Just Cause 3 PS4 and Xbox One Versions Compared in New Technical Analysis

Ahead of open-world game Just Cause 3's release tomorrow, a new technical analysis compares the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions--and it appears Sony's system has the edge.

Digital Foundry obtained copies of the game early. After applying update 1.01, the site reports that, as expected, the PS4 edition runs at native 1080p while the Xbox One version comes in at 900p

"Initial comparisons of art assets, effects, and lighting suggests that both versions are operating with the same visual feature set," it said. "[Developer] Avalanche clearly felt no need to adjust GPU-intensive elements such as shadow quality--in this respect, both look equivalent to the high setting on the PC game."

Overall, Digital Foundry concluded that both console versions of Just Cause 3 "look very similar," though the PS4 version has a slightly "crisper" image quality.

In terms of performance and frame rate, however, the differences between the two version is reportedly more pronounced. Both editions target a frame rate of 30 fps; neither version apparently holds that very well, with the Xbox One edition suffering the most by comparison.

"It is indeed the Xbox One release that offers a noticeably lower level of in-game fluidity," Digital Foundry said. "In our tests, we've compared both cut-scenes and gameplay, and our lowest recorded drop occurs on Xbox One, where a massive explosion sends us plummeting to 20 fps, while PS4 plateaus to 24 fps in entirely different circumstances--with CPU power the likely culprit for bottlenecked performance there.

"In between shoot-outs, both editions mostly hold at 30 fps, but once things kick off, it's clear that Microsoft's machine struggles to a more noticeable extent. It's clear that PlayStation 4 has the edge in sustaining target performance more consistently. What's particularly disappointing is that even in areas with little or nothing going on, Xbox One can still have issues--moving into a forest area and spinning around on the spot can cause the engine's performance to drop to the mid-20s, while PlayStation 4 retains the lion's share of its performance."

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Game director Roland Lesterlin said previously that Avalanche is "confident our players will thoroughly enjoy themselves no matter the platform they play the game on."

Digital Foundry has also performed some initial tests on Just Cause 3's PC version. Read the full story for more. Check back soon for GameSpot's Just Cause 3 review.