Next-gen Tomb Raider framerate differs, Microsoft defends Xbox One
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition has gone digging in the not-so-ancient ruins of next-gen gaming consoles and come back with a shiny debate over framerate differences. While the PlayStation 4 version of the game has been confirmed to run at 60 frames per second, the Xbox One version's framerate is, as of writing, unconfirmed.
A Square Enix rep weighed in on the issue to VideoGamer.com, stating that, "Delivering the core Tomb Raider gameplay at native 1080p and running at 30fps was always our primary goal given the type of experience Tomb Raider is and the exploration we want players to do. Anything beyond 30fps for this version is gravy."
Microsoft Senior Director of Product Management Albert Penello told Gamertag Radio that the differences between the two versions were minor, and defended the Xbox One version by reminding listeners that we've only just begun the new generation of consoles. "Everybody wants to focus on, you know, there's a framerate thing going on in Tomb Raider, there is a resolution thing going on and okay, there's a lot of reasons why that could be true, but we're weeks in. We just shipped, it's a long generation."
"I believe that the difference in the [PS4 and Xbox One] is not that great and I know what's going on behind the scenes and I probably have access to more information about some of this thing than a lot of people. Sometimes I think people tend to neglect the points that are in my favor and they like to highlight the points that tell me that I am wrong," Panello said. "I think these little things get way overblown versus like the quality of the games and the real differences in the two experiences which are pretty minor."
Though it's hard to say exactly what would cause a difference in performance, a post on developer Nixxes' site spotted by NeoGAF user "artist" notes that the PS4 and Xbox One versions were developed separately, by different teams. Sleeping Dogs developer United Front Games was tasked with bringing Lara's adventure to Xbox One, while Nixxes worked to unearth a PS4 version. Nixxes was responsible for getting the original (well, the original 2013 reboot) version of Tomb Raider up and running on PC and PS3 as well, while UFG has decidedly less experience with the game.
Of course, we're all ignoring the real, dare we say ... definitive difference between the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game, here. On the PS4, the DualShock 4 turns red and orange while using the torch, and on Xbox One, players can use their hands to inspect in-game relics thanks to Kinect. Would-be buyers: go forth and be informed.
