The recent release of Cyberpunk 2077's 1.23 update saw genuine improvements on PlayStation 4 consoles – enough for Sony to reinstate the game to the PlayStation Store. I covered its successes in depth a while back, but in the process, also took the time to study every other console version on this update. The blunt truth? Patch 1.23 doesn't significantly turn around the fortunes for base Xbox One or Xbox One X's frame-rate. With the next-gen machines though, there is a bit more of a story. Based on CD Projekt Red's new roadmap, this update promises to be the last major revision before an actual 'next-gen' version of Cyberpunk arrives. The simple question remains: what's the state of the game right now on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles?
Before focusing on the state of play for Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 – which are essentially last-gen codebases running with strategic enhancements on the latest consoles – it's worth discussing Xbox Series S, which continues to deliver a good experience for a machine at its price-point. It's true, there is no 60fps mode and while 1440p is the maximum resolution target, it spends more of the time at a native 1080p instead. Of all the console releases though, this delivers one of the tighter locks at 30fps and retains stability even in our alley shoot-out stress test – traditionally a problem for the last-gen machines. It may not be perfect, but in terms of overall stability it boasts a better lock to 30fps than the Series X equivalent quality mode, and it retains its bigger brother's higher NPC count. With patch 1.23, Series S is in great shape.
Moving on to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, where frame-rate is unlocked to 60fps by default, it's time to re-ask key questions after so many updates. What's the best way to play on console today? Is it still PS5 with the smoother overall frame-rate? Are there visual advantages on the Xbox Series consoles? And how do loading times stack up between all the ways to play?
