Is Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Worth It on Xbox One S and PS4?
Call of Duty Black Ops 6 is out, and we love it (on the newest consoles, that is), and yes, it is available on the Xbox One and PS4, but is it worth playing or buying if you don’t have the option to upgrade to the newer generation?
Call of Duty Black Ops 6 brings the full deal, with a strong campaign, some of the best multiplayer in years and even a solid Zombies mode, and that’s not even its biggest trick, because for the first time ever, it became available Day One on Game Pass for Xbox and PC players, but despite the buyout from Microsoft, it’s still available to buy and play on the PS4 and PS5 as well.
Considering that the Xbox One came out over 11 Call of Duty’s ago – that’s 20 or so if you include mobile games and modes like Warzone, it’s pretty impressive that my old Xbox One didn’t just immediately burst into flames.
To get the best experience with captured footage and visual comparisons of Call of Duty Black Ops 6 on PS4 and Xbox One, watch the YouTube video instead:
Beauty is in the eye of the next-gen console holder
The first thing I noticed is that there’s a lot of visual noise, and I can confirm that it’s not something you see in the new-gen versions of the game. It’s not so bad in isolation, but it’s rough if you compare it to the newer consoles.
The resolution and textures have obviously taken a solid hit too in order to keep things moving along at a decent pace. There’s also noticeably less graphical detail on the older consoles – which made me realise that I should think twice before trying to hide in long grass in multiplayer when playing on my Series X.
Is it so bad? Well, it’s noticeable, but also, it’s not unexpected from 11-year-old hardware, but of course, if you run Call of Duty Black Ops 6 on a massive 4KTV, you’re going to notice… a lot. But if you’re just in it to have some fun playing through the single player, it really just depends on your standards – and if you’re someone still running an Xbox One or PS4, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that you’re not too picky.
If you like action, you might also want to check our review of Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2
Smooth Operator
When it comes to the framerate, well that’s a different story – and for that we need to take a closer look at the PVP multiplayer as well as Zombies mode.
I spent some time in the Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Zombies mode, and also played a handful of multiplayer rounds to capture footage across various maps and modes, and it was pretty tough to get used to at first, especially on the 720p TV where it was that bit tougher to notice people in the distance – and just enough to let them get the advantage.
Across all modes, the frame rate also really jumped all over the place at times and was far from consistent – ultimately delivering an uneven experience compared to the 60 or even 120fps modes on newer consoles. While they try to target 60fps where possible, the Xbox One was sitting more around the 40fps range and the PS4 a little higher in the 50fps range. Motion blur is a lot more noticeable too, but overall, it runs okay, and the loading times weren’t too terrible either.
Getting into the Groove
Here’s the thing though. What we did find across both our time on the Xbox One and the PS4, is that we may have struggled a bit to begin with, but after a bit of time both of us reported back that we got used to it and kind of stopped thinking about it, and I quickly found myself managing to do rather well and even sit on the top end of some leaderboards when rounds were over.
And so, this brings us to the real truth about Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 running on your previous generation console. It looks a bit ugly, but it also doesn’t look all that bad. It doesn’t run smoothly, but it runs well enough to still play and have fun.
So, What’s The Deal with Call of Duty Black Ops 6 on last gen then?
And what that means, is that if you’re looking for a way to jump aboard the hype train and enjoy the game all your friends are playing – it’s going to get the job done, and I mean – when you think about it, the cost of a second hand Xbox One with a Game Pass subscription is a RIDICULOUSLY affordable way to play the latest Call of Duty, and if you’ve got a PS4 you might still have to buy it, but at least you know it’s decent enough to be enjoyable. Unlike say, how Cyberpunk 2077 is running on an Xbox One these days, or how Modern Warfare III is on… anything.
Final Verdict
But if you want to kick ass and take names, top all the leaderboards or have the best experience in Call of Duty Black Ops 6 – you need to be packing one of two things: A big bag of money to buy a new-generation console… or a colossal amount of skill and talent.
Either of those will do fine. So, if you’re grabbing it for an older console, good luck, you might need it – but at the same time, I hope you have some good fun jumping into Call of Duty Black Ops 6, one of the best and most well-rounded Call of Duty entries the franchise has seen in quite some time.