UPDATE 1/5/23: We’ve now completed work on our main console tech review, which goes into more depth on the visual accomplishment Respawn has achieved with Star Wars Jedi: Survivor – and the price it had to pay in achieving this level of fidelity in terms of both performance and resolution. We’ve also added in analysis of Xbox Series X, which – generally speaking – is much the same as the PlayStation 5 version. Xbox Series S? That’s where things switch up somewhat.
Ray tracing seems to be out of the picture for Series S users. The subtle lighting detail present on the higher-end consoles seems entirely absent here, a concession to meet the capabilities of Microsoft’s junior console. Plus, there’s only one visual mode here, targeting 30fps, with no performance option. Even without the RT features of PS5 and Series X and a firm 30fps target, image quality still falls below expectations. It looks roughly like a 1080p reconstruction target, based on the scaling artifacts, general lack of detail in the final image, and blurry UI. Internally, the game seems to operate around 864p or so most of the time, which sort of splits the difference between the resolution and quality modes available on the other platforms.
It’s not an entirely unexpected result for the console, though it is a shame RT features could not be retained. Outside of those configuration changes, the visual settings look similar to the higher-end machines. Asset quality may be a touch lower, but the resolutions make it sort of hard to tell what specifically could have taken a hit. Performance here comes in at a stable 30fps. Loading thresholds can get it to stutter sometimes, just like the other platforms, but it holds its target quite well. It’s definitely possible that the machine could get stressed by more challenging late-game content, but the general run of play feels stable and smooth – although again, we are taking a big visual hit relative to the premium consoles.
