Today, Hello Games and 505 Games launched No Man's Sky on Xbox One for $49.99. Many months ago, the developer confirmed that the title would support Xbox One X, but didn't provide any details as to what that would entail. Would the game achieve native 4K resolution? Would there be a performance mode? Many of these questions were left unanswered. The only clue we had was the Xbox Store listing which stated that No Man's Sky ran at "4K Ultra HD" on Microsoft's new machine.
Alongside the patch notes for the "Next" multiplayer update, the studio revealed the resolution and performance options for No Man's Sky on Xbox One X. According to the post, the game features a "High Performance" mode which runs at 1440p 60 FPS, and a "High Quality" option which achieves native 4K resolution (2160p) on the console. In comparison, the maximum resolution the PlayStation 4 Pro version outputs is 1800p. If you disable the "Supersampling" mode on PlayStation 4 Pro, you're given a 1080p 60 FPS presentation. As expected, the frame rate isn't locked and fluctuates depending on the environment.
It's great to see that Hello Games decided to give Xbox One X owners the choice to either focus on visuals or performance. We've been playing on High Performance mode and it runs smoothly. There are some slowdowns here and there, but overall it's a great experience. As expected, the High Quality mode greatly improves the visual quality and No Man's Sky looks crisp on a 4K display. It's by far the best picture you can get on a console because there's no upscaling from 1800p involved.
For those unfamiliar with the game, No Man's Sky is a science fiction adventure set across an infinite universe, in which every star is the light of a distant sun, each orbited by planets filled with life, and you can go to any of them you choose. In this procedurally-generated universe, you'll discover places and creatures that no other player has seen before. However, a mystery lies at the center of the galaxy, an irresistible pulse that draws you on a voyage to discover the true nature of the universe.
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