Dark Souls 3 PS4 vs Xbox One Graphics Comparison

Dark Souls III launched in Japan last week, and now, Digital Foundry has posted its resolution and frame rate analysis for the two console versions.

Starting off with resolution, Dark Souls III for PlayStation 4 runs at a native 1080p (1920x1080), while the Xbox One edition outputs natively at 1600x900 (900p), but upscaled to 1080p. The site also reports that both editions make use of anti-aliasing to "deal with visual noise."

Though the Xbox One version of the RPG runs at a lower native resolution, it's reportedly still a "flattering" visual showcase, though 900p is not without its drawbacks.

"The one truly perceptible shortfall of its native 900p image is that pixel crawl flares up more aggressively across foliage, though otherwise its visuals hold up very well," Digital Foundry said. The site added that, strangely, the Xbox One version's HUD elements are rendered at 900p as well, which can lead to a "light blur."

Both the PS4 and Xbox One versions are "great-looking," Digital Foundry said, and both use the same visual settings. However, it's reported that the Xbox One edition makes use of a lower-quality setting for shadow rendering, which can give character silhouettes "an aliased, rougher look."

Switching to performance, the PS4 version also takes the cake, it seems. While both versions can dip below the target 30fps frame rate for particularly intensive segments, nearly every area on Xbox One that falls to 25fps holds steady at 30fps on PS4.

"The frustrating reality is that both consoles suffer from frame-pacing issues," Digital Foundry said. "As with Bloodborne, neither PS4 or Xbox One versions of Dark Souls 3 feel as smooth as they should do, even while running at the target 30fps on average. Frames are incorrectly ordered to produce a stuttering sensation, and our hopes of From Software addressing the issue are once again dashed."

Digital Foundry's verdict is that PS4 has the overall edge between the two console editions, when factoring in image quality and frame rate. Still, the Xbox One edition is "perfectly enjoyable."

For lots more on the two console versions of Dark Souls III, be sure to check out Digital Foundry's full analysis. More details on the technical performance of the PC edition of Dark Souls III--which can run at 60fps--will be posted later.

Dark Souls III launched on March 24 in Japan and comes to the west on April 12.