in order to hit 60 frames per second.

Bethesda has thus effectively dismissed the widespread player reports that the Fallout 4 Quality mode doesn't work on the Xbox Series X. The mode's ability to go above 30 FPS has previously confused some Xbox players, not least because most console games that support multiple graphics modes pair those with different frame rate caps. The studio's decision to go against the norm was possibly motivated by a belief that the Xbox Series X can handle targeting 60 frames per second in a 9-year-old game made for the previous console generation.

That confidence wouldn't have been unfounded, as underlined by the fact that many Xbox Series X owners are reporting that Fallout 4 runs much better than it did following the late April patch. The new update did introduce some new issues, though the vast majority of them are predominantly affecting PC gamers. E.g., some Steam Deck users aren't happy with how Fallout 4 works on Valve's handheld