Redout is a high-speed futuristic racing game that cries out to be played at 60 frames per second. The launch versions of the Xbox One and the PS4 couldn’t handle it, but the PS4 Pro version pretty much nailed 60 fps. In an interview with wccftech last August, developer 34BigThings indicated it expected the Xbox One X version to run at 60 fps and native 4K resolution (3840 x 2160) with graphics set to the PC’s “Epic” mode. To say things didn’t turn out as planned would be an understatement. The Pro outperforms the One X version of Redout by a wide margin.
When Digitial Foundry reported Redout’s shortcomings on the One X, 34BigThings CEO Valerio Di Donato responded with an angry and hostile blog post excoriating Digital Foundry as a purveyor of lies and fake news for what was apparently a simple mistake. To their credit, Digital Foundry did not respond in kind.
Performance
The One X and the Pro both have 8-core AMD CPUs. The CPU in the One X is 200 MHz faster than the Pro, so you would expect the minor drops from 60 fps that occasionally pop up on the Pro would be smoothed out on the One X. That’s not what happens.
Both Digital Foundry and VG Tech report substantial drops in frame rate on the One X. VG Tech recorded frame rates that frequently dropped below 60 fps, spent a notable amount of time in the 40 to 50 fps range, and occasionally dipped below 40 fps. There are also massive frame time problems on the One X as can be seen in the image above. This is a major problem for a game that plays at Redout’s super-fast speed.
Di Donato acknowledged that 34BigThings is aware that the One X enhanced version of Redout has serious frame rate issues. He pointed out that the problem mainly appears in races with many AI opponents although it happens at other times as well. 34BigThings is working to resolve the problem.
The controversy
The controversy surrounding the One X version of Redout is centered around an initial report by Digital Foundry that the game not only fails to reach the promised native 4K resolution, but runs at a steady 1080p. Their report rested on having never observed a resolution other than 1080p in all of their tests. They updated their article after VG Tech reported that Redout makes use of dynamic resolution scaling and is not always limited to 1080p.
As often happens, people trashed 34BigThings on social media after either reading Digital Foundry’s article or watching their video. Di Donato then overreacted with his angry blog post. An initial version of that post quoted in full by wccftech stated “We are currently looking into legal action to defend our public image.” Calmer heads seem to have prevailed as “legal action” has been changed to “various ways” in the version of the post that was on the 34BigThings website when this article was written.
Digital Foundry responded by updating their article a second time with an apology to 34BigThings. They included lengthy quotes from Di Donato’s blog post without quoting (or sinking to the level of) his angry ranting. Digital Foundry also took down their video and indicated a new video will be forthcoming when they figure out what’s going on.
Resolution
So, what resolution does Redout play at on the One X? One thing is sure; it’s not native 4K.
The game uses dynamic scaling which Di Donato claims ranges from 3456 x 1944 to 1920 x 1080. Di Donato also asserts that these resolutions correspond to 90% and 50% of native 4K. This is incorrect. Here are the correct numbers.
| Resolution | Pixel count | % native 4K |
| 3840 x 2160 | 8,294,400 | 100% |
| 3456 x 1944 | 6,135,264 | 81% |
| 1920 x 1080 | 2,073,600 | 25% |
The resolution ranges Di Donato provided correspond to 81% and 25% (not 90% and 50%) of native 4K. Di Donato only considered the vertical dimension when he came up with his percentages which is an odd mistake for the CEO of a gaming company who holds an MSc in Game Technology to make.
Digital Foundry also made a mistake by reporting Redout plays at 1080p all of the time when it appears to only run at 1080p some of the time. Di Donato responded by calling Digital Foundry’s mistake “a pure, straight lie”, and referred to the Digital Foundry article as “incompetent technical analysis at best, fake news at worst”.
Given Di Donato’s response to Digital Foundry’s mistake, how should his own mistake about Redout’s resolution be evaluated? Is his 90% to 50% claim “a pure, straight lie”, does he not understand that resolution is measured on both the horizontal and vertical dimensions, or did he just make a careless error in the heat of the moment? Maybe all of this drama could have been avoided if people thought of alternative explanations before lashing out in anger.
Setting errors and vitriol aside, the resolution question at the heart of the controversy boils down to how frequently Redout plays at 1080p. The answer is currently unknown.
Conclusion
Outrage generates a lot of heat and very little light, and right now we’re in the dark about Redout’s resolution on the One X. Digital Foundry saw 1080p all of the time while 34BigThings' CEO says it only plays at 1080p some of the time. What’s being ignored here is that 1080p at any time is a very poor showing for a game that’s been enhanced to run on a graphical powerhouse like the One X.
The passions generated by the resolution issue seem out of proportion to the problem because resolution and graphics are not nearly as important as frame rate in a high-speed game like Redout. Redout's frame rates on the One X are terrible with extended time spent in the 40 and 50 fps ranges and occasional brief dips into the high 30s. The PS4 Pro, with less processing power than the One X, does much better holding at, or very close to 60 fps throughout.
The unavoidable conclusion is that, in its current form, Redout on the One X is a car wreck that’s best avoided in favor of playing on the Pro.
In another article I argued that Microsoft has a window of opportunity as long as the One X is the most powerful console on the market. I suggested one way Microsoft could take advantage of this opportunity is by providing technical and financial support for developers who want to enhance their games to run on the One X. It would be great if Microsoft reached out with an offer to help 34BigThings because Redout is a good game that would be a fine addition to the One X lineup if its problems were fixed.
If you're interested in the Xbox One X, here are some other articles you might enjoy.
- How Sony Could Meet The Challenge Presented By The Xbox One X
- 2018 Could Be A Great Year For Microsoft's Xbox One X
- The Year's Best Looking Games On The Xbox One X
- The Xbox One X Presents Microsoft With A Problem And An Opportunity
- 'The Witcher 3' Enhanced For The Xbox One X Is The Best Console Version, But . . .
- Comparing Star Wars Battlefront II On The Xbox One X, PS4 Pro And PC
