Starfield May update brings detailed maps, difficulty modes & new Xbox Series X performance modes

thesixthaxis.com:

Bethesda has revealed what’s coming in the Starfield May update, with new detailed maps, ship customisation, difficulty modes and higher Xbox Series X performance modes. The update is out now in Steam Beta on PC, with the general release coming on 15th May.

There’s a bevy of fan-pleasing features here, with the new surface maps giving loads of detail to the map to help you get around and figure out where you’re meant to be going. Then there’s the ship decoration mode, which brings the Outpost customisation flexibility to the interior of your ships as well.

For diehard players, there’s the new gameplay options for letting you tweak difficulty of different aspects of the game individually, while players embarking on a New Game Plus run will be able to change their Traits and appearance before they go.

And then there’s the Xbox Series X performance modes, which gives new frame rate targets of 30, 40 (on a 120Hz display), 60 or uncapped, and lets you prioritise Visuals or Performance – this will reduce the dynamic resolution range, and lower the quality of effects, lighting and crowds to boost the frame rate.

Oh, and as a final teaser? Bethesda are working on the first land vehicles for the game.

Here’s the full patch notes for Starfield May Update 1.11.33:

We’ve heard from many that you’d like to have more control over the graphic fidelity and performance on Xbox, similar to how PC players can customize their experience. We’re now enabling that on Xbox Series X with a few options that you can use to find the best fit for your playstyle and display.

For each of these, we highly recommend a Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) Display running at 120hz, and to verify your Xbox is setup to use it. If you have it setup this way, Starfield will now default to a frame rate target of 40, while keeping the priority for full visuals.

Source: Bethesda