We're now just a few short weeks away from Forza Horizon 5's Xbox Game Pass release on November 9th, and in preparation, Digital Foundry has taken a detailed look at the preview version for Xbox Series X and S.
They're suitably impressed, too. The game is described as a "next-gen spectacle" for the two consoles, with the standout highlight being the quality mode for Xbox Series X, which is a "phenomenal experience" and "allow[s] for the most dense, rich and expansive Forza Horizon experience we've seen yet."
Additionally, while quality mode is locked at 30fps on Series X, the implementation is said to be "remarkable", where "motion blur shutter speed is judged perfectly, frame-rate never wavers, [and] the game still seems highly responsive."
"Typically, it's hard to recommend anything other than 60fps or better, but the sense is that Playground Games has finely honed the 30fps quality mode to the point where it's actually very different to choose between the two."
Meanwhile, the 60fps performance mode reportedly takes away certain effects, detail, "a layer of post-process realism" and more, but "still manages to capture a great deal of the game's richness and density". However, it seems like occasional instances of pop-in will be apparent in this mode, but not in quality mode.
As for Xbox Series S, the experience is supposedly almost identical to Xbox Series X, with the only major difference being the resolution (1080p instead of 4K). You still get the choice between a quality and a performance mode on Series S, and frame-rates were said to be "perfect in all the content we had available to test [across both consoles]."
All in all, it sounds like Forza Horizon 5 is shaping up to be pretty special on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, and now we're just waiting to see how it performs on Xbox One as well. Fingers crossed that version is great too!
"The Forza Horizon 5 press preview delivered much while leaving the vast majority of the game locked away from view - leaving us hungry for more. Nothing we've seen so far suggests that the Xbox Series versions will be anything other than excellent, while the quality and performance modes each shine in their own ways."
Will you be going for quality or performance mode with Forza Horizon 5? Let us know down below.
[source eurogamer.net]
Comments 25
Really hope MS starts teasing the new Forza soon, we need something to go against GT7. I can't wait for Turn 10 to bring their A game back to the Series.
It's hard to go back to 30fps when playing most of games in 60, but I will most certainly try quality mode just for the next gen looks
Watching the video I'm glad I'm not the only one who uses the roads more as a guide than a rule!
Love this series - I'll go Quality as I want to see it looking as awesome as possible and I can't tell the difference in FPS lol, think I'm getting old
Even 60fps is getting old while 144hz, 240hz or at least 75hz monitors are getting more and more popular. And yet we get 30fps modes in "next-gen" games which run on "next-gen" consoles. I dont know about the engineering end or whatever it is and i dont have to know but i know we were promised to get next-gen. So far it doesnt feel like we are getting it.
Not mention this is a racing game.
Damn. I was under the impression that 60 fps was an obligation for a racing game, but they made me doubt it.
I think I'll try the quality mode first, and then stick with it, or either switch to performance. But my guess is once you've played in 60 fps, you just can't go back to 30. So 30 first, I think.
Oh, and now I remember : Drive Club on PS4 is 30 fps. Still my favorite racing game of the gen, so...
Yeah, this should definitely have a 4K/60 mode. I know Forza Horizon 4 didn't really as it was definitely not 4K, but going from 60 FPS in that back to 30 FPS here might be jarring. I'll give it a shot since the leap in graphical quality is one of the biggest selling points for the game and hope that the rock solid 30 FPS is enough.
I know we're still really early in the life of the Series X and that this game is cross-gen, but while it is nice that we have a choice, it would have been nice not to have to compromise. I'll still play it obviously whenever that happens (definitely not at launch as I have other games to play for a while).
Watched the video last night.
Will now be playing 30fps quality mode.
Filmic quality and 30fps mode that feels more like 60fps will do me for racing.
Playground Games truly are the jewel in Microsoft's game development crown.
60fps is obviously the way to go normally but it sounds like they’ve done an incredible job making 30fps very smooth here and viable. I’ll definitely try it out. The visual downgrades are quite noticeable at 60fps.
Damn. I'm not much of racer. Played ridge racer and gt, back then, a little fh4 for the points recently. But this looks phenomenal. Makes me wonder what playground games and another developer could achieve in an action adventure game.
You can play November 5th if you get the game pass upgrade with all dlc, vip, and other bonuses. I’ll be playing in 30 unless it deters my gaming. They say it in the video that it’s cinematic “game-atic” by the way they do wizardry on camera view locks. Next gen consoles and gaming in general has gotten great because of no load times. Graphics and all that are a plus.
My Series X isn't plugged in to a 4K TV at the minute so performance for me. It will be plugged in to a 4K TV in the new year and then I will dabble with both.
I’m probably in the minority with this but I think 60 FPS is a bit overrated. Most of the time when I select a 60 FPS modes I’m clueless as to whether or not it’s on. Some games you can feel it more but even then 30 seems more than fine (60 is definitely better, but hardly a necessity especially if it comes at major costs)
If only this wasn't a car game, with these kind of graphics I'd be very happy
Won't it just look same as horizon 4 on the highest settings on a gaming pc
I imagine the game will still look good on the X1. Forza Horizon 1 still look great in my eyes and the weather in number 2 is gorgeous. Playground wouldn't make a duff game.
I'll be playing on the Series S and seems the 60fps and 30fps modes are pretty similar.. I'll go with the 60fps as there is no 4K.
@Michu2951 I am finding myself having trouble playing fps in 60 fps after being spoiled with 120. 30 sounds like a no go but I’ll have to see what it looks like.
What about VRR?
@Microbius There doesn't exist something like maxed out graphics at 60 fps. You can always improve the graphics more at the expense of framerate, which means that if they managed to make the graphics you now see at 30 fps run at 60 fps, they could make even better graphics run at 30 fps.
@Microbius hey they can always, and likely will, add some updates to improve these options
I’ll definitely be playing it in Quality Mode while exploring and smashing the boards. I’ll then change to performance mode when I’m doing the actual racing. If I just wanted to play every game in 60-120fps then I’d of just got the Series S instead of the X. I’m happy most games running 1440p at 60fps on the Series X but I will choose Quality Mode in other games if it runs well.
60 FPS here is still looking way better than any other racer has ever looked before. At speed you will never see the slight difference in detail. This gen I get to compare games maxed out on PC to compared to what XSX will offer due to game pass and having a monster work PC at home and while I expect there will be differences I also expect them to be very slight.
I usually prefer the performance mode, 60fps is important in my eyes (pun intended). To give choices is always very nice, something that Crystal Dynamics have supported since Xbox One X was revealed and the new Tomb Raider games play great at 30fps. Forza Horizon 4 gave choices too until it received the "definitive" edition on Series X that combines the quality and performance modes of Xbox One X. Forza Horizon 3 unfortunately doesn't offer a performance mode on Xbox One X nor Series X although the Windows version does and that sucks. Anyway, I'm still curious to see the quality mode of Forza Horizon 5 on Series X and being blown away by my LG C9 but I'll probably switch to performance mode after a little while. Forza Horizon 5 will likely be the best racing game of the whole generation.
Removed - trolling/baiting; user is banned
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