As part of its 20th anniversary celebrations, Microsoft didn't just add to its backwards compatibility library, it also added FPS Boost to Xbox 360 games for the first time. Not only that, it also doubled the frame-rate on select Xbox 360 titles that had already received enhanced 4K support for Xbox One X. Spurred on by the addition of FPS Boost to one of my favourite Sonic games, I decided to take a look at some of these improved experiences, gaining further appreciation for some classic titles.
In doing so, it reminded me of something I hadn't thought deeply about for some time – the fact that the PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 era actually delivered what must surely be the biggest gen-on-gen downgrade in overall game performance… if you ignore Nintendo 64, that is. In looking at these newly enhanced FPS Boost releases, I also decided to go back and revisit their showings on Xbox 360 too – because Series consoles aren't just delivering a doubling of performance, but often much, much more. Standard back-compat on Xbox Series consoles effectively solves their original performance issues – they hit their (mostly) 30fps frame-rate caps. However, FPS Boost goes one step further, reminding us that 60fps used to be the norm, not the exception.
