Microsoft Announces FPS Boost for Select Backward Compatible Titles on Xbox Series X|S - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 17 February 2021 / 1,861 Views
Microsoft has announced a new feature - FPS Boost - for select backward compatible games running on the Xbox Series X|S that boost the frames per second (fps). The framerate for games has doubled or in some cases quadrupled.
Five games have been given the FPS Boost today, which are Far Cry 4, New Super Lucky’s Tale, Sniper Elite 4, UFC 4, and Watch Dogs 2. New Super Lucky’s Tale has been boosted up to 120 fps, while UFC 4 has "improved framerate performance specifically on Xbox Series S and can now run at 60fps."
Microsoft plans to add FPS Boost to more titles soon, as they also plan to release new menu icons and system settings in an upcoming update for the Xbox Series X|S. A Spring update will let you toggle FPS Boost and Auto HDR on or off. There will also be a new indicator to let you know when a game is running with FPS Boost.
Read the announcement post below:
When we were designing Xbox Series X|S, we knew we wanted to continue our commitment to compatibility we started back in 2015, enabling gamers to play their favorite titles from past generations on the new consoles. Nearly all titles benefit from next-generation features like faster loading times and the ability to Quick Resume. Then the team went one step further; adding enhancements to many of our most played games so they look, feel and play better than ever before.
As we detailed in October, with the increased CPU, GPU, and memory from our new consoles, all of your existing games look and play better. With certain titles, we can make the experience even better, all with no work required by the developer, and no update needed by the gamer. To that end, the backward compatibility team has developed FPS Boost, which employs a variety of new methods for nearly doubling (and in a few instances, quadrupling) the original framerate on select titles. Higher, steadier framerates make games visually smoother, resulting in more immersive gameplay. We partnered closely with developers to enhance the experience while maintaining the game’s original intent. And while not applicable to all games, these new techniques can push game engines to render more quickly for a buttery smooth experience beyond what the original game might have delivered due to the capabilities of the hardware at the time.
We’re excited to announce the first assortment of backward compatible titles that will support FPS Boost – available beginning today – are Far Cry 4, New Super Lucky’s Tale, Sniper Elite 4, UFC 4, and Watch Dogs 2. We chose this initial collection of titles not only because they are popular among fans, but to highlight several different ways that FPS Boost can improve your experience. For example, New Super Lucky’s Tale can now run up to 120 frames per second (fps) and UFC 4 delivers improved framerate performance specifically on Xbox Series S and can now run at 60fps.
This is just the beginning. We will announce and release more titles featuring FPS Boost soon, as well roll out new menu icons and system settings in an upcoming system update. Starting this Spring, you can go into the “Manage Game” section for any title, where you’ll be presented with a new “Compatibility Options” button that will allow you to toggle FPS Boost (as well as Auto HDR) on or off. There will also be a new indicator informing you when a game is running with FPS Boost whenever you hit the Xbox Button on your controller. You decide how you want to play your favorite games, whether in its original form or with FPS Boost.
And FPS Boost doesn’t only benefit gamers who own these titles – you’ll be happy to hear that many of these upcoming FPS Boost games will be available in Xbox Game Pass. From this initial release of updates, New Super Lucky’s Tale and Sniper Elite 4 are currently available with Xbox Game Pass. We’re very excited for fans to experience FPS Boost and in the coming months, we’ll be announcing more and more games that support this function.
At Xbox, we believe your gaming investments should come with you, which is why we’ve brought forward thousands of games from four generations to look and play better than ever on the Xbox Series X|S. We can’t wait for you all to give these titles a spin, and to reveal more FPS Boost games very soon.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel dedicated to gaming Let's Plays and tutorials. You can contact the author at wdangelo@vgchartz.com or on Twitter @TrunksWD.
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Thumbs up from me, any stable increase is a good thing.
This goes to show the performance difference between XB1X and Series S. Basically doubles the FPS without a sweat while the older hardware struggles to maintain a 30fps on some games.
It's true much better tech, but also slightly unfair XB1X was never used to its full potential and the BC for these games have greatly improved stability overtime allowing them to move their focus toward using the extra overhead that you have in a 4K /60 console when running 900p + games still having that power and harnessing it are two different thing so kudos to the outstanding BC team.
Maybe so, however i cannot see the XB1X doing it in the same manner as how the XSS does it. The XB1X is an amazing built platform and it delivers amazing BC in its own right however its software side pales in comparison to the Series consoles running all the state of the art feature sets. Keep in mind that the XSS BC didn't require the devs to get involved, this is all just the hardware being utilized much like a PC running an old game, it will just natively run it smoother etc which i think its a fantastic idea.
I agree The XB1X is never going to match the SXS but it would do better than now if optimised.
I thought they also has a method for multiplying the resolution 3x3, bringing 720p games to 4k, 480p games to 1440p etc.
I'm pretty sure they do but it most likely limits their ability to increase framerate.
I would say that both S and X could do 360 games in 4K60fps. Using a 2x2 scaling method Series S would go to 1440p, which for some games would be feasible but not for others. Series X worst case would be a 720p@30fps game... Ryse: Son of Rome? which it would have to bring to 3x3 to 4k and double framerate, meaning 18x the graphical load. That's not feasible without devs I would suggest. But given it's not adjusting code I hope to see an option on the menus to choose between the resolution and the framerate.
Not a list I'm really excited about, but I may play Sniper Elite 4 and Watchdogs 2 eventually. Disappointed resolution isn't being boosted, but 60 fps is better than a resolution boost in my opinion.
Its a 60fps boost at the cost of nothing and its done without developers touching their games.
Can't wait to see more games get this treatment
I wish we'd see more new games. Everything seems to be about game pass, games of the old etc.. Sure we hear aquisitions, but I think wouldn't they have been better off releasing the system 3 years from now when we start seeing new exclusives??
Essay Pro