It has taken almost three years, but the new expansion for Cyberpunk 2077 is nearly here. Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty was shown at the Xbox Games Showcase this year, confirming a release date of September 26.
In addition to various changes, this new expansion is designed to run on current-generation hardware like the PS5 and Xbox Series S|X. This is also reflected in the game’s performance targets on the new consoles.
Digital Foundry received high-quality gameplay footage on the upcoming expansion and recently uploaded a deep dive into the performance on the respective console. According to Digital Foundry, the game’s render resolution can now drop as low as 900p on Xbox Series X and PS5.
Why it matters: The current generation consoles were advertised for their 4K capabilities. However, recent games have shown this is not always possible, especially when games run at 60FPS.
The PS5 and Xbox Series X target 60 FPS in performance mode with a maximum resolution target of 2560 x 1440p. However, both consoles use dynamic resolution with AMD FSR 2.0 to maintain a consistent frame rate.
Unlike other games, the Phantom Liberty expansion utilizes similar graphical settings and resolution on the Xbox Series X and PS5. There is not much difference between the consoles in image quality, volumetric effects, and draw distances.
However, DRS means the game can fall to 900p during intense sequences. Previously, Digital Foundry reported that this target was much higher for both consoles. PS5 did not fall below 1260p, and Xbox Series X reached 1382p at its worst.
This means Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty is more intensive to run. It also ditches last-gen hardware, allowing CDPR to push visuals further. This may be one of the reasons for more compromises in the expansion.
However, users should note that the 900p resolution is upscaled using FSR2 before the final image. Still, some may find it disappointing that recent games are beginning to drop below 1080p for 60FPS targets.
Developers have yet to reveal how the new expansion performs on the Xbox Series S, but it would be best to expect even lower resolutions on the budget console.
Digital Foundry reports the PC version was running with RT Overdrive mode enabled, but the performance was capped at 30 FPS with a native 4K resolution. According to the video, the console version of the expansion holds up well against the PC version.
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[News Reporter]
Malik Usman is student of Computer Science focused on using his knowledge to produce detailed and informative articles covering the latest findings from the tech industry. His expertise allows him to cover subjects like processors, graphics cards, and more. In addition to the latest hardware, Malik can be found writing about the gaming industry from time to time. He is fond of games like God of War, and his work has been mentioned on websites like Whatculture, VG247, IGN, and Eurogamer.