Summary
A recent look at howArk: Survival Ascendedruns on consoles was less than promising, which also spells bad news for how it will handleArk 2.Ark: Survival Ascendedis a remake of the originalArk: Survival Evolved. Themain difference is thatSurvival Ascendedhas been built using Unreal Engine 5.
It’s no real surprise that the lower specs on the Xbox Series S would mean it can’t handle games as well as the Series X. However, it is still disappointing to see how much it is struggling with this re-released version ofArk. A recent comparison between it and the Series X, PC, and PS5 showed just how far behind the other options the Series S is. This does not bode wellfor the eventual release ofArk 2,which is likely to have similar issues, which is bad news for all consoles.
Ark: Survival Ascended’s New The Center Map Compared To The Island & Scorched Earth
Ark: Survival Ascended’s new The Center DLC adds a challenging experience to the game that makes it match up well with what is already offered.
Xbox Series S Is Struggling To Keep Up With Ark: Survival Ascended
Xbox Series S Is Forced To Cut Key Features At The Base Setting
A recent side-to-side comparison byDigital Foundryshows how different the graphics for the Series S truly are. Starting out on the default settings forArk: Survival Ascended, the Xbox Series S already has tostrip back some major graphical featuresthat players will have on the PS5, Series X, and PC versions. For starters, textures are far less detailed, giving the world a much smoother look. This is especially apparent when the player is swimming, as they won’t make splashes or wakes like the game does on other consoles.
Additionally, certain elements of the game’s physics have to be removed when playing on a Series S. On higher-performing consoles, grass, bushes, and other foliage will move when the player passes through it. However, on the Xbox Series S,these objects stay perfectly still.
Everything To Expect From Ark: Survival Ascended The Center’s New Map
The Center map is finally returning to Ark: Survival Ascended. Here’s everything in the original version, and what might be different this time.
Losing out on this detail kind of defeats the purpose of even buying the new version ofArk. The whole appeal is thatSurvival Ascendedis an upgraded version of the original, but when the Series S has to cut back on so many of those upgrades, it feels like the player isn’t getting much for their money. It isn’t just the visual elements of the game that suffer either, as the Xbox Series S also has some performance issues while runningArk: Survival Ascended.
All Consoles Struggle To Run Ark Effectively
Xbox Series S Has Even Lower Resolution And Frame Rates Than Other Consoles
Even at its default settings,Ark: Survival Ascendedis only aiming for a 900p resolution. In practice, this is usually automatically adjusted to 450p. Even at a low resolution like this, the game rarely hits 60 frames per second (FPS). Instead,Ark: Survival Ascendedis typically around 45 FPSon the Xbox Series S, potentially dropping much lower.
When more environmental factors are present in the game, such as rain or different times of day, Digital Foundry saw serious decreases in frame rates during their comparison. At one point, the Xbox Series S feels as low as 14 FPS. Again, this is at the default setting of the game, not one that is trying to strive for a higher quality than it is supposedly capable of.
Dropping frame rates isn’t just annoying, but it makes online play incredibly difficult. Xbox Series S users will likely find themselves frustrated when attempting to playArk: Survival Ascendedwith others. While the Xbox Series S comes out looking the worst in comparison, it isn’t the only console that struggles to run the game at full speed.
10 Coolest Ark: Survival Ascended Mod Creatures That Need To Come To The Base Game
Though Ark: Survival Ascended has a plethora of amazing dinosaurs, the community has created plenty of cool options that should be in the base game.
While the PS5 and Xbox Series X performed markedly better than the Series S,they also struggled to maintain 60 FPS. Though they did have more detailed textures, they also couldn’t get everything that is available on a high-end PC. Unfortunately, this also seems like a problem that will likely be carried over to the game’s sequel,Ark 2.
Ark 2 Will Run On The Same Engine As Ark: Survival Ascended, Spelling Trouble For All Consoles
Ark 2 And Ark: Survival Ascended Are Built In Unreal Engine 5
It was revealed thatArk 2will be built with the same engine asArk: Survival Ascended. That means any of the issues that the Xbox Series S is experiencing with this game will likely be carried over into the sequel. While the Xbox Series S has it the worst, this is actually bad news for all consoles. AsASAis being built as a primer for the highly-anticipatedArk 2and Studio Wildcard doesn’t exactly have the best reputation for optimization on release, it’s not surprising to expect the same forArk 2.
WithArk 2being designed in the same way asSurvival Ascended, console players are likely looking at another game they won’t be able to play at top performance. While developers could take steps to try and helpArk 2run more smoothly on consoles, it may mean compromising their vision for the game’s graphics and environmental features. It would also mean a lot of extra work, as they couldn’t just useArk: Survival Ascendedas an example of optimized performance. It seems more likely that these console issues will carry over to the sequel.
