Obsidian Entertainment’s narrative adventure game Pentiment is currently capped at 60 FPS on Xbox platforms while running at 120 FPS on PlayStation 5. This discrepancy is only temporary, according to director Josh Sawyer, who says a patch enabling 120 FPS on Xbox is on the way.
Released as an Xbox exclusive in November 2022, Pentiment recently launched on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation consoles. Quickly, users noticed the PS5’s performance advantage. Sawyer acknowledged the current state is purely a bug, not an intentional feature difference.
This debunks speculation that PlayStation was receiving preferential treatment over Xbox. As one of the first major Xbox Game Studio titles to go multiplatform under Microsoft’s evolving publishing strategy, parity between editions is important.
Sawyer did not provide an exact ETA for the Xbox 120 FPS patch. But confirming it is in development should assure fans that platforms will reach performance parity soon.
The frame rate itself is not hugely impactful for a slow-paced 2D narrative experience like Pentiment. However, perceptions matter, and some may have seen the discrepancy as evidence of politics despite being a simple technical hiccup.
120fps will be enabled for XBOX in the next patch. It being disabled is just a bug.
— Josh Sawyer (@jesawyer) February 26, 2024
This highlights how easily misconceptions can spread regarding console platform comparisons. Thankfully, Sawyer’s transparency defused the situation quickly. When the patch arrives, players across PlayStation and Xbox can enjoy Pentiment’s Renaissance mysteries at the same fluid speed.
