Control PS5 And Xbox Series X/S Update Offers 60fps Or Ray Tracing In February

The much-anticipated next-gen update for Control: Ultimate Edition launches in February, developer Remedy Entertainment has announced. This will bring technical enhancements to the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions of the game; as it stands, those platforms can only play the existing, backwards-compatible version of the hit sci-fi action game.

This update offers two different graphics settings to choose from on next-gen hardware. Performance mode offers 60fps gameplay, which--if it's able to stay locked--would come as a very welcome addition given the frame rate inconsistencies of playing Control on last-gen hardware. The alternative is Graphics mode, which drops the frame rate to 30fps but introduces ray tracing features.

The brief video above demonstrates the two running on PS5, with the silky smooth frame rate of Performance mode looking quite nice--although it's shown in a scene without any combat or effects that might put a strain on the hardware. It also quickly shows off the implementation of ray tracing, which will at the very least involve ray-traced reflections based on what we see. It's a stark contrast to see the windows shift from milky panes to offering such accurate reflections, but it'll be up to you to decide whether you prefer ray tracing or a higher frame rate. Fortunately, it looks as if you can flip between the two from the in-game settings menu without having to restart.

Remedy will launch the digital version of Control: Ultimate Edition on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on February 2, 2021, followed by the physical version on March 2, 2021. If you own the existing version of Control: Ultimate edition, you'll be able to upgrade for free. However, owners of the base game--even those who have also purchased the DLC, meaning they have everything in Ultimate edition--will not be eligible for the upgrade.

Control was one of 2019's best games and has since expanded with a pair of DLC expansions, The Foundation and AWE, both of which are included in Ultimate edition.