Console gaming was catapulted into a new generation with the recent launch of Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5. While fans are just getting into the new hardware, game developers have been working on optimizing their games for the new generation for a while now. For the creators of Fortnite, the dawn of the new console generation came at the perfect time. Fortnite has been optimized on Xbox Series X/S, with performance upgrades, fixed latency issues, and new features coming to the free-to-play battle royale game that weren't possible on Xbox One.
Developer Ben Woodhouse, Lead Console Programmer at Epic Games, recently detailed new optimizations that will come to Fortnite on Xbox Series X/S. The main point that Woodhouse made was that Fortnite will be able to put out 60 fps more comfortably. He acknowledged previous generation consoles' struggle with maintaining 60 fps in split-screen mode or when playing Save the World, and then reassured fans that the new CPU in the Xbox Series X will be able to handle the graphics output with ease. In fact, Woodhouse said that the new hardware allowed graphics programmers to add multiple new layers of programming into Fortnite.
One of the biggest differences players will feel when upgrading from last-gen to Xbox Series X, according to Woodhouse, is the new smoke/shockwave animations. On the new generation of consoles, Fortnite's explosions, smoke, and fire animations will look more fluid. The GPU in the new machines has been freed up to be able to simulate physics fields, such as the shockwave emanating from Fortnite's grenades or missiles, meaning that players will see nearby grass blow over, or trees move from the force of the explosion. It might sound like small graphic tweaks, but players will easily be able to notice the updates. There's also a new visual design to the clouds, updated visuals to fire and elimination animations, and new visual effects used by the storm.
Fortnite's Xbox Series X & Xbox Series S Differences
Most of these changes will make their way over to the Xbox Series S as well. Woodhouse says that the main difference between XSX and XSS will be the graphic resolution: the XSX will run Fortnite in 4K whereas the XSS runs Fortnite in 1080p. The main difference between the two consoles is memory and power (and that Xbox Series S lacks a physical disk drive), so it's not shocking that XSS runs the game in a lower resolution. There's also rumors that developers are pushing for a 120 fps experience in the future.
When it's all said and done, Xbox Series X is going to be the best Fortnite machine available. The game has specifically been optimized for Microsoft's new flagship gaming console, and the results are fantastic. Playing any multiplayer game in 4K at 60 fps is an achievement, let alone the fact that Fortnite features up to 100 players at the same time. The new shockwave and smoke/fire animations are a bit more subtle, but still point to the huge amount of power that Xbox Series X brings to the table.
Source: Ben Woodhouse/Xbox