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Quantum Break on PC Can't Run at 60 FPS, Doesn't Have Quit Button

Quantum Break's issues include multiple frame rate problems, the image quality, and frequent crashing.

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The Xbox One version of Quantum Break released this week to mostly positive reviews, but it looks like the PC version is crippled by multiple issues. According to Digital Foundry, the game can't run at a consistent, smooth frame rate, among other things.

Digital Foundry put together a performance breakdown video on Quantum Break, detailing the game's many problems (via Eurogamer). One of the larger issues is the fact that the game can't run at 60 FPS on a 60Hz monitor. The tech outlet said that it's not possible to reach a frame rate that matches a monitor's refresh rate, even if they used an Nvidia Titan X and ran the game at 720p on its lowest settings. They note that if you use a monitor with a refresh rate of 120 or 144Hz, the maximum frames increase, but it never results in a consistent frame rate.

In addition to that, the setting that lets you lock the frame rate to 30 FPS doesn't work properly. The PC version has a frame-pacing issue, which results in a more "jerky" experience. Digital Foundry notes that "it will never appear as consistent as the Xbox One version."

Quantum Break's image quality is brought up, too. The PC version is saddled with an Xbox One feature that frees up resources to help produce a clean image. The option to disable this is absent, meaning that at 1080p, it's producing a "reconstructed 720p image" as opposed to the native HD resolution. Digital Foundry says it works well on televisions when you're not as close to the screen, but high-resolution monitors reveal the blurriness and lack of detail.

Crashing is another issue that plagues the PC version, though it's not the game that's crashing. It's actually the Nvidia driver that suffers from the issue, and through much testing, Digital Foundry found that Quantum Break is unstable on Nvidia hardware. In the video, they note that the AMD R9 390 card has about a "20 frame advantage" over the Nvidia GTX 970, which is a gap they say "is absolutely remarkable." They say they can't recall "the last time [they saw] a gap that large."

Other issues include the lack of a quit button, forcing players to use Alt+F4 if they want to exit the game; limited enhancements that don't separate it much from the Xbox One version; and the significant performance drop when installing the game on anything other than a solid state drive.

Digital Foundry points its fingers at the Universal Windows Platform, which they say "is a huge issue for the PC right now." They say it restricts players from being able to fix some of these issues, like the frame pacing, on their own. They also note in the video that the game shames you for piracy with an eye patch when you play a legitimate copy offline.

You can read more about Quantum Break's issues on PC over at Eurogamer.

Quantum Break received a score of 6 in GameSpot's review.

"Getting to the end of Quantum Break can be an interesting ride at times, but no matter how impressive the combat is, or how great the game looks, there's no getting around the fact that it's driven by a story with limited appeal and hindered by disappointing design decisions," GameSpot's Peter Brown said in the review.

If you want to see the game in action on the Xbox One, you can check out the videos below.

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