MICROSOFT

Devil May Cry 5 Demo Performance and Graphics Analysis on Xbox One X and Xbox One

Devil May Cry 5 is the fifth installment in Capcom's action adventure hack and slash series. The game is scheduled for release in March 2019, and will be available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. The demo of the game is now live on Xbox One, and is available until January 7th. Digital Foundry took a closer look at the workings of the RE Engine of Devil May Cry 5. RE Engine
Devil May Cry 5 is built on the RE Engine, which was first seen in Resident Evil 7. It's also the engine that upcoming Resident Evil 2 remake runs on. Thanks to the extended capabilities of the RE Engine, Devil May Cry 5 features highly detailed characters and textures. Compared to DMC 4, anti-aliasing is also marginally better in DMC 5.

Xbox One / X Comparison
Before diving in, keep in mind that all information is based on the Devil May Cry 5 Demo. There is only one level, and performance optimizations will likely improve the inconsistent framerate. The 15-minute demo takes players through the streets of a destroyed London, and ends with a Goliath boss battle. Graphics
The Xbox One X runs the demo at a native resolution of 3840 × 2160. Despite the high number of particle effects and characters, the resolution does not vary. Meanwhile, the Xbox One uses a variable resolution, capping out at 1920 × 1080.
Analysis reveals that the demo does not make use of Xbox One's extra memory allocation. This is probably because texture differences are relatively minor, but the biggest impact is likely to be caused by the difference difference.

Performance
Devil May Cry 5's stunning visuals come at a cost. Performance optimizations on both Xbox One and Xbox One X are needed, especially for the former.
For the most part, the Xbox One X reliably maintains 60 frames per second. Minor drops to the high-50s can be observed during regular fights, where multiple entities are present on the screen. The final boss battle is where things start to get messy. The Xbox One X's hardware struggles to keep up with the Goliath's fire shaders and the detailed environmental physics. To improve performance in the graphically intensive zones, the developers will need to either focus on optimizations, or take the dynamic resolution approach.
On the other hand, the Xbox One obviously feels less smooth than the Xbox One X. The base model mostly fails to maintain a steady 60 FPS, even in less visually intensive areas. In the most densely-packed areas, espcially the boss fight, the Xbox One hovers at around 50 FPS with frequent drops.
All of this information is based on an unfinished, early version of the game. There is no doubt that the final build of Devil May Cry 5 will offer improved performance. Regardless, the RE Engine provides exceptional visuals, especially for a game as graphically intensive as Devil May Cry 5. Farhan Ali