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Borderlands 3's performance mode is so bad, new report recommends sticking to 30fps mode

Borderlands 3's performance on the upgraded consoles is disappointing.

Borderlands 3's technical state on PC is already looking rough, thanks to an assortment of problems that aren't actually all that unfamiliar to series fans.

On consoles, however, things appear to be in a worse state. Borderlands 3's big feature this time around on PS4 Pro and Xbox One X is offering players the choice of resolution and performance modes. The former locks the framerate target to 30fps, upping the visual clarity, whereas the latter drops the render resolution in favour of a 60fps target.

Unfortunately, as new analysis from Digital Foundry reveals, it may be better to stick to the 30fps resolution mode.

According to the report, both PS4 Pro and Xbox One X run at 3200x1800 in resolution mode, and 1080p in performance mode. Although the visual presentation is mostly similar between them, the report detected some anomalies, such as the lower anisotropic filtering on Xbox One X.

Cover image for YouTube video

Performance mode, however, appears to be a bit of a disaster on both consoles. On Xbox One X, the framerate drops to the 50s in combat, only ever adhering to the target 60fps in less hectic moments. More interestingly, the frame-time pacing is off, with stutters and other inconsistencies.

PS4 Pro suffers from the same problems, though it appears to have more severe drops in framerate as a result of its weaker CPU compared to Xbox One X. This lack of consistency is what ultimately drove Digital Foundry to recommend players stick to resolution mode.

To that end, Xbox One X holds a near-locked 30fps in resolution mode at 1800p. PS4 Pro, on the other hand, suffers drops in the 20s at times. It's a disappointing state of affairs, especially coming off the excellent Gears 5, another Unreal Engine 4 game with much better results on both base and enhanced consoles, albeit obviously just on Xbox.

Catch up on our Borderlands 3 best character builds, and a few of the Easter eggs we've spotted so far, such as the One Punch Man shotgun, the the Rick and Morty shotgun and more.

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Borderlands 3

PS4, Xbox One, PC

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Sherif Saed

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Sherif (he/him) is VG247’s go-to shooter and Souls-likes person. Whether it’s news, reviews, or op-eds – Sherif is always eager to tell you about video games. He's one of VG247's most veteran writers, with 10+ years experience on the site.

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