The Callisto Protocol PS5 was already reviewed in our tech review. However, major issues in The Callisto Protocol’s prerelease code for the Xbox and PC versions meant that we wanted to separate these platforms.
Let’s start at PC. Alex Battaglia (DF crew member) has been testing the game over the past few days. The game is currently in a very bad state of affairs as of launch. This is yet another Unreal Engine 4 title which doesn’t precompile shaders. It means that when new effects and models are introduced, a stutter can cause a rig with a Core i9 12900K or RTX 4090 to crash. Even worse, stutters on slower systems will make it more difficult. The shader code is compiles as needed. This results in constant freeze-frame hitting every time you encounter a new effect which requires a different shader.
Shader compilation Stutter is a major problem with this game. It can ruin the feeling of immersive dread it is trying to create. You can solve this problem by playing through the entire game. Shader Butler When do you really need them? You can solve this problem by having the game precompile the shaders on the first boot. This would not only delay the action but also require redoing every time the GPU drivers or game are updated.
The Callisto Protocol has some issues with PC, other than the return of #StutterStruggle in UE4, which is a significant issue. It is impossible to change other graphics settings than resolution while the game runs. You will have to return to main menu to make changes. This can make it hard to see the impact of your changes on performance and visual quality.
The game’s single-core CPU speed is also a problem. Many processor threads remain idle while GPU utilisation remains low. This means that it is difficult to get good performance on even high-end machines. Overall, the PC version is not recommended. We are open to the possibility of patches that will improve the situation. As soon as these patches become available, we’ll be back on this topic.
While not as serious as PC, Xbox Series consoles can still have issues. Although the Xbox Series X version should be a great alternative to the flawless PS5 version, it is not. Series X is similar to PS5, but it does not offer a choice between quality and performance modes. The Xbox version in Quality mode has a major flaw: RT reflections. RT shadows can be enabled, but they are limited to screen space. Although we have informed the developers about this, they may not be able to fix it until a patch is released. This is a huge disappointment as the game looks so much better because of the high-end implementation.
Both versions look fantastic visually. The performance mode is visually identical so it won’t matter if you plan to play the game at 60 frames per seconds. PlayStation 5 is the best option for those who want ray tracing.
The Xbox Series S doesn’t offer any performance or ray-tracing options and the dynamic resolution target for Xbox Series S hovers just slightly above 1080p during my testing. This results in a noticeable blurring of the image, but it is not only the quality of the images that is affected. Series S does not use sub-surface scattering and has lower resolution textures. This adds a lot of realism to skin render. Although it’s still an attractive game, it lacks the fidelity of more powerful machines.
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Performance is where things get really interesting. The 60fps mode has performance that is almost identical to the PS5’s. There are inconsistencies, but not enough to be noticeable, especially with VRR activated. The PC version has a high CPU requirement so it is not surprising that the game can sometimes fall below the target frame-rate. The overall fluidity is slightly affected by certain events and checkpoints.
On the other hand, there is the quality mode – Xbox Series X Only Striking Distance stated that the frame rate issues were fixed within a single day. The patch fixes the worst drop below 30fps but doesn’t restore performance parity for Series X compared to the PS5 version. We were asked to remove our saved games to confirm that the patch had taken effect. However, there were still problems. It is not surprising that the game shouldn’t be as difficult to run, given the lack of RT reflections. If you’re using Xbox Series X, I recommend staying with performance mode.
How about Series S? Series S is a 30 frame per second experience, thanks to the reduced visual settings. Although it has the same hiccups as other versions, it doesn’t have the same issues we had with Series X. The frame-rate is at least 30fps, which is a significant loss in image quality and fidelity. Although I would have loved to see a possible performance mode for Series S, given the low resolution target, it is likely to be closer to 720p.
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In our review of the PS5 version, we mentioned the wonderful haptic feedback. Thankfully, the same goes for Xbox users. It’s a satisfying feature that is used a lot in this game. Each version has the same outstanding surround sound presentation.
As a result, the Xbox Series version would not be my first choice if I had access to a PS5 because of the performance and missing features. Although it’s not as bad as the PC version, it does feel like it could use some more work. These issues will be fixed in future patches. We don’t anticipate games being launched on a premium next-gen console with core features. This is due to the similarity of both machines’ overall performance.
I am curious to see how the previous-generation versions of this title hold up. The Callisto Protocol feels like a next generation game, despite being cross-gen. It will be interesting to see if the Xbox One of 2013 can deliver the same experience. We can recommend the game only on PS5 for those who want to experience it at its best.
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