Fulfilling a promise made late last week, Microsoft has added their "FPS Boost" feature to five new games, all of which are from the newly-acquired Bethesda. Dishonored: Definitive Edition, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition, Fallout 4, Fallout 76, and Prey now all support higher framerates and better performance on Xbox Series X|S consoles. Where these games previously ran locked at 30fps prior to today's update, they now have been upgraded to run at 60fps, with more additions to the FPS Boost lineup to come in the future. Each of these games is also currently available on Xbox Game Pass.

Source

 

[x65943]

So like, do they have to put work into this "boost" or is it more like taking off a cap they put there themselves?

Just curious if they are actually putting in optimization work.

 

[AshuraZro]

I don't think its as much optimization as it is testing to ensure the title does not break as a result of increased resources/speeds.

Edit: Actually I just remembered that Digital Foundry explored this with answers from Microsoft saying that adjustments are made at the Direct3D level, with comparisons drawn to some of the fan-made FPS patches made for various PC games like Dark Souls.

Xbox FPS Boost Analysis: 60FPS/120FPS Back Compat on Xbox Series X|S Tested! - YouTube

 

[Lastairbend]

So like, do they have to put work into this "boost" or is it more like taking off a cap they put there themselves?

Just curious if they are actually putting in optimization work.

They have some technique they use with the FPS boost where they don't touch the source code and instead relay game instructions more or less at double speed or something then slow the game logic back down to normal where the game thinks it runs at 30FPS still while running at 60

 

[mrcroket]

I think that is something like the double vblank hack for rpcs3, so a hacking thing that needs to be tested game by game.

 

[Teletron1]

Hopefully this is more then just a gimmick

 

[rhawes31]

Is this something that needs to be enabled or will it be turned on by default? I have a series S, GamePass, and Fall Out 4 installed but do not see anything mentioning the boost.

 

[AshuraZro]

Is this something that needs to be enabled or will it be turned on by default? I have a series S, GamePass, and Fall Out 4 installed but do not see anything mentioning the boost.

Read the source article to find out that Fallout 4 and 76 do not have it enabled by default as it will run at a lower resolution to run smoothly. To enable, choose to manage the game and then go to Compatibility Options to find FPS Boost in there.

Edit: I should heed my own words. The article claims it is only disabled by default for Series X owners. Still, check compatibility options to find the toggle. If you don't see compatibility options, ensure your console is fully updated.

 

[jt_1258]

So like, do they have to put work into this "boost" or is it more like taking off a cap they put there themselves?

Just curious if they are actually putting in optimization work.

shall we never forget skyrim and it's physics engine being tied to the frame rate o.o

 

[seraphineveles]

shall we never forget skyrim and it's physics engine being tied to the frame rate o.o

This is literally why I haven't been able to play the game in years, due to it freaking out on my 165hz monitor.

 

[huma_dawii]

Love what they are doing with backwards compatibility, its unreal.

 

[nl255]

shall we never forget skyrim and it's physics engine being tied to the frame rate o.o

This is literally why I haven't been able to play the game in years, due to it freaking out on my 165hz monitor.

You do realize there is a mod for that though it does require the script extender for the game in question. For SKSE64 you need the Havok fix and for Fallout 4 you need HighFPSPhysicsFix. As a side note HighFPSPhysicsFix can also dramatically improve loading speeds (especially if you disable loading screen animations) if you have any kind of SSD or even a fast "spinning rust" drive (i.e. 10K rpm).

 

[mat128]

This is literally why I haven't been able to play the game in years, due to it freaking out on my 165hz monitor.

Skyrim Special Edition works perfectly at 144fps+ with FPSfix.

 

[jt_1258]

You do realize there is a mod for that though it does require the script extender for the game in question. For SKSE64 you need the Havok fix and for Fallout 4 you need HighFPSPhysicsFix. As a side note HighFPSPhysicsFix can also dramatically improve loading speeds (especially if you disable loading screen animations) if you have any kind of SSD or even a fast "spinning rust" drive (i.e. 10K rpm).

*without modding
for the semantics police...
modding shouldn't be necessary to enjoy a game...no doubt modding can improve the enjoyment of a game but still

 

[nl255]

*without modding
for the semantics police...
modding shouldn't be necessary to enjoy a game...no doubt modding can improve the enjoyment of a game but still

You shouldn't but Bethesda games are known for requiring mods, at the very least the unofficial bugfix mod, otherwise there is a fair chance of ending up in an unwinnable state.

 

[Jayro]

See what can happen when devs become unlazy?

 

[Purple_Shyguy]

Doesn't console Skyrim have a 75° FOV?

*Pukes*

 

[RAHelllord]

*without modding
for the semantics police...
modding shouldn't be necessary to enjoy a game...no doubt modding can improve the enjoyment of a game but still

You can fix it without modding, too. Just restrict the FPS to 60 and most physics glitches are a thing of the past. Just needs to be set in the gpu driver for the executable.

Though the modding to get the fix applied isn't as much modding as it's just fixing some sloppy coding to bring it into the future of video gaming.

 

[raxadian]

Sorry Microsoft I can't afford your video gaming systems or paid services.

 

[Medveitsi]

Doesn't console Skyrim have a 75° FOV?

*Pukes*

There is a mod for that