Star Wars Jedi: Survivor arrives on PS4 and Xbox One machines 17 months after its original release, but has it turned out well? After all, developer Respawn built its sequel for the new generation of machines first and foremost. It was originally billed as a PS5, Series X, S and PC only project – one pushing RT reflections and global illumination, improved character rendering, and more richly detailed open world areas than the original Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Jedi: Survivor pushes current-gen hardware then, so to what extent can Xbox One and PlayStation 4 hope to compete?
Booting up the base PS4 to start, it’s clear that the push to optimise Jedi: Survivor involves big cutbacks in asset quality. The game drops its install size to just 50GB on all last-gen versions – down from the 150GB on PS5 and Xbox Series consoles – achieved via a cut to pre-rendered cutscene quality, texture assets and audio bitrates. In terms of image quality, PS4 also inevitably takes a hit by running at a lower native 1280×720 – causing more visible break-up on fine mesh detail and the definition of Cal’s hair and beard. It doesn’t hold up to PS5’s quality mode running at 1224p of course, but it’s roughly the compromise we’d expect.
Speaking of the other consoles, the base Xbox One runs at a native 1024×576 – only amplifying the issues with its sub-pixel breakup. Next, the mid-gen refresh consoles improve the presentation considerably: PS4 Pro runs at 1536×864, while Xbox One X pushes a higher still 1600×900. Between all four, there’s virtually no other visual difference outside of resolution targets. To nitpick, a slight tweak to foliage LODs divides the base machines from the Pro and One X, while the PS4 consoles deploy slightly sharper shadow outlines due to an alternative filtering method. Outside of these two points though, the four run with matching textures, foliage density, draw distances and effects quality.
Loading times bear mention too here, as the wait to get into the game is greatly extended on last-gen, owing to their mechanical HDDs and slower CPUs. Taking PS5 for example, it takes just 10 seconds to load into Koboh for the first time. You’re well into the play session by the time PS4 gets to the same point from its initial boot-up, itself taking just over two minutes to load. Added to that, an extra delay is enforced on PS4 while moving from exteriors to complex interiors like Pyloon’s Saloon. Essentially, expect to be stood at this doorway on PS4 for an extra 10-15 seconds before they’ll open to the bar.
There is good news, though: much of Jedi: Survivor’s core design, in terms of physics, world detail, and post processing effects are kept in place on last-gen consoles. Everything from the detailing on droids like BB8, to the dense object placement around Pyloon’s Saloon is exactly as you remember. Physics-based interactions are kept in place too: body simulation on Stormtroopers and even the manner in which dangling cables slice at the point of our lightsaber’s contact, are still in situ. Indeed, for Jedi: Survivor’s many puzzles around the initial planet, Koboh, keeping these physics-based elements is essential. In terms of visual features, motion blur is included, we keep dynamic character and object shadows, and even the vivid baked global illumination is kept around the opening city, Coruscant.
There’s no ray tracing here of course. PS5’s quality mode continues to benefit from an enhancement in light bounce – via RTGI – around shaded elements of the world. Switching from PS4 to PS5 and back again, there’s no question that the last-gen machine loses out, and with a drop in ambient occlusion quality too, creating a lighter, less thoroughly shaded result. Likewise, in terms of reflections, PS5 benefits from the more taxing ray tracing approach on quality mode. PS4 – and indeed PS4 Pro, Xbox One and One X – all instead rely on cube mapped textures around Coruscant city, fixing a static mirror image across its glossy floors. In the end, reflections end up working much like PS5’s 60fps performance mode – with no interaction from characters running on top. However, once we arrive on Koboh, the upside is that all last-gen consoles deploy screen-space reflections (SSR) across water bodies – again much like the PS5 performance mode. It’s a genuine surprise, and while not on par with the accuracy of PS5 ray traced approach, SSR does make the grade.
Moving on to the bad news, texture quality takes a hit. Across most surfaces around Koboh, you’ll spot a dip in asset quality up close, where ground materials, skin shaders, and even the cloth and hard table tops around Pyloon Saloon all use lower res assets. Shadows inevitably get dropped a grade too, resulting in a more pixellated silhouette to Cal – which is at least filtered for a more presentable result. In terms of transparency effects – like fire and sparks – there’s also a big cutback in fidelity on PS4; not only does the resolution take a hit, but certain effects also run at 15 frames per second – half the refresh of the intended 30fps. It’s truly jarring to see in motion. This goes for every last-gen platform, and worse still, this 15fps update also applies to menus and HUD elements while using meditation points. Finally, you’ll notice a much lower grass density setting in exploring the open world. Around Koboh, foliage density is the same on all last-gen platforms, but compared to PS5 it’s significantly pruned back. Unlike the texture situation, this foliage setting drop sticks out starkly in jumping between generations.
Perhaps the most glaring issue is the game’s asset pop in. In order to accommodate last-gen CPU and memory limits, a more aggressive geometry culling solution is put in place. As a result, it’s impossible to ignore the flicker – and even white flashing artefacts – towards the corners of the screen during most movement. Around Pyloon’s Saloon, for example, new geometry, textures, and shadow maps draw in with a delay, just as an occluding wall or object moves out of view. You’ll catch a white flicker just as the camera starts peaking around the corner, in the worst case here – while it manifests as pop-in during the platforming in Coruscant. It’s a shame, and affects all last-gen consoles to a degree – though especially the base PS4 and Xbox One machines.
All combined, PS4’s drop in texture quality, shadows, and even the lower grass density are (arguably) acceptable drawbacks – but the pop in, and 15fps effects are hard to ignore. Even walking through cave areas in Koboh triggers massive issues with lighting pop in, making it difficult to navigate. Also, the blunt truth is that neither the base PS4 or Xbox One are up to the task of rendering the game’s in-engine cinematics. Too often scenes with heavy action – like the escape from Coruscant – run with a hitching frame-rate, while the animations and effects struggle to update. For every camera cut, the game drops a cluster of frames, and the animations regularly fall out of sync. Every console, from PS4 and Xbox One, right up to the Xbox One X suffers from this to a very visible extent, but much more so on the base machines.
Jumping to performance testing, PS4 runs surprisingly well overall in gameplay thanks to its many cutbacks. Be it the open world roaming around Koboh or the stormtrooper battles in the city, 30fps is a generally well-met target. There are clear hiccups at points though, usually related to asset streaming during quick movement. Really, this is a trend for PS4’s delivery as a whole; as we emerge to a broad overview of the city, the frame-rate tanks suddenly. It hitches as new assets load in, coupled screen-tearing at the top 20 percent of the display, plus uneven frame-pacing. There are less intrusive cases of this later on, where just running at pace outdoors will trigger a bout of uneven frame-pacing and tearing – before it re-stabilises at 30fps. The result in action is usually robust on PS4 but these lapses in stability do often stick out. Otherwise, impressively, PS4 is able to run at a more stable frame-rate at times, compared to PS5 on its quality mode, where RT effects can hit performance hard. So yes, in moments involving RT reflections on Koboh, PS4 will run more optimally at 30fps than its next-gen successor – but those streaming issues still need addressing.
That covers gameplay – but Jedi: Survivor’s cutscenes are another matter. I’ve already noted the hitches for in-engine cinematics, but that’s only the start. Every camera cut drops a cluster of frames on every last-gen machine – and on PS4 this coupled with major drops to near 20fps too. Given the effects and geometry struggle to stay in sync, the fact we’re dealing with hitching and constant frame-rate lurches only compounds this sense of a lack of polish. I’ve noticed visual bugs on top of this, where the HUD from gameplay segments stays on screen during an entire cinematic. Even the audio cuts out during extreme hitches, while on occasion it’s clear that dialogue is compressed at a much lower bitrate. Overall, while gameplay segments are borderline acceptable on PS4, the cut-scenes – and the bugs and hitches – really make this version one to avoid.
Switching over to PS4 Pro, the game’s prospects improve drastically. At a native 864p image quality is boosted, while the frame-rate in gameplay tends to lock at 30fps more convincingly. Cases of tearing, single frame blips, and uneven frame pacing are greatly reduced all round too. However, and this is a big caveat, the cutscenes still have hitches on PS4 Pro. The sustained sub-30 drops are cleared up, but you’ll still see hitching, and animation sync issues to a degree on Pro – which is a blemish on an otherwise acceptable release. Interestingly, as an aside, running the PS4 app on PS5 hardware defers to the PS4 Pro codepath – complete with its 864p resolution. All visual settings stay in place, but performance unlocks to 60fps. The PS5 version’s own 60fps performance mode is admittedly in a much better optimised state compared to launch though, so really this is more of a curiosity than a recommendation.
Base Xbox One is next in the spotlight, and I feared the worst for this one. Ultimately, the turnout is similarly poor to the base PS4 in frame-rate here. The drop to 576p only accounts for Xbox One’s weaker GPU to an extent. You’ll get a 30fps reading, blighted by cases of tearing, and frame pacing issues, while in the extreme cases there are large bouts hitching as broad city views are rendered in. Equally, sustained GPU drops are possible around multiple NPCs, taking us into the mid-20s – though curiously it never drops quite as low as PS4’s readout. Where Xbox One truly struggles though is again in cutscenes, with the reading plummeting down to the 20fps line and even beneath that at points, coupled with all the hitching and animation sync issues we see on other formats. There’s no skirting around the fact that Xbox One is the worst way to play the game. We knew it’d be rough going in, and while the playable segments hold to 30fps better than you might expect – similar to PS4 – the drops are considerable in cut-scenes. It’s one to avoid
Rounding out the quartet is Xbox One X. At a native 900p – with occasional signs of a higher 936p reading – it not only pushes the cleanest presentation, but the rough edges in performance are also better smoothed out. Gameplay flows at a tighter 30fps line with only the rare blip and flash of screen tear at the top during city platforming and Koboh’s open areas. Cutscenes again flow at 30fps in general, though One X fails to avoid the hitches for every camera cut – with all the animation sync issues still present there. Honestly, based on the first three hours it’s easier to recommend One X and Pro overall, where the base machines are simply out of their depth. These aren’t blemish free by any means: the cutscenes have issues, and the 15fps effects and pop in are a distraction – but they are enjoyable as 30fps experience with the controller in hand. My only warning with the One X release is that, sadly, I had a crash to the Xbox system menu within seven minutes of playing, but since then I’ve had no issues.
Overall then, Jedi: Survivor’s delivery on last-gen machines is mixed: on the one hand the base PS4 and Xbox One are difficult to recommend given the visual cutbacks, and the frame-rate instability during cut-scenes. On the other, PS4 Pro and Xbox One X push a much more convincing take on the experience, against all odds, due to a tighter 30fps lock, and a crisper image. It’s not perfect but if you’ve not yet made the jump to PS5 or Series X, these mid-gen refresh machines offer passable way to play for now – even if it’s not 100 per cent ideal. It’s certainly an unusual project too and EA must have had a strong business case in making this thankless task happen. Obviously, it opens the game to a much wider player base but in doing so, Respawn outlines the game’s reliance on current-gen PS5, Series X and S specs – and the extent to which last-gen consoles show their limits.
