Another ESO console enhanced vs. PC question

jonathan.e.beck_ESO

Hi all,

I have a new Alienware high end laptop, but only supports 1080p resolution. I have an Xbox series X running at 4K resolution. Which do you think I should play based on graphics - PC at 1080p or Xbox One at 4K?

xHotguy6pack

Xbox series X. The overall textures are much better on the series X than any PC. The game loads and runs way quicker and smoother.

jonathan.e.beck_ESO

Tough to get used to the interface though. It’s totally different.

Stamicka

Depends on what you appreciate about the game. Console enhanced has two modes, fidelity and performance. If you play in 4K you’ll most likely use fidelity mode which will look amazing but you will have a pretty low frame rate. If you play on console performance mode you will get 60 FPS with some pretty good visuals at 1080p.

On PC you have way more flexibility in terms of the balance between visuals and performance. Depending on how good your hardware is, PC will give you much more than 60 frames at 1080p. You can also turn up specific settings like shadow quality, grass textures, etc. which you cannot do on console. It also of course has quality of life add ons that enhance the ESO experience.

If you’re ok with 1080p on a smaller screen I would say PC for sure. It’ll run smoother and potentially look better than console. If you want to use a 4K TV and play on a big screen then I would say go console.

Stamicka

xHotguy6pack wrote: »

Xbox series X. The overall textures are much better on the series X than any PC. The game loads and runs way quicker and smoother.

This is not true at all by the way. My PC runs ESO with much better textures and graphics than the console version. I cap my frames at 144 but I could be getting many more. Keep in mind my PC is midrange and several years old at this point. Load screens are actually faster too since I have an SSD.

Console enhanced is nice but it’s still way behind PC by a good bit.

MurderMostFoul

Stamicka wrote: »

Depends on what you appreciate about the game. Console enhanced has two modes, fidelity and performance. If you play in 4K you’ll most likely use fidelity mode which will look amazing but you will have a pretty low frame rate. If you play on console performance mode you will get 60 FPS with some pretty good visuals at 1080p.

Console enhanced performance mode is 60 frames per second and 1440p resolution. Fidelity mode is 4K resolution at 30 frames per second, but the little bit of time I've spent in Fidelity mode has revealed some frame drops.

MurderMostFoul

Stamicka wrote: »

xHotguy6pack wrote: »

Xbox series X. The overall textures are much better on the series X than any PC. The game loads and runs way quicker and smoother.

This is not true at all by the way. My PC runs ESO with much better textures and graphics than the console version. I cap my frames at 144 but I could be getting many more. Keep in mind my PC is midrange and several years old at this point. Load screens are actually faster too since I have an SSD.

Console enhanced is nice but it’s still way behind PC by a good bit.

Xbox series X has an integrated SSD. The console is every bit as good as newer mid-range PCs.

Stamicka

MurderMostFoul wrote: »

Stamicka wrote: »

xHotguy6pack wrote: »

Xbox series X. The overall textures are much better on the series X than any PC. The game loads and runs way quicker and smoother.

This is not true at all by the way. My PC runs ESO with much better textures and graphics than the console version. I cap my frames at 144 but I could be getting many more. Keep in mind my PC is midrange and several years old at this point. Load screens are actually faster too since I have an SSD.

Console enhanced is nice but it’s still way behind PC by a good bit.

Xbox series X has an integrated SSD. The console is every bit as good as newer mid-range PCs.

Yes, I know both have SSDs but my PC SSD is faster and my load screens are quicker. This isn’t about whether the series x is as good as mid range PCs in general. This is about how the devices run ESO specifically. PC gives you much more choice when it comes to the graphics which is already a huge benefit. It also no doubt will run better than the console version. Performance mode being at 60FPS on console tells you all that you need to know. You can push the same exact graphics on a mid range PC and have over 144 frames.


Keep in mind that the strongpoint of the Series X is the price and the lack of need for maintenance. It is a very good system for $500, but not quite at the level of a midrange modern PC. The OP already has a high end alienware laptop so the pricing doesn’t really matter. If he’s ok with 1080p the laptop will most likely give him way better performance options.

amm7sb14_ESO

So question: I just recently got the enhanced version for Series S, but when I load it up, it looks exactly like the One S. Is there something I need to do for the better next gen graphics?

Lumsdenml

MurderMostFoul wrote: »

Stamicka wrote: »

xHotguy6pack wrote: »

Xbox series X. The overall textures are much better on the series X than any PC. The game loads and runs way quicker and smoother.

This is not true at all by the way. My PC runs ESO with much better textures and graphics than the console version. I cap my frames at 144 but I could be getting many more. Keep in mind my PC is midrange and several years old at this point. Load screens are actually faster too since I have an SSD.

Console enhanced is nice but it’s still way behind PC by a good bit.

Xbox series X has an integrated SSD. The console is every bit as good as newer mid-range PCs.

https://gamerant.com/xbox-series-x-vs-pc/

Lumsdenml

Also, the add ons for the PC will tip the debate heavily toward the PC every time...

jonathan.e.beck_ESO

Thanks for your feedback. Essentially, what I’m wondering is this - would the graphical experience be better running on a high end pc at 1080p on a fifteen-inch screen, or running at 4K on a 55” with the series x? Which graphical experience is better? I know that PC wins out on performance, but right now the game on the series x also runs very smoothly.

muonlinei2

jonathan.e.beck_ESO wrote: »

Thanks for your feedback. Essentially, what I’m wondering is this - would the graphical experience be better running on a high end pc at 1080p on a fifteen-inch screen, or running at 4K on a 55” with the series x? Which graphical experience is better? I know that PC wins out on performance, but right now the game on the series x also runs very smoothly.

Unless you use a graphic enchancement addon on PC (like a reshade), 4k on a 55" screen with series x, seems like the obviously better graphical experience.

muonlinei2

amm7sb14_ESO wrote: »

So question: I just recently got the enhanced version for Series S, but when I load it up, it looks exactly like the One S. Is there something I need to do for the better next gen graphics?

The Xbox Series S runs the game at:

1440p 30FPS on Fidelity mode;
1080p 60FPS on Performance Mode.

Source: https://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/60247

tl;dr of the link: Resolution is kinda the same, what changes is better draw distance, texture quality, shadows, lighting, etc.

danno8

It's really impossible to say. Whether 4k looks better is greatly reliant on how close you are to the screen and how large your screen is, a combination of those two things. Also, some people can tell the difference between 4k and 1080 from further away than others so the actual breakpoint is variable from one person to the next.

Since 4k will likely lead to lower framerate compared to 1080p, that is also an important consideration. I personally would take lower resolution (at least from 4k to 1080p, perhaps no lower than that though) if it means I go from 30 to 60 FPS. Also the ability to crank other settings even higher on PC through config files can lead to a better experience visually than a simple upgrade to resolution that you may not be able to notice anyway.

I am afraid the best answer you are going to get is that you will have to try both and decide for yourself. Although if you are planning on using addons for the may QoL featured they bring, this is a moot discussion.

amm7sb14_ESO

muonlinei2 wrote: »

amm7sb14_ESO wrote: »

So question: I just recently got the enhanced version for Series S, but when I load it up, it looks exactly like the One S. Is there something I need to do for the better next gen graphics?

The Xbox Series S runs the game at:

1440p 30FPS on Fidelity mode;
1080p 60FPS on Performance Mode.

Source: https://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/60247

tl;dr of the link: Resolution is kinda the same, what changes is better draw distance, texture quality, shadows, lighting, etc.

Thanks for that.

I dont feel I'm even getting getting improved textures specifically. It looks the same as the One S.

Maybe I had too high of expectations, but resolution aside, I was hoping for an improvement in the graphical quality

itscompton

Connect to your TV with the HDMI output from the laptop, which should then be able to push a 4K picture to your TV.

I have both the PS5 and PC versions so I can say with certainty that if you max all the settings on PC and stay above 60fps it still looks much nicer than the next gen console versions.

amm7sb14_ESO

itscompton wrote: »

Connect to your TV with the HDMI output from the laptop, which should then be able to push a 4K picture to your TV.

I have both the PS5 and PC versions so I can say with certainty that if you max all the settings on PC and stay above 60fps it still looks much nicer than the next gen console versions.

For me personally, I've tried that, and my PC can't push the 4K. I'm better off sticking with my 1080p monitor.

jonathan.e.beck_ESO

muonlinei2 wrote: »

amm7sb14_ESO wrote: »

So question: I just recently got the enhanced version for Series S, but when I load it up, it looks exactly like the One S. Is there something I need to do for the better next gen graphics?

The Xbox Series S runs the game at:

1440p 30FPS on Fidelity mode;
1080p 60FPS on Performance Mode.

Source: https://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/60247

tl;dr of the link: Resolution is kinda the same, what changes is better draw distance, texture quality, shadows, lighting, etc.

muonlinei2 wrote: »

amm7sb14_ESO wrote: »

So question: I just recently got the enhanced version for Series S, but when I load it up, it looks exactly like the One S. Is there something I need to do for the better next gen graphics?

The Xbox Series S runs the game at:

1440p 30FPS on Fidelity mode;
1080p 60FPS on Performance Mode.

Source: https://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/60247

tl;dr of the link: Resolution is kinda the same, what changes is better draw distance, texture quality, shadows, lighting, etc.

muonlinei2 wrote: »

amm7sb14_ESO wrote: »

So question: I just recently got the enhanced version for Series S, but when I load it up, it looks exactly like the One S. Is there something I need to do for the better next gen graphics?

The Xbox Series S runs the game at:

1440p 30FPS on Fidelity mode;
1080p 60FPS on Performance Mode.

Source: https://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/60247

tl;dr of the link: Resolution is kinda the same, what changes is better draw distance, texture quality, shadows, lighting, etc.

jonathan.e.beck_ESO

Concerning resolution, according to Microsoft that’s not the case. PERFORMANCE mode is 1440k; fidelity mode is 4k. I had a link, but I’m on a phone and it’s hard. 😂

jonathan.e.beck_ESO

Actually that’s also what it says in the link above.

zaria

jonathan.e.beck_ESO wrote: »

Hi all,

I have a new Alienware high end laptop, but only supports 1080p resolution. I have an Xbox series X running at 4K resolution. Which do you think I should play based on graphics - PC at 1080p or Xbox One at 4K?

You can use an external screen with more than 1080p, I guess you are either using the laptop screen or an old external one.

In short I would stick to the platform I have if reasonable happy.

jonathan.e.beck_ESO

Yeah. I don’t have an external monitor so I went with the console version to get 4K. I guess I could do HDMI from the laptop but that’s too much of a hassle. Laptop is on a different floor of the house. Lol

muonlinei2

amm7sb14_ESO wrote: »

Thanks for that.

I dont feel I'm even getting getting improved textures specifically. It looks the same as the One S.

Maybe I had too high of expectations, but resolution aside, I was hoping for an improvement in the graphical quality

It could be something else then, maybe your HDMI cable? Are you using the one that came with your Xbox Series S? The one that comes with the console is usually the best and most recommended one.

It could also be your TV / monitor settings, e.g. the sharpness setting could be too low, making things look kinda blurry, I always pump it up a little bit, it usually comes as 50 by default, I end up using 55 or 60.