FF XXIII trilogy now Back Compatible and Enhanced on Xbox One X

[FireDrakeZ]

If you still have your 360 copies, you can now play it enhanced to 4K resoluition and with higher framerates and decreased download times on the Xbox One X starting tomorrow.

The PC ports for FFXIII 1 and 2 were problematic so I had both on Xbox so I am looking forward to playing them on the Xbox One X. I have the best PC port of the trilogy Lightning Returns on PC though.

[DeadPhoenix]

I just tested out this game, and it looks amazing on the Xbox One X. it seems the FMV movies has been fixed as well. They run at 1080p just like the PS3 version. And the game is around 30GB in space. And best thing is, you only have to pop in one disc.

The game still runs at 30 FPS, but that isn't a huge issue since it doesn't require fast input.

[FireDrakeZ]

Xbox One X(4K at 30fps) vs Xbox 360(720p) comparison

https://i.imgur.com/qLoArPF.jpg

https://www.reddit.com/r/xboxone/comments/9wsox4/final_fantasy_xiii_4k_100_crop_360_comparison/

[DeadPhoenix]

FireDrakeZ님이 먼저 게시:

Xbox One X(4K at 30fps) vs Xbox 360(720p) comparison

https://i.imgur.com/qLoArPF.jpg

https://www.reddit.com/r/xboxone/comments/9wsox4/final_fantasy_xiii_4k_100_crop_360_comparison/

Yeah I played it originally on the Xbox 360 in 2010. I thought it looked pretty good for its time. All though the PS3 version was native 720P, the X360 was 1024x576. Which made it look softer. And the FMV video's were really bad. Too bad my X360 died a few years ago. So lost all my progress :/

[FireDrakeZ]

It looks like the CGI and FMV videos have been rerendered using PC or PS3 assets instead of the 360, so it is now 1080p on the Xbox One X. Looks amazing. Alternatively maybe Square Enix had the source files and the BC team contacted them.

https://abload.de/img/ad07d7fc-0916-4bfc-b93pdqh.png

If you saved your Xbox 360 games in the cloud(Xbox servers) and not the hard drive you should still be able to use it on the Xbox One.

[DeadPhoenix]

FireDrakeZ님이 먼저 게시:

It looks like the CGI and FMV videos have been rerendered using PC or PS3 assets instead of the 360, so it is now 1080p on the Xbox One X. Looks amazing. Alternatively maybe Square Enix had the source files and the BC team contacted them.

https://abload.de/img/ad07d7fc-0916-4bfc-b93pdqh.png

If you saved your Xbox 360 games in the cloud(Xbox servers) and not the hard drive you should still be able to use it on the Xbox One.

It died back in 2014. And i forgot to put it into the cloud. But i had pretty much 100% the game with all achievements.

[FireDrakeZ]

Apparently the Xbox One back compatible team was able to acquire the original cutscene assets at a much higher visual quality than previously available on the Xbox 360 from Square Enix.

https://twitter.com/jronald/status/1062755441187315712

[Enclosure]

DeadPhoenix님이 먼저 게시:

I just tested out this game, and it looks amazing on the Xbox One X. it seems the FMV movies has been fixed as well. They run at 1080p just like the PS3 version. And the game is around 30GB in space. And best thing is, you only have to pop in one disc.

The game still runs at 30 FPS, but that isn't a huge issue since it doesn't require fast input.

videos are not 1080p fam.. they 720p like on PS3. Xbox 360 version had a lower ress and bit rate.

[FireDrakeZ]

EnclosureHD님이 먼저 게시:

DeadPhoenix님이 먼저 게시:

I just tested out this game, and it looks amazing on the Xbox One X. it seems the FMV movies has been fixed as well. They run at 1080p just like the PS3 version. And the game is around 30GB in space. And best thing is, you only have to pop in one disc.

The game still runs at 30 FPS, but that isn't a huge issue since it doesn't require fast input.

videos are not 1080p fam.. they 720p like on PS3. Xbox 360 version had a lower ress and bit rate.

The Xbox One X version is now the best version to play FFXIII acc. to Digital Foundry

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2018-final-fantasy-13-back-compat-analysis


Final Fantasy 13 on Xbox One X is a back-compat masterpiece

Enhanced performance, 9x resolution boost - and vastly improved video cutscenes.

John Linneman

Staff Writer, Digital Foundry
@dark1x

The recent arrival of Final Fantasy 13 on Xbox One is a simply brilliant addition to the backwards compatible library. And for X owners at least, the transformation is astonishing: what was originally the least preferable version of the game is now by far and away the best way to play it. Better still, it also sees Microsoft going the extra mile to bring an enhanced experience to users, to the point where the line blurs significantly between backwards compatibility and a bespoke remastering effort.

First of all, let's tick off the basics. There's an established baseline with improvements to the X-enhanced back-compat line-up - specifically, a 3x resolution increase in both X and Y axis, for a 9x boost to pixel-count overall. Final Fantasy 13 originally ran at a somewhat disappointing 1024x576 on Xbox 360 with 2x MSAA, but Microsoft's vGPU delivers a vastly improved 3072x1728 native resolution on Xbox One X, retaining the same AA technique. For pseudo-sequels Final Fantasy 13-2 and Lightning Returns - also backwards compatible and X-enhanced - that increases from the original 720p to full native 4K, again with 2x MSAA.

What's important here isn't just the number of pixels but also the quality of Square Enix's original artwork. There are several X-enhanced titles out there where the resolution boost - although welcome - can also highlight the shortcomings of the original textures. However, the design choices and style of the art, combined with Microsoft's use of negative LOD bias to push higher quality mipmaps to the fore, ensures that what we get here is a viable, beautiful presentation for 4K screens. On top of that, 2D bitmaps - seen on the HUD - get upscaled via a nearest neighbour technique for crisp, non-blurry representations for lower quality assets. Higher resolution versions would be preferable of course, but this is the best way to handle those assets otherwise.

On top of that, there's also a performance increase. Despite the 9x resolution boost and the associated GPU load on X hardware, Final Fantasy 13 still delivers tangible improvements to frame-rate that clear up most of the issues found in the original game, powering past both the original Xbox 360 version and its PS3 counterpart. There are still noticeable drops from the target 30fps in the pseudo-sequels, but again, Xbox One X remains constant in delivering higher overall frame-rates than any other console version of the game - while operating at native 4K.

The enhancements do not stop there, however, and it's here where Microsoft breaks new ground. One of the key compromises of Final Fantasy 13 on Xbox 360 was the basic lack of storage compared to its PS3 counterpart, where the Blu-ray medium allowed Square-Enix to pack 33GB of video sequences onto the disc. Analysis of the file structure suggests that these were h.264 files in a Sony-specific container. Meanwhile, Xbox 360 used 576p Bink encodes with some truly lamentable quality. They didn't hold up on Xbox 360 and they'd look even more poor on a 4K display. Microsoft's solution? To supply completely new 720p versions of the video content.

There's a night and day improvement here, but this is the one area where the PlayStation 3 version retains an edge - image quality from the original Blu-ray game is still a notch above. Regardless, this is a hugely significant move for a number of reasons. Firstly, it shows Microsoft willing to go the extra mile in delivering the best experience. Secondly, it's not just Xbox One X owners that benefit here - the same revised assets are used on the standard Xbox One too, providing a big improvement for all users. And finally, it's the first time we're aware of where the platform holder has injected higher quality assets into an existing Xbox 360 game. If Microsoft's back-compat engineers can do this, how much further would they be willing to go - what if extant higher resolution PC textures could be injected into future X releases? This is potentially very exciting.

It's an enhancement that only seems to have been made for Final Fantasy 13 - the two other titles used real-time engine visuals to deliver the vast bulk of the cutscenes, but this did result in some of the most egregious slow-down and of course, Xbox One X improves matters significantly there already.

Of course, debate continues to surround the quality and nature of Final Fantasy 13 itself, specifically the linear path through the majority of the adventure. Much was made of the title's lack of open-ended exploration back in the day, but after a decade of game development where the open world has dominated, returning to Final Fantasy 13 is almost like a breath of fresh air. The game holds up really well, and after sinking in five hours of play, I had a great time.

The icing on the cake is the price. While Final Fantasy 13-2 and Lightning Returns are still rather pricey on the digital store (to the point where chasing down physical copies is probably the best way forward), FF13 itself is a steal for Xbox One X users at just £5.99 right now. That's exceptional value for a game that - on Xbox One X at least - delivers an experience that surpasses the quality of many remasters and uprezzed ports. Overall then, Microsoft deserves kudos here for a brilliant piece of fan service, and another wonderful release for Xbox One X.

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2018-final-fantasy-13-back-compat-analysis

[FireDrakeZ]

Acc. to the accompanying video from Digital Foundry, Square Enix provided Microsoft a better version on the FMV files for cutscenes for the Xbox One X, which are even better than those found on PC.

[Enclosure]

FireDrakeZ님이 먼저 게시:

EnclosureHD님이 먼저 게시:

videos are not 1080p fam.. they 720p like on PS3. Xbox 360 version had a lower ress and bit rate.

The Xbox One X version is now the best version to play FFXIII acc. to Digital Foundry

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2018-final-fantasy-13-back-compat-analysis


Final Fantasy 13 on Xbox One X is a back-compat masterpiece

Enhanced performance, 9x resolution boost - and vastly improved video cutscenes.

John Linneman

Staff Writer, Digital Foundry
@dark1x

The recent arrival of Final Fantasy 13 on Xbox One is a simply brilliant addition to the backwards compatible library. And for X owners at least, the transformation is astonishing: what was originally the least preferable version of the game is now by far and away the best way to play it. Better still, it also sees Microsoft going the extra mile to bring an enhanced experience to users, to the point where the line blurs significantly between backwards compatibility and a bespoke remastering effort.

First of all, let's tick off the basics. There's an established baseline with improvements to the X-enhanced back-compat line-up - specifically, a 3x resolution increase in both X and Y axis, for a 9x boost to pixel-count overall. Final Fantasy 13 originally ran at a somewhat disappointing 1024x576 on Xbox 360 with 2x MSAA, but Microsoft's vGPU delivers a vastly improved 3072x1728 native resolution on Xbox One X, retaining the same AA technique. For pseudo-sequels Final Fantasy 13-2 and Lightning Returns - also backwards compatible and X-enhanced - that increases from the original 720p to full native 4K, again with 2x MSAA.

What's important here isn't just the number of pixels but also the quality of Square Enix's original artwork. There are several X-enhanced titles out there where the resolution boost - although welcome - can also highlight the shortcomings of the original textures. However, the design choices and style of the art, combined with Microsoft's use of negative LOD bias to push higher quality mipmaps to the fore, ensures that what we get here is a viable, beautiful presentation for 4K screens. On top of that, 2D bitmaps - seen on the HUD - get upscaled via a nearest neighbour technique for crisp, non-blurry representations for lower quality assets. Higher resolution versions would be preferable of course, but this is the best way to handle those assets otherwise.

On top of that, there's also a performance increase. Despite the 9x resolution boost and the associated GPU load on X hardware, Final Fantasy 13 still delivers tangible improvements to frame-rate that clear up most of the issues found in the original game, powering past both the original Xbox 360 version and its PS3 counterpart. There are still noticeable drops from the target 30fps in the pseudo-sequels, but again, Xbox One X remains constant in delivering higher overall frame-rates than any other console version of the game - while operating at native 4K.

The enhancements do not stop there, however, and it's here where Microsoft breaks new ground. One of the key compromises of Final Fantasy 13 on Xbox 360 was the basic lack of storage compared to its PS3 counterpart, where the Blu-ray medium allowed Square-Enix to pack 33GB of video sequences onto the disc. Analysis of the file structure suggests that these were h.264 files in a Sony-specific container. Meanwhile, Xbox 360 used 576p Bink encodes with some truly lamentable quality. They didn't hold up on Xbox 360 and they'd look even more poor on a 4K display. Microsoft's solution? To supply completely new 720p versions of the video content.

There's a night and day improvement here, but this is the one area where the PlayStation 3 version retains an edge - image quality from the original Blu-ray game is still a notch above. Regardless, this is a hugely significant move for a number of reasons. Firstly, it shows Microsoft willing to go the extra mile in delivering the best experience. Secondly, it's not just Xbox One X owners that benefit here - the same revised assets are used on the standard Xbox One too, providing a big improvement for all users. And finally, it's the first time we're aware of where the platform holder has injected higher quality assets into an existing Xbox 360 game. If Microsoft's back-compat engineers can do this, how much further would they be willing to go - what if extant higher resolution PC textures could be injected into future X releases? This is potentially very exciting.

It's an enhancement that only seems to have been made for Final Fantasy 13 - the two other titles used real-time engine visuals to deliver the vast bulk of the cutscenes, but this did result in some of the most egregious slow-down and of course, Xbox One X improves matters significantly there already.

Of course, debate continues to surround the quality and nature of Final Fantasy 13 itself, specifically the linear path through the majority of the adventure. Much was made of the title's lack of open-ended exploration back in the day, but after a decade of game development where the open world has dominated, returning to Final Fantasy 13 is almost like a breath of fresh air. The game holds up really well, and after sinking in five hours of play, I had a great time.

The icing on the cake is the price. While Final Fantasy 13-2 and Lightning Returns are still rather pricey on the digital store (to the point where chasing down physical copies is probably the best way forward), FF13 itself is a steal for Xbox One X users at just £5.99 right now. That's exceptional value for a game that - on Xbox One X at least - delivers an experience that surpasses the quality of many remasters and uprezzed ports. Overall then, Microsoft deserves kudos here for a brilliant piece of fan service, and another wonderful release for Xbox One X.

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2018-final-fantasy-13-back-compat-analysis

DF said the videos are 720p like the original PS3 version.

[FireDrakeZ]

That is correct. They used 720p for the FMV(cutscenes) which is even better than the one found on PC which used lower resolution assets. For the rest of the game, the resolution was increased to 3072x1728 for the first game and full native 4K(3840x2160) for the other 2 sequels making the Xbox One X version the best version you can play this game.

[Jhackler]

So when I someone going to rip the video of the xbox one and make it a mod for pc?

[Enclosure]

FireDrakeZ님이 먼저 게시:

That is correct. They used 720p for the FMV(cutscenes) which is even better than the one found on PC which used lower resolution assets. For the rest of the game, the resolution was increased to 3072x1728 for the first game and full native 4K(3840x2160) for the other 2 sequels making the Xbox One X version the best version you can play this game.

yap.Man we need this ♥♥♥♥ on PC RIGHT NOW!!!
PLUS 30GB game on xbox scorpio? PLS Sign me in RIGHT NAW!!!!!
This is why i dont play this game lately.... Its massive.... 60gb download :(

[Serafie1999AD]

EnclosureHD님이 먼저 게시:

yap.Man we need this ♥♥♥♥ on PC RIGHT NOW!!!
PLUS 30GB game on xbox scorpio? PLS Sign me in RIGHT NAW!!!!!
This is why i dont play this game lately.... Its massive.... 60gb download :(

The Xbox version is smaller because it only includes the English voices, while the PC version has both Japanese and English FMVs and sound files. In addition, I'd like to point out this:

FireDrakeZ님이 먼저 게시:

There are still noticeable drops from the target 30fps in the pseudo-sequels, but again, Xbox One X remains constant in delivering higher overall frame-rates than any other console version of the game - while operating at native 4K.

Apparently, the Xbox ports are still capped at 30 FPS, and can't even maintain the 30 FPS frame rate all the time. At the moment, I can run FFXIII PC with a stable 60 FPS on the field and 30-60 FPS during battles, and the frame rate stays like that even on a 4k resolution, as long as I reduce the Shadows a bit, to either 4096^2 or 2048^2. Lightning Returns PC is much lighter, and when I tried it at a 4k resolution, it had no trouble staying at 60 FPS. Only FFXIII-2 PC had difficulties with the frame rate when I increased the resolution to 4k, dropping the frame rate to 25-55. I'd take the PC's frame rates over the Xbox's unstable 30 FPS any day.

I just hope the Xbox One re-release will inspire SE to fix the PC versions and patch them with a better optimized engine.

[NairBoT]

PS3 version is king. It runs perfectly smooth all the way through, has the best cut scene quality, and only cost $20 NEW because it became greatest hits.

PC version is garbage because of enemy intel bug, the missing text. Only way to get it to display is to play at native 720p. That means PC version is broken at any resolution above 720p. I don't count playing a game broken a viable option.