Cyberpunk 2077 launched at midnight last night, and now the console versions are out in the wild we’re getting our first proper look at the game running on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Early impressions are, unfortunately, not great.
I’ve been playing the PS4 version of CD Projekt’s sci-fi epic and can report poor performance, including low framerate and texture pop-in when the screen is busy. Even when it’s not, there is on occasion a low-res blur to the visuals. And I’ve encountered multiple characters locked in a T-pose, frozen in place or glitched into an object. You can still talk to these NPCs, but their mouths do not move.
Cyberpunk 2077 launch issues and the good and bad of The Game Awards – it’s the Eurogamer next-gen news cast!
I’ve had a chat with Digital Foundry’s Tom Morgan, who provided me with some screenshots of Cyberpunk 2077 running on a base PS4 alongside some analysis:
According to Morgan, Cyberpunk 2077 on PS4 looks very blurry, running between 720p and 900p resolution, and the framerate for any driving around the big city areas is constantly at around 20. While some indoor battles run well at 30fps, they can drop to 25fps. Framerate drops are one thing, but there’s also hitching – big hiccups in the action where a new object or texture needs to load in. This can make it a challenge to shoot or drive.
UPDATE: Here’s Digital Foundry’s video analysis of Cyberpunk 2077 running on base PS4 and PS4 Pro:
Running the game on PlayStation 5 via backwards compatibility does improve matters to a degree – certainly the loading is faster, and the framerate is unlocked to 60fps – but the glitches, including the T-posing NPCs, remain.
It turns out that Cyberpunk 2077 on PS5 does not have the “quality mode” that is available on Xbox Series X. That is to say, the game on PS5 runs in “performance mode” by default. On Xbox Series X you can switch between the two. Quality mode shoots for a high resolution, something approaching 4K and 30 frames per second, whereas performance mode aims for a smooth experience. It’s worth noting the Xbox Series S does not have this toggle between modes, either.
Digital Foundry’s scientific analysis is of course inbound, but what is clear at this early stage is there is a significant divide between the PC version of Cyberpunk 2077 and the console versions.
And even just hours after release, the Cyberpunk 2077 console memes have begun.
Damn, Cyberpunk 2077 on base PS4 and Xbox One looks great pic.twitter.com/TCaUkDJGDc
— Mike Drucker (@MikeDrucker) December 10, 2020
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Cyberpunk 2077 – Xbox One pic.twitter.com/LsrGRTyXvO
— XYZ (@LifestyleUk1) December 9, 2020
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CD Projekt Red has outdone themselves. They somehow got #Cyberpunk2077 to run on my base PS4. It looks great! pic.twitter.com/TwnCXwZTI1
— Akbar (@Arabman06725603) December 10, 2020
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This is Cyberpunk 2077 – PS4 version 1.00. Resolution is literally below 720p and the game takes 20 seconds to load in textures. Inexcusable. Unfathomable. Unplayable. pic.twitter.com/gdApyfmgAi
— GIRL RIFLE (@girlrifle) December 10, 2020
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Clearly, CD Projekt has plenty of work to do getting the console version of Cyberpunk 2077 up to scratch. In a tweet, the developer said: “The journey has just begun and we are hard at work on the upcoming fixes and updates to the game.”
We are truly humbled that so many of you trusted us and decided to support #Cyberpunk2077 before the release! Even 8 million thank yous isn’t enough! The journey has just begun and we are hard at work on the upcoming fixes and updates to the game. See you in Night City! pic.twitter.com/ycIe2kN0Zq
— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) December 10, 2020
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Meanwhile, playing Cyberpunk 2077 on PC with a beefy rig feels like the best option – for now.
