The next game in the Assassin’s Creed series is nearly out, and console owners may be wondering whether they should play the game in “Performance” or “Quality” mode. Let’s find out!
Why does Performance vs. Quality matter for Assassin’s Creed Mirage?
Nearly a decade ago, a Ubisoft developer became the gaming world’s villain of the week by saying that games running at 30 frames per second was a good thing because they felt more cinematic. Fans didn’t agree and claimed this felt like an excuse for not running Assassin’s Creed games at a higher framerate.
As someone who grew up in Europe playing PAL games that ran 18% slower than their American and Japanese counterparts, I do have a fervent preference for games running at higher framerates. Still, I’m pretty sure that no dev is lazy and that this dev is entitled to his opinion. Luckily, for both sides of the debate, Ubisoft is now giving players the chance to pick between a play mode that runs slower but looks better and a mode that looks rougher but plays at a much higher framerate.
Quality vs. Performance Mode in games isn’t always a matter of personal taste. Some games, like Nioh, for example, work much better in Performance Mode. In fact, Nioh ran twice as fast in performance mode and didn’t really look any worse.
When it comes to Assassin’s Creed Mirage, however, the choice might not prove that easy. The game looks great, but you can’t make it look like the promotional images without making a sacrifice.
What’s Performance Mode like?
Assassin’s Creed Mirage runs great in Performance Mode. It achieves a pretty sweet 60 fps, but some parts of the game lose a lot of detail and end up looking straight out of the last gen.
Still, you know Ubisoft doesn’t leave us hanging when it comes to feeding us eye candy. Yes, even if you’re talking about Assassin’s Creed Unity, because those glitches were a visual feast — one different than the feast we were expecting — but a feast nonetheless. Last-gen Assassin’s Creed is still prettier than a lot of games coming out today.
What’s Quality Mode like?
Quality Mode is a visual treat, but, as our Steven Mills puts it, it fails to even achieve a solid 30 fps. That’s pretty bad for a blockbuster title coming out nowadays. So, unless you really do not care about smoothness or just want to take some neat screenshots, I’d advise players to stick with performance mode.
Should you play Assassin’s Creed Mirage in Quality Mode or Performance Mode?
Both modes have strengths and drawbacks, but I believe that the strengths of the performance mode far outweigh the cons.
If you’re still having a tough time picking how to experience Assassin’s Creed Mirage, please remember that you’re at least having an easier time than PC owners. If they want the game to run and/or look any better, their only option is to dish out a lot of cash.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage will come out on October 5 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Amazon Luna, and iOS if you have an iPhone 15 Pro.
