Digital Foundry has compared the PlayStation 4a nd Xbox One versions of Tom Clancy's The Division, posting the results of a performance analysis for both systems from the current closed beta.
The site confirms what many of us already knew and expected, the beta for Tom Clancy's The Division does not match the spectacular E3 2013 demo on either system; however, both console versions do perform generally well, with no major significant differences between the two.
The Division runs at a capped 30 frames per second on both Xbox One and PS4 (60fps on PC), and Digital Foundry found that both systems hold that mark well. There were no frame rate spikes on the PS4. The Xbox One was "almost as solid too," suffering from just "minor issues" such as a dip in frame rate during part of the Madison Field Hospital main mission.
"Across the run of play, it's unlikely that any console owner will be unhappy with The Division's performance level," the site said. "It's remarkably tight on both systems for most of the duration, but the PS4's absolute consistency in all cases is creditable."
In terms of resolution, both versions of The Division'[s beta run at native 1080p (1920×1080). Again, the PS4 has the slight advantage here, as the Xbox One is missing some of the finer details and experience slight tearing during cutscenes.
"Visually, there's little to distinguish the two, the one exception being some missing textures on Xbox One around the base of operations," Digital Foundry said. "This is errs on the nit-picking side, but door frames and stairs can omit the detail seen on PS4 here–while other major textures are present and correct. Hopefully small issues like this will be cleaned up on the run-up to the full release.
"As things stand, the more computationally expensive parallax occlusion mapping outdoors renders at matching quality on both systems, adding a 3D 'pop' to snow around the barricades of Pennsylvania Plaza."
For the most part, it seems both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One owners will be happy with their respective version of the game. Unless you're performing the type of analysis that Digital Foundry is doing, I doubt you'll notice much of a difference between the two.
The Division closed beta is currently underway on all three platforms (Xbox One, PS4, and PC), and is scheduled to conclude early morning February 1st. Due to "unprecedented demand," Ubisoft is no longer guaranteeing access to the beta. The actual game is set for full release on March 8, 2016. Ubisoft recently outlined the game's Season Pass DLC plans.
