Do you own a 120hz TV? A new Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora update comes with a new 40 FPS performance mode. According to the patch notes, it’ll support the newest consoles (Xbox Series X/S, PS5).
Why is the 40 FPS mode a big deal? Digital Foundry explained it in a video they did when talking about Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart’s 40 FPS. They described it as “like a midpoint between 30 fps and 60 fps.”
Here’s a more technical explanation from them:
“Instead of updating every 33.3ms (30fps) on a 60Hz screen, Ratchet updates every 25ms (40fps) at 120Hz, the same consistency but smoother.”
60 FPS would be 16.6ms. While there is only a 10 FPS difference, 40 FPS will feel much smoother than 30 FPS because of the differences above.
Today’s news could also impact Star Wars Outlaws. Both Outlaws and Frontiers of Pandora are developed by Massive Entertainment (the folks responsible for The Division franchise). While we’ve heard no official word on a 40 FPS mode coming to Star Wars Outlaws, the fact Frontiers of Pandora received this update means a similar mode coming to Outlaws is more likely.
So far, we haven’t seen many games with a 40 FPS mode. Only a handful support the performance mode on both PS5 and Xbox Series, including:
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
Hogwarts Legacy
Lies of P
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
A Plauge Tale: Requiem.
Several PlayStation exclusives also support the mode like God of War Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Spider-Man 2, and a few others.
It wouldn’t shock me to see a 40 FPS mode become more popular with developers as more folks get TVs that support 120hz and VRR (variable refresh rate). This is especially true as it’s looking more likely that the ‘Pro’ version of new consoles won’t see any substantial CPU upgrades. 40 FPS modes could be a solid middle ground as developers look to show off graphics while keeping gameplay smooth.