Now that the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are finally out and competing with one another, gamers can start to see which of the two next-gen consoles offers the best performance. It’s a question that has been debated over for months before their launch, but in the case of upscaling current-gen games like Star Wars Squadrons, it seems like the XSX is at an advantage.
Earlier this month, EA revealed that Squadrons would receive a number of enhanced visual options on next-gen consoles, and today those were added in a sizable new patch, update 3.0. As one might expect, these enhancements bump up the game’s resolution and framerate beyond what the PS4 and Xbox One are capable of, but what’s notable is that, for the most part, they are exclusive to the Xbox Series X and Series S.
Aside from letting the game run at a maximum of 120fps and at 4K, the update gives Xbox owners the option to prioritize either resolution or performance. By choosing resolution, players can get Star Wars Squadrons running at up to 1440p/60fps on the Xbox Series S and 4K/60fps on the Xbox Series X, while the performance option lets them maintain those resolutions at 120fps.
These options aren’t available on the PS5, but EA hasn’t left Sony fans out of the next-gen upgrades entirely. While it doesn’t run at 120fps, the PS5 version does come with the rest of the update’s next-gen features, which include “improved visual quality and lighting” as well as variable framerate support to allow for max visuals settings and unlocked framerates on monitors that allow it.
EA didn’t say why the PS5 version doesn’t support 120fps while the Xbox versions do, but it likely comes down to how the two platforms handle backwards compatibility. As Eurogamer recently noted, Microsoft’s consoles are easier to enhance older titles for, since the company places a greater focus on that area. To achieve the same effect on the PS5 would basically require developers to create native ports for the console. That’s why a growing number of games like Call of Duty: Warzone and Rocket League are only releasing 120fps updates for the Xbox Series X, and likely why Squadrons is missing out on its max graphical settings on PS5.
On a brighter note, players have new things to look forward to, regardless of platform. Update 3.0 introduced a few new pieces of content to the game, including new weapons and the addition of Fostar Haven to the Dogfight and Fleet Battles modes. And there’s even more to come next month, as EA is planning to release Star Wars Squadrons’ 4.0 update sometime in December, which will add the B-Wing and TIE Defender to the game’s selection of vehicles.
Star Wars Squadrons is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.