Digital Foundry puts together an in-depth technical analysis video to determine if the PC or Xbox One version ofGears of War 4offers the superior experience.
AlthoughGears of War 4’s official release date is set for October 11, those who purchased the third-person shooter’sUlitmate Editionhave been enjoying early access to the game for a few days now. Of course, with the title being available on both the PC and Xbox One, a lot of fans who have not committed to a particular platform yet might be wondering which of the two versions will provide the better experience.
Thankfully, the fine folks at Digital Foundry have stepped up to give an in-depth technical analysis ofGears of War 4on PC and Xbox One to figure out which port of the game can be considered more superior in terms of how the hardware handles the final product. Interestingly enough, Digital Foundry determines that whether fans pick up the PC or Xbox One version, they will be in for gorgeous graphics and a strong experience overall, as the outlet goes as far as to call it a “masterpiece” forUnreal Engine 4.
As seen in the video below, before jumping into the Xbox One and PC comparison, Digital Foundry starts out by noting some of the visual effectsGears of War 4’s developer The Coalition used. As it happens, the findings go on to show that the Xbox One version holds up well against the PC iteration when using itsUltra graphics settings, which is quite the feat to say the least.
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As the video progresses, Digital Foundry delves into how the PC version’s different presets compare with one other, highlighting how some specific settings impactGears of War 4in the game itself. It wraps the analysis up by doing a frame rate test of the title’scampaign mode. During the third-person shooter’s production process several months ago, developers at The Coalition had stated it was aiming for a solid30 frames per secondforGears of War 4’s campaign, and Digital Foundry ends up walking away impressed with the final results.
Ultimately, Digital Foundry declares the Xbox One version ofGears of War 4to be the smoothest game in the franchise thus far. However, it did mention that there are a number of players who have reported several snags and hiccups on the graphical front during their play time on the console. That said, Digital Foundry’s test on PC continues with different GPUs, but if early examinations are any indication of the platform’s quality, the game looks great there as well.
Naturally, not everything is going to be perfect, and Digital Foundry ended up finding some problems withGears of War 4’s particle and fire effects, as it reasoned they have the tendency to have odd looks when the game is being run at higher frame rates on PC. Not to mention, cutscenes also presented some issues in the way of frame-pacing.
Taking all of this into consideration, it seems as ifGears of War 4has brought the franchise into the current generation in a big and magnificent way. As a matter of fact, we had plenty of fun with the game, as evidenced inour review. Be that as it may, it will be interesting to see howGears of War 4eventually shapes up against other holiday heavy-hitters when it comes to sales.
Gears of War 4is set to release on July 12, 2025 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
