Xbox One's Metal Gear Solid 5 "Holds Its Own" vs. PS4 Version

The Xbox One edition of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain performs at a technical standard very similar to the PlayStation 4 version, according to early tests.

An independent technical analysis of the game, by Digital Foundry, found that the Xbox One edition delivers on offering a native 1600x900 resolution at 60 frames-per-second. The PlayStation 4 version, meanwhile, rendered at a slightly more advanced 1080p60, but the perceptible difference between the two versions was described as negligible.

The report reads: "Sony's platform wins out in direct comparisons of course, having no need to upscale its image. However, it must be said Xbox One acquits itself very nicely at 900p, and despite some softening to foliage elements, its resolution is no longer a tangible limiting factor to the experience."

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, which shipped last year as the prologue to The Phantom Pain, presented a more significant difference between both consoles, rendering on Xbox One at 720p, and full HD on the PS4.

"But with the resolution gap narrowed to 900p versus 1080p, Xbox One at least holds its own in the visual comparison," Digital Foundry wrote.

"At 900p, there's a sense that optimisations have been made and we're moving forward."

The report also details that some minor advantages can be found on both versions, but concluded: "In gameplay, both PS4 and Xbox One run at a near-flawless 60fps, with v-sync engaged at all times to avoid tearing. The heightened pixel count on Xbox One doesn't appear to hamper this, even when faced with a valley filled with foliage elements. Travelling at speed across busy terrain gives us 60fps as well--an impressive feat."

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Since the release of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, in late 2013, the initial wave of third-party games tended to render at a lower resolution on Xbox One as they did on PlayStation 4. Although Sony's console carries a raw computational advantage, the perceptible differences between both machines has begun to narrow.

In GameSpot's Metal Gear Solid 5 Review, Hideo Kojima's steal title was awarded a 10/10. It is the twelfth game in history to be awarded the score.