Digital Foundry: The Witcher 3 Patch 1.10 Finally Fixes PS4 Version of the Game

Finally, PS4 gamers can play The Witcher 3.

Digital Foundry just released their breakdown of the 1.10 patch for the Witcher 3 and it seems like it fixes most of the issues that has plagued the Playstation 4 version (special thanks to ElTorro  for the quotes):

The good news first. PS4 benefits hugely from the update, and our first stress- test in Crookback Bog shows the biggest gains in the shift to patch 1.10. This area’s fog and water transparency effects push the engine hardest, and notoriously, prior versions of the game locked PS4 to the 20fps line here. But with everything updated fully, frame-rates now stick closer to the 30fps line across the entirety of our run. At points this gives The Witcher 3 a boost of 10fps overall on PS4, and it overtakes a fully-patched Xbox One version in direct comparison.

Drops are still felt, and the graph hits 28fps at points – sometimes lower. But it’s fair to say it’s a step forward, and a much smoother gameplay experience overall in what were previously troublespots. […]

Either way, the PS4 version gets a step in the right direction with patch 1.10 installed – but how does Xbox One hold up by comparison? Sadly, across this analysis we get no performance boosts on Microsoft’s console at all; Crookback Bog runs at more or less the same frame-rate as before, with a sustained update of around 25fps. Likewise, cut-scenes are note-for-note the same as before the patch in frame-rate levels.
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The only real surprise is in how Novigrad City performs with patch 1.10 installed on Xbox One. Much like PS4, there’s a downgrade as we follow the same path through the city streets – but in Xbox One’s case it’s a more stark difference. The drop from patch 1.08 is noticeable; going from a locked 30fps with occasional stutters to sustained performance at 24-26fps. This bears out across multiple re-trials of the same area, using the same in-game time of day and weather state. We have been downgraded – and compared to a fully patched PS4 version, the gap is as wide as 5fps as we canter down the city streets.

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Overall, it’s a mixed bag. Xbox One takes one step forward, and another step back – with better asset streaming in the city, but a notably worse frame-rate there as well. As for PS4, this is the first patch where the platform is so consistently ahead of Xbox One in performance terms. Previous updates had different scenes favouring one console or the other, but this patch ramps up PS4’s delivery across the board; less stuttering while travelling the world, and a smoother return in matching stress-tests.

It’s a lead that holds across all scenes on PS4, a version that already benefits from a 1080p resolution, compared to Xbox One’s dynamic setup (resolving typically at 900p). Neither platform locks on to 30fps to a tee, but it’s fair to say we’re bounding ahead of The Witcher 3’s shaky launch state. Patch 1.10 gives Sony’s console the push in performance fans had waited for, and it’s now a far more refined game. For PS4 owners resisting the jump into CD Projekt Red’s epic, at least on on technical grounds, this is a moment to reconsider.

Sounds like this is the time to actually purchase and play the game. This also reinforces my mantra to wait until a game is released before buying instead of pre-ordering the title. Far too many companies release games with bugs and or problems. Waiting ensures that everything is worked out before buying.