The last-gen port of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor released for PS4 late last week, but since the PS5 version doesn't even run flawlessly in certain areas, the discussion around the port has been centred on its technical performance. It's still the same excellent experience in terms of gameplay, but as Digital Foundry investigates, significant cuts have been made to get the PS4 version up and running — especially when played on a base unit.

When played on the original Sony system, the box is really starting to show its age as it reaches 11 years on the market. The tech group notes a resolution of 1280x720 on a base PS4, as well as "a cut to pre-rendered cutscene quality, texture assets and audio bitrates". An initial load into the open zone of Koboh can take over two minutes (10 seconds on PS5), while transitioning from the outside world into the interior of Pyloon's Saloon can take between 10 to 15 seconds as you wait for the front door to open.

However, Digital Foundry notes much of the game's core design remains intact: "Everything from the detailing on droids like BB8, to the dense object placement around Pyloon's Saloon is exactly as you remember. Physics-based interactions are kept in place too: body simulation on Stormtroopers and even the manner in which dangling cables slice at the point of our lightsaber's contact, are still in situ. Indeed, for Jedi: Survivor's many puzzles around the initial planet, Koboh, keeping these physics-based elements is essential."

During testing, Digital Foundry found the title's in-engine cutscenes to be quite hitchy, as the frame rate drops from 30 frames-per-second down to 15 at times. During gameplay, though, the 30fps is generally met with only a few drops when asset streaming comes into play as you quickly navigate the environment.

If you're playing Star Wars Jedi: Survivor on a PS4 Pro, the technical results are a lot better. "At a native 864p image quality is boosted, while the frame-rate in gameplay tends to lock at 30fps more convincingly. Cases of tearing, single frame blips, and uneven frame pacing are greatly reduced all round too." However, Digital Foundry claims the in-engine cinematics still hitch here and there.

"Overall then, Jedi: Survivor's delivery on last-gen machines is mixed: on the one hand the base PS4 and Xbox One are difficult to recommend given the visual cutbacks, and the frame-rate instability during cut-scenes," Digital Foundry concludes. "On the other, PS4 Pro and Xbox One X push a much more convincing take on the experience, against all odds, due to a tighter 30fps lock, and a crisper image."

Have you by any chance been playing Star Wars Jedi: Survivor on PS4? Share your own experiences in the comments below.

[source youtube.com]