F1 24 is slick and polished on all platforms - but feels like more of the same
F1 24 gets the Digital Foundry tech review treatment, covering PS5, Xbox Series and PC.
www.eurogamer.net
In terms of platform comparisons, the series history is solid and so it is here in F1 24. All three offer a matching feature set for F1 24, with the only key exception being that Series S once again is shorn of the 120fps 'performance' mode. All target 60 frames per second well though, with identical visual features. In terms of resolutions, PS5 and Series X continue to run at a native 4K resolution, dynamically adjusting to 1800p lowest when the engine is stressed. The drop in pixel count is seamless. It's invisible in motion, and functions as a sensible fallback to ensure that each race always holds 60fps. On Series S meanwhile, we have a less impressive 1080p target in place. 1080p is the typical value, based on most tests - and in fairness, rarely if ever drops under that target. It's a softer picture on Series S though, no doubt. On the upside, it does at least hold up to Series X and PS5 in shadows, ambient occlusion and texture quality - and even ray tracing features make the grade on all three.
Ray traced shadows, ambient occlusion, reflections and the recently added dynamic diffuse global illumination (DDGI) all engage on console. The catch, as with last year though, is that ray tracing is purely limited to F1 24's menus, pre-race build-ups and replays. These moments also often pay a clear price in performance, with frame-rates delving down to the 20-40fps range. Actual gameplay switches to typical rasterised techniques for reflections, shadows, and ambient occlusion otherwise. Once you're revving at the starting grid, it's this switch that makes 60fps viable on PS5, Series X and S.