According to Digital Foundry, Red Dead Redemption 2 will run at a full native 4K resolution on Xbox One X, which is a seemingly unprecedented leap in quality compared to other platforms – especially the Xbox One S. The lesser Xbox console has some unfortunate struggles, coming in at an 864p resolution. That’s a 6.2x multiplier in resolution between the two platforms. As a result, the Xbox One S can come across as blurry and granular, especially if the player is sitting close to their monitor or TV. The Xbox One X, however, has to be lauded for reaching such an impressive resolution milestone.

The difference between PlayStation 4 and its Pro update isn’t as dramatic, but is of course still significant. The PS4 Pro runs at an innate 1920 x 2160 resolution reconstructed up to 4K through a unique checkerboarding technique, while the PlayStation 4 is all in on 1080p. These are relatively standard resolutions for the PlayStation consoles compared to other games.

Frame rate is also a big issue, and in this area once again the Xbox One X shines. Red Dead Redemption 2 sets a hard frame cap of 30 fps across all platforms, but that doesn’t mean all consoles consistently meet that cap. The Xbox One X gets close, though, reportedly dipping only in odd circumstances. Otherwise, it stays at least above 29 fps.

The PS4 Pro, on the other hand, can slow a bit around major city areas. Not to mention, both the PS4 and Xbox One S have broader frame issues even in smaller towns, though the Xbox One S struggles more overall. It doesn’t seem like frame rates ever dip too far below 23fps, which while isn’t optimal is still impressive for such a visually rich game.

Other important details include what’s likely to be an improved texture quality for the Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro, despite near equal install sizes. The texture quality is much more apparent on the Xbox One X. Shadowing, lighting, and even rendering of complex objects like foliage, are all similarly displayed across all consoles, but the less powerful platforms will see lower detail and blurring to make up for the power difference.

As with most games, the technical differences between the platforms are ultimately less significant than the monitor or TV being played on. A 1080p screen won’t see the differences as strongly as a 4K screen, but clearly the more powerful the console the better overall visuals no matter the screen. Rockstar’s definitely making the most of each console’s hardware, as there are no surprise technical issues immediately apparent. The Xbox One X performs the best, the PS4 Pro is solid, the PS4 holds down the 1080p standard, and the Xbox One S works just fine. So, it seems as if Red Dead Redemption 2 is beautiful no matter the platform.

Red Dead Redemption 2 releases October 26 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Source: Digital Foundry