Among the technical features of upcoming shooter The Division 2 that are listed on the Microsoft Store, the “Variable Refresh Rate” feature is the most surprising. This suggests that the game is playable on consoles up to 60 FPS in certain scenes, most likely in cutscenes, but potentially also in less intense combat scenarios — which has been proven to make you a better shooter. With the current generation of consoles already reaching higher frame-rates across other games, developing The Division 2 60 FPS capabilities would certainly put it ahead of the competition.
It’s as-yet unverified if the “Variable Refresh Rate” feature on the Microsoft Store page was listed as a mistake, given that it originally demoed at E3 2018 at only 30 FPS, but it’s perfectly timed for The Division 2. Players engaging in BioWare’s demo for Anthem this weekend complained about unstable frame-rates across PC and consoles, after Lead Producer Michael Gamble had previously said that it was not possible to reach 60 FPS at all on consoles. Those lucky enough to have an Xbox One X or PlayStation 4 Pro might well seek out The Division 2 60 FPS capabilities for smoother visuals.
It had already been announced that PC players would be able to reach 60 FPS, if their rigs could handle it, but Ubisoft has not yet made any announcement of higher frame-rates on consoles. Sadly, we might not see the 60 FPS potential on consoles when the beta for The Division 2 launches on February 7, as the final version of the game has not yet gone gold. With the highest number of beta sign-ups of any Ubisoft title, they’ve likely already got enough to handle during the beta stress testing, but we can still hope.
Following the beta in February, The Division 2 is set to release on March 15, 2019, on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
