Battlefield 1 reportedly gives PS4 Pro owners an advantage in the game’s multiplayer mode, with it improving the game’s frame rate by as much as 47%.
A report from Eurogamer notes how their tests with the game running on a PS4 Pro indicated that it would perform better than when played on the PS4. While this was to be expected, the massive performance advantage it gives PS4 Pro owners in Battlefield 1‘s multiplayer component will likely rub many PS4 players up the wrong way, with it essentially ensuring that if they want to play DICE’s FPS competitively, they will always be outmatched by those who own the new console.
Eurogamer’s Digital Foundry analyzed the game running on both the PS4 and PS4 Pro simultaneously, with them choosing the same server and the same map and following the same route through it. The end result saw the copy of the game running on the PS4 Pro consistently hovering around the 60 fps mark and only dropping below 50 fps during particularly demanding scenes, whereas the copy of the game running on the PS4 routinely dips below 40 fps and struggles to remain consistent.
You can check out the game’s running side-by-side in Digital Foundry’s video below:
Sony previously discussed whether or not multiplayer games would have a performance advantage when running on the PS4 Pro, saying: “Playtesting and balancing is up to each game developer, and while it’s true that PS4 Pro’s more powerful hardware can drive smoother or more stable frame rates in supported titles, developers have many tools and processes they can use to prevent imbalances.” Despite this, the much more consistent frame rate boasted by Battlefield 1 on the PS4 Pro will inevitably put owners of the new console at a big advantage. Considering that the PS4 Pro was only released this month, this doesn’t bode well for parity being maintained in future multiplayer releases.
With Sony stating that balancing would be left up to the developer, it remains to be seen whether or not DICE and EA are encouraged to release a patch that will help provide greater balance between the different versions of the game. If not, this could prove to be an example of how PS4 owners may struggle when it comes playing competitive online games in the future.
