Performance Analysis: The Division

[Administrator]

Finally released into the wild after two beta tests, The Division fully opens its incredibly detailed recreation of New York City to the masses. Besides a few issues, the game seems to be holding up well. Online connections have been consistently stable for us, while in terms of all-round console performance, there's little to separate the finished game from the solid beta code we sampled a short while ago. Ubisoft has delivered another technically sound title with The Division on consoles, and both platforms offer smooth gameplay and impressive visuals that really immerse you in the deserted streets and buildings of post-outbreak Manhattan.
In terms of resolution, we're on familiar ground. PS4 features a solid native 1080p presentation throughout, while on Xbox One dynamic resolution scaling is in effect. Indoor areas and less demanding scenes see the game output natively in 1080p - just like PS4 - but as we move into outdoor areas and more detailed locations, we see the pixel density take a small hit, with 1792x1008 and 1728x972 framebuffers appearing. The knock-on effect is that street signs and fine details on distant objects appear a little softer on Microsoft's console - but it's a minor quibble, and most of the time the two versions look extremely close during gameplay. The difference between the two is more visibly felt when disabling the chromatic aberration filter, due to the increase in sharpness and clarity doing so provides.
Ubisoft has done a good job maintaining parity between the consoles in the majority of key areas. Anti-aliasing appears to be provided by SMAA, with a temporal component adding an extra layer of coverage to the presentation; as such, image quality remains smooth and mostly free from artefacts. The core art and effects work are also a match. Streaming is one area that can be a touch inconsistent, though, with Xbox One sometimes being a fraction slower to load in high-quality assets in some scenes. However, during gameplay, neither platform gains a visible advantage for extended periods, with one console sometimes displaying mip-transitions a little faster, and vice versa. Texture and shadow pop-up are visible across both consoles as we slowly traverse the densely detailed city streets.
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