When we're covering new Xbox games in these parts it's pretty much always focusing on the Xbox Series X or the Xbox Series S. Both are approaching their 5th birthday next month, so truthfully, there's no reason not to. But occasionally something big comes along that is still getting a release on the Xbox One.
Such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. I'll admit that this completely skipped my attention. On one hand, it's noble, supporting players who haven't been able to upgrade. Especially in a world where Microsoft has cranked up the price of the current gen consoles.
But is it actually something worth playing on the older console? I dug out my trusty old Project Scorpio edition Xbox One X to have a look before the Black Ops 7 beta was finished, and, yeah. I don't think it's a good idea.
Playing Black Ops 7 on an Xbox One is hard work
It's not all bad, but if Activision is serious about this, then there's plenty of work still to be done. Starting off, the version for the Xbox One is smaller than on the Series X|S, so that's a result.
Despite this, and the obvious limitations to graphics over the new consoles, it looks pretty good. There wasn't a single second where I thought that it looked bad. Call of Duty is hardly the most graphically intense game out there, but it's absolutely fine on the old gen console.
The problem is the frame rate. I can't tell you what it actually is, but I can tell you it's not 60 FPS, and it's not remotely stable. Sure, it's a beta, but compared to the Series X, it's a whole world away.
Things start out ok, leaving spawn for the first time is smooth and seems to be 60 FPS, or close to it. But give it a few seconds or actually start doing something, and it all falls apart.
I'm a very average Call of Duty player, but playing on the Xbox One X made me change my style of play. I found myself not using the new wall jump ability at all, nor doing as much sliding about.
That's not a bad thing on its own, but with the state of modern Call of Duty, it makes it very hard to compete against the movement demons out there. You're more of a sitting duck.
I had to avoid all of this as much as possible because it's simply harder to see opponents and lock onto them. If feels like you're playing on a sandy beach, with every footstep labored, every movement more exaggerated. It feels exhausting.
I did manage to get some good performances out, which is shocking enough in itself, but I had to be resigned to playing more like I would in the original Modern Warfare days. SMGs are out, I'm keeping as much distance as possible and playing from range with an assault rifle. But I wasn't enjoying it nearly as much as I have been on the Xbox Series X.
The video clip above shows a very basic comparison using clips recorded on each console. It's clear that the last-gen version is nowhere close to the current-gen just in being smooth, stable, and reaching 60 FPS.
You cannot expect to enjoy Call of Duty below 60 FPS, it's tiresome, and each game feels like a slog. You're not going to be able to keep up with better players playing a game in this state.
I am pleased to see, though, that being on Xbox One doesn't exclude you from an FOV slider. I was able to play at my preferred 110 FOV on the Xbox One X just as I do on PC or the Series X.
You also have the ability to use FidelityFX sharpening, but I'm not sure it makes too much difference. Likewise, you can do things like turn off depth of field, but even turning everything I can off, it doesn't help the stability.
It's time to say goodbye once and for all to the Xbox One
Bearing in mind I was playing on the more powerful Xbox One X, I dread to think what it could be like trying to play Black Ops 7 on a standard Xbox One. Loading times aren't bad considering the old hat mechanical hard drive inside, but once you're in, it's just not good enough.
At least it's not in the way things stand as of the beta. The game doesn't come out until November 14, so there's time to work on it. But I'm not holding my breath.
Even for a less-demanding title such as Black Ops 7, the Xbox One is really showing its age now. I cannot in good faith tell anyone who is still using any of the Xbox One family of consoles to buy this game, or subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to play it.
Even just spending a couple of hours with it, I never want to do it again. But I will, at launch, to see if it got any better.
If you are on an Xbox One still and really want to play Black Ops 7, my advice would be to turn to the cloud. I haven't tried it myself yet, but looking at the video above from Cloud Gaming Battle, it looks pretty good.
You'll get 60 FPS gameplay on Xbox Cloud Gaming, which is the crucial part, and even with slightly higher latency than playing natively, chances are you'll enjoy it more than the janky mess you get on the Xbox One.
I can only assume there were still enough players of Black Ops 6 on Xbox One to make this worth doing at all. It might well generate some additional revenue for Xbox, but personally, I'd be much happier if those players couldn't buy this game at all.
It's not like they're getting something worth their money, the state the Black Ops 7 beta plays in. I'm ready to be proved wrong if it launches, and it plays well, but I think the bigger point is that it's time we stopped bothering.
Don't be putting out sub-par products for people to buy. It's been five years, it's time to let the Xbox One go.
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