If you're not bothered by judder, clearly this is a great way to play the game. The frame-rate hangs below 60fps most of the time when using the native 4K mode but ultimately remains above 30fps. The anti-aliasing solution cleans up foliage edges, texture filtering looks great and the game beckons you to sit closer to your display but clearly, performance isn't quite where it should be. Starting at native 2160p, the game looks remarkably sharp and clean. The higher the resolution, the lower the frame-rate. The focus here is on the Xbox One X then, which begs the question - which of the three resolution options provides the best performance? Simply put, this choice is tied directly to performance.
As a small indie team, this is perfectly understandable but the bottom line is that any Pro enhancements to the title can only come through the additional CPU and GPU power offered by the system-level boost mode. Namely, the scene lighting varies slightly between the two console versions.Ĭuriously, while The Astronauts have embraced X enhancements, PlayStation 4 Pro support was never added to the original console release and according to the developer, implementing the improvements included in the Xbox One version would require enough extra work that it's not feasible right now, though they didn't completely rule it out.
However, if we bring the PS4 version into the mix, it becomes obvious that there have been changes made since the last release. Our first question is simple - beyond resolution, are there any other differences between Xbox One and Xbox One X? Well, the higher resolution does allow for improved texture filtering but aside from that, the two versions appear equal in terms of visual details - which is to say, both consoles offer a richly detailed world to explore.
In comparison, on the regular Xbox One, you have the option to modify the FOV or cap the frame-rate but the resolution remains fixed at 1080p on the base system - still an impressive achievement considering that many other UE4 games on Xbox One opt for resolutions well below the full HD standard.
Pop into the options menu and you're offered the choice between three resolutions, the ability to cap the frame-rate and the option to adjust the field of view. The Astronauts' support for the 4K console is impressive, offering a slew of options that we don't often see on consoles. Further refined visuals are combined with an impressive range of support for Xbox One X, along with a new free-roam mode. On Xbox One, the game offers a handful of new features designed to welcome new players to its world. With forests and structures stretching out as far as the eye can see, Ethan Carter remains as gorgeous as ever. We were impressed with the revised version of the game back in 2015 and in 2018, it's surprising just how beautifully it holds up.
Ethan Carter retains its stylizsd, pseudo-realistic appearance while introducing new Unreal 4 specific features to the mix. In its updated state, the team worked hard to translate its gorgeous but static global illumination and photogrammetry-based assets and the results speak for themselves. In porting the game to PS4 years ago, its developer, Warsaw-based The Astronauts, completely overhauled the game by porting it from Unreal Engine 3 to Unreal 4. First released in 2014 on the PC, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter has undergone several surgeries on its way to this new release on Xbox One. While the mystery buried within The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is certainly intriguing, from our perspective, it's the journey of its developer that is most fascinating.