Those who have been fortunate enough to get their hands on an Xbox Series X so far have been given access to an early preview version of Codemasters' Dirt 5, and this is particularly interesting because the game supports the ability to run at 120 frames per-second on compatible TVs and monitors.
Unfortunately, the likes of YouTube only allows us to see up to 60 frames at once, so you're not going to notice a benefit in the video above (which was also only captured at 1080p), but the big takeaway is that when playing in the 120Hz mode, the game appears to run at a smooth, near-locked 120fps.
Here's what VentureBeat's Jeff Grubb had to say about this option:
"Having twice the amount of frames per-second is actually a big difference, it really does make a difference. It looks smoother, but it [also] helps you with reaction times, and that feels really nice in a way that console games haven't felt this good ever. And that's one of my big takeaways here."
The downside to all of this, as expected, is that there are some notable differences in visual quality between the 120Hz mode and the other two modes at your disposal (Image Quality and Frame Rate). Examples of this appear to include more instances of pop-in and heavily reduced crowds.
And of course, only those with supported TVs and monitors will be able to take advantage of this mode anyway, so it might not be something for you. If you've been looking forward to playing Dirt 5 in 120fps though, you can rest assured that it reportedly runs very smoothly indeed.
What do you think of the footage above? Hoping to play Dirt 5 at 120fps? Let us know below.
[source venturebeat.com]
Comments 20
It's cool for those that have the tech. Unfortunately my new TV is just 60hz (although it's my first 4K tv) so I won't be seeing those 120 FPS that some games will have. That's OK tho, the 4K is good enough for me.
My opinion,
Just make it 60fps and spend the development time to push the graphics etc at 60fps.
The 120fps market is so small you can fit it on a pin head. Waste of time and money.
Fair enough to people who admire a 120fps experience but the game on 120fps mode looks like it is from X360 era.
@Dezzy70 I tend to agree seeing as I won’t have a tv to match for a long time. I do get the feeling as time goes on most devs won’t bother with this as the cost for them may outweigh the gains. Guess we wait and see.
@Dezzy70 They have!!!
The 120fps market will grow - just like HD, 4k anf 4k HDR have and its nearly impossible to buy a TV that doesn't at least support 4k HDR - even if the HDR isn't the best.
120fps is just one of the 3 options available - the others being a 4k/60 'graphics' mode and 4k/60 'performance' mode. BOTH of these also benefit from the latest TV's - 4k/60 and HDR - with 'graphics' offering the 'best' visuals and benefits from using VRR (Variable Refresh Rates - something you will only find on some of the latest TV's) and performance mode for those with 4k/HDR TV's that maybe a bit older.
The point is to offer something that uses the 'latest' TV's and does something NO other console has ever been able to do before - a next gen 'leap'
Yes the visuals suffer - but then that's ALWAYS been the case when you cut the amount of time a GPU has to render a frame. Even on this gen, the games at 60fps never have the same quality of visuals they could have at 30fps. Often games that give you a choice (like Rise of the Tomb Raider) give you the option of a '4k/30' or 1080/60 mode. That's because the whole system has just 16.66ms to calculate everything going on in that frame, render it, apply all the post processing effects and send it to the TV instead of just 33.33ms at 30fps. At 120fps, that time is cut to just 8.3ms so yes, the graphical settings (and some that affect the CPU too) are sacrificed.
What ever 'hardware' you have, whether its a Console or PC, the graphical settings are sacrificed to get 'higher' frame rates. Its a balance between the two - Sacrifice one for the other.
Higher Frame Rates are more about 'feel', about lowering the input latency and response time. Instead of the game updating every 33.3ms (or 30 times a second), its updating 60 or even 120times a second, checking what input you have made more often, enabling it in game much sooner so you get a much quicker response...
If that isn't for you, then there are other options. They did make a video about it...
This will be my first time playing a game at 120 so I'm very excited to see the difference it makes!
I’ve recently bought a new tv and to be honest I don’t even know if it supports 120hz! I’m more than happy with 60fps though so am not bothered
Next generation is really starting on the wrong foot. Instead of polishing the experience and making initial batch of games controlled tech demos, devs are opening graphic settings to users (as on PC), which results in this type of situation: launch game needs to be compromised with on your newly bought console. Because 120hz graphic look bad, and 60hz doesn't cut it since you know there is higher RR idea out there..
@BAMozzy
I have a 65” tv that does all this so I’m ready to go. But I have a feeling this is just a release show and go piece.
A very very high percentage of developers will not bother with it on consoles and it will slowly disappear.
@redd214 agreed! Looking forward to the experience. Curious though, no mention of the resolution. Guess we have to wait for digital foundry...
@Nermannn The DF video is already up
Dynamic 4k in quality mode
Dynamic 4k (with lower floor) in frame rate mode
1080p-1440p in 120fps mode
@Nermannn Digital Foundry already put up a vid about it. Just watched on YouTube actually. Go check it out!
@reds214 @Menchi Thanks for the heads up! Those are pretty impressive results, I’d say.
@Nermannn It's actually pretty poor.....
Quite a few big games shown here and missing Fortnite. Stalker 2 is looking at a 120fps option too. No doubt more and more will offer 120fps modes and a LOT of older games could well be given 120fps boosts. If Fifa 17 can run at 4k/60 on a pro, Fifa could be 4k/120 on next gen. Forza Motorsport could have a 120fps mode.
Even if they can't get a 'locked' 120fps, with VRR, that doesn't matter - they could target 80fps or 100fps and the TV will refresh with every new frame. It doesn't have to be 30, 60 or 120fps - it could be ANY frame rate from 45fps+ and the 'visuals' will be smooth because the TV and frame rate are synced together. 80fps would be better than 60fps.
The reason 60fps and 30fps are the 'targets' is purely because of TV's refresh rate. At these frame rates, the TV is in sync - refreshing once (60fps) or twice (30fps) for every frame and the refresh coinciding with a frame so you don't get judder or screen tear. 45fps should look and feel better than 30fps but it doesn't because its out of sync with displays.
With VRR, the TV will refresh at the frame rate so its always in sync - meaning that devs don't have to settle for 30fps if 60fps isn't possible, they could cap the game at 50fps, 75fps, 100fps etc so its incredibly consistent and smooth. 120fps may well be out of the reach of 'some' games wit too much compromises going from 60fps, but there is nothing stopping a Dev from offering a locked 90fps at 4k for example...
@Menchi Poor? How so?
I must admit, going from just my impressions from watching youtube compressed video's on my laptop and missing out on the actual 4k HDR uncompressed visuals I would get running the game on my Series X, I was struggling to see a 'significant' jump up from current generation racers - even basing my judgement on the visual quality of Forza Horizon running on my Xbox One X on a 55" 4K HDR TV - albeit at 30fps
However, now having watched DF's breakdown, I am now not as concerned or feeling anywhere as negative as I was. I think they have done a good job to indicate the improvements the console has allowed and some of the choices the developers have had to make to balance 'visual' quality and frame rate target.
Considering the environments, track evolution etc and the fact that a game like Forza Horizon is a 30fps game, I think that its quite impressive. I think the big difference will be when DF can compare Dirt 5 running on Current gen - especially an Xbox One S vs the Series X - the 'weakest' to the 'Strongest' console on the market. Even comparing to Xbox One X will be interesting - I doubt you will get as impressive looking environments with as high quality shadows, reflections, crowds etc - if it even holds 4k as well - maybe even having to use CB rendering to try and get to 60fps as well. I was expecting 'worse' for the 120fps mode with a lot of visual quality downgrades which would look 'rougher' than dropping the resolution alone would do. Considering you are chucking out a 1440p image every 8.33ms, its very impressive with as much detail, LoDs, post processing etc as this is offering.
I doubt an RTX2080ti would be a LOT better. It may take the analysis of current gen and side by side to notice all the improvements offered in 'launch' next gen game that was no doubt made with current gen firmly in mind too. Again, I will point to Forza Motorsport 5, a launch XB1 game that wasn't a significant leap up over 4, and Forza Motorsport 7 - the leap between those as devs focussed purely on the current gen for development and had a lot more experience of the hardware.
@Menchi @BAMozzy To me, 120fps at 1080-1440p Is pretty good for this early in the generation. I’m not expecting that type of frame rate at full 4K. I am just recently getting used to a 4K TV, and I don’t have any content that can run at 120fps currently Or any consoles that output at 4K for that matter. As a Day One experience, Dirt 5 will show off one of the more impressive features if the system!
@Nermannn That is much lower performance than the last few years of PC has turned in, let alone the brand new stuff that is so far ahead of these new consoles, it doesn't even warrant a comparison. Not a great showing for the "world's most powerful console" with "4k" and "60fps" all over their marketing.
And next gen exclusives show the new features properly, cross gen games cannot.
Here is a 4 year old, mid range GPU playing an open world racer at native 4k locked 60fps max detail for example.
https://youtu.be/vfCjhgIBEV8
@Menchi I’ll chalk it up to not wanting to spend the money to get a nice PC, so this level of performance will be exciting for me (since I don’t have a PC to compare it to).
I’ve only ever dabbled in low end gaming laptops. I find it time consuming and somewhat stressful to mess with Graphics settings on PCs in hopes of getting the best performance on limited hardware, so having a console that gives me a few (2-3) graphics settings to choose from is ideal for me!
120fps, 1080p*
60fps, 1440p*
30fps, 4k*
That's what I'm taking away from this article. Pretty much the options to play any nextgen game, it's looking like.
*when/if applicable
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