The Oblivion Remaster On Switch 2 Is Better Than Expected And Fans Are Angry
Why Fans Are Demanding Bethesda Update Its Classic RPGs on PS5 and Xbox
For more than two decades, Bethesda Game Studios has been a titan in the gaming industry. Their unique formula of open-world freedom, deep lore, and player agency has captured the hearts of millions of gamers worldwide. From the snowy peaks of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim to the irradiated ruins of the Fallout series, these virtual playgrounds are places players return to year after year. However, as gaming hardware continues to take massive leaps forward, older software struggles to keep up.
On modern consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, players expect smooth performance, near-instant load times, and crystal-clear resolutions. When Bethesda announced a long-awaited "next-gen" update for Fallout 4, excitement reached a fever pitch. The timing was perfect, aligning beautifully with the premiere of the acclaimed Fallout TV show on Amazon Prime Video. Millions of new and returning players jumped back into the Commonwealth wasteland, eager to experience the game with modern performance enhancements.
However, the release of this port did not go as smoothly as everyone had hoped. Instead of a flawless celebration of a classic RPG, the update introduced new technical issues, broke beloved mods, and sparked intense debates within the community. Now, players are calling on Bethesda to not only fix Fallout 4 but also to apply the lessons learned from this release to their entire library of legendary RPGs. Fans want to see older masterpieces updated and preserved properly on modern consoles.
The Fallout 4 Next-Gen Update: Promises vs. Reality
To understand why fans are demanding more updates, it is important to look at what went wrong with the recent Fallout 4 next-gen upgrade. Bethesda marketed this update as a major leap forward, offering a native version of the game for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S free of charge to existing owners. On paper, the feature list was highly impressive:
- Performance Mode: Targeting a smooth 60 frames per second (FPS) with dynamic resolution.
- Quality Mode: Running at native 4K resolution at 30 FPS with ultra-graphical settings.
- Widescreen Support: Enhanced aspect ratios for PC players.
- Creation Club Content: Free bonus items, including weapons, armor, and the new "Enclave Remnants" questline.
- Stability Improvements: Resolving long-standing bugs and crash issues.
For console players who had spent years playing the backward-compatible PS4 and Xbox One versions, this promised to be the definitive way to play. Unfortunately, launch day told a different story.
Launch Day Hurdles and Technical Glitches
When the update went live, players immediately ran into frustrating roadblocks. One of the biggest issues occurred on the PlayStation network. Gamers who had previously claimed Fallout 4 through the PlayStation Plus Collection discovered they were locked out of the free upgrade. Instead of a free download, the store prompted them to buy the game again. While Bethesda eventually resolved this licensing issue, it left a sour taste in the mouths of eager fans on launch day.
On Xbox Series X/S, players discovered a different bug. The options menu featured a toggle for Quality and Performance modes, but many players reported that changing this setting did absolutely nothing. The game remained locked at 60 FPS regardless of the mode selected, meaning the native 4K visual upgrades were not rendering correctly. Additionally, players on both consoles reported screen tearing, broken lighting effects, and frequent crashes, particularly in the densely populated downtown Boston area.
The Modding Catastrophe: Why Updates Can Hurt Communities
One of the primary reasons Bethesda games remain popular for over a decade is their active modding community. Mods allow players to customize their experiences, add new weapons, overhaul graphics, and even create entirely new campaigns. Bethesda recognized this passion by bringing console mod support to both Skyrim and Fallout 4.
However, major updates often break these mods, and the next-gen update did so on a massive scale. On PC, the update broke the Fallout 4 Script Extender (F4SE), a crucial tool that many advanced mods rely on to function. This delayed the release of highly anticipated community projects, such as the DLC-sized mod Fallout: London.
On consoles, many players found their existing, heavily modded save files completely corrupted. Some mods became entirely inaccessible, while others caused the game to crash on startup. This has led to a growing demand for Bethesda to handle updates with more care. Many players argue that Bethesda should provide a way to opt-out of updates or offer separate "legacy" versions of their games so that community-created content is not lost forever when an official patch drops.
The Call for Classic Ports: Fallout 3, New Vegas, and Oblivion
The mixed reception of the Fallout 4 update has not stopped fans from wanting modern console ports of older Bethesda classics. In fact, it has highlighted just how much these older games need native releases on modern systems. Currently, playing titles like Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion on modern hardware is a highly inconsistent experience depending on which console you own.
The Xbox Advantage vs. the PlayStation Struggle
Thanks to Microsoft's focus on backward compatibility, Xbox Series X/S players can enjoy older Bethesda titles with significant visual and performance improvements. Features like FPS Boost and Auto HDR allow players to experience Fallout: New Vegas and Oblivion at 60 FPS and upscaled resolutions. However, these are still the original Xbox 360 versions of the games running in an emulator. They still suffer from old memory limits, leading to crashes during long playthroughs, and they lack modern quality-of-life features.
On PlayStation 5, the situation is much worse. Because the PS5 cannot natively run PS3 games due to the complex architecture of the older console, players cannot insert a disc or download these classic games directly. Instead, they are forced to stream them via the cloud through PlayStation Plus Premium. This method has several major disadvantages:
- Internet Dependency: Streaming requires a highly stable, high-speed internet connection to prevent lag and visual artifacts.
- No DLC Support: In many regions, the streamed versions of Fallout 3 and New Vegas do not include their expansion packs, which contain some of the best content in those games.
- Zero Mod Support: Streaming games prevents any form of modding, which is a massive part of the Bethesda experience.
- Input Delay: Cloud streaming introduces input latency, making combat and exploration feel sluggish.
Because of these limitations, PlayStation fans are actively petitioning Bethesda for native, remastered ports of their classic games. A native PS5 port would allow local installation, reliable performance, built-in mod support, and all downloadable content packaged into one modern, convenient bundle.
The Core Problem: Understanding the Game Engine
To understand why updating these games is so difficult, it helps to look under the hood. Most of Bethesda’s famous RPGs were built using the Gamebryo engine or its successor, the Creation Engine. These engines were designed in an era when physical CPU cores were limited, and hard drives were slow. Many of the game's systems—including physics, quest scripting, and character animations—were tied directly to the game's framerate.
For example, running Skyrim or Fallout 4 above 60 frames per second without engine modifications historically caused the game's physics to break. Objects would fly off tables like projectiles, lockpicking would spin at uncontrollable speeds, and characters would get stuck in the environment. Decoupling these systems from the framerate requires deep engine rewriting. This is why a simple patch is rarely enough; bringing these games forward to modern standards often requires a dedicated team of engineers to rebuild core parts of the software.
How the Success of the Fallout TV Show Changed Everything
The demand for high-quality console ports has never been higher, largely due to the massive success of the Fallout TV show on Prime Video. The series was a massive critical and commercial success, introducing millions of viewers to the post-apocalyptic world of Vaults, ghouls, and power armor.
Immediately following the show's release, player counts for older Fallout games surged across all platforms. Fallout 76 achieved record-high concurrent player numbers, while Fallout 4 climbed back into the top-seller charts worldwide. Even older games like Fallout: New Vegas saw a massive wave of new players.
This surge proved that there is a massive, highly profitable market for these stories. However, when new fans finish the television series and want to experience the games for the first time, directing them to a game that crashes frequently or requires cloud streaming on their brand-new console is not a great introduction. Fans argue that Bethesda has a golden opportunity to capitalize on this mainstream popularity by offering highly polished, modern versions of their classic catalog.
What a Great Console Port Should Look Like
If Bethesda decides to update more of its beloved catalog, what should they focus on? Based on the feedback from the Fallout 4 update, players have a clear wishlist for what a modern RPG port should include:
- Working Visual Modes: True, functioning options for both high-fidelity graphics and high-framerate performance.
- Field of View (FOV) Sliders: Many older Bethesda games have a very narrow field of view, which can cause eye strain or motion sickness on large, modern TVs. An FOV slider is a must-have accessibility feature.
- Improved Loading Times: Ports should fully utilize the ultra-fast solid-state drives (SSDs) found in the PS5 and Xbox Series X to eliminate long loading screens.
- Expanded Mod Space: On consoles, mod storage limits are often restricted (for example, 2GB on Fallout 4). Increasing this storage limit would allow players to build more stable, customized setups.
- Cross-Save Capabilities: Allowing players to carry their progression between PC, PlayStation, and Xbox would make replaying these games incredibly convenient.
The Future Under Microsoft's Umbrella
In 2021, Microsoft completed its acquisition of ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Bethesda Game Studios. This acquisition changed the landscape of the gaming industry, giving Bethesda access to Microsoft's vast financial resources and technical support systems.
Microsoft has consistently prioritized game preservation and backward compatibility. This focus gives fans hope that the platform holder might greenlight and fund remasters of older games. Since Bethesda Game Studios is currently busy developing The Elder Scrolls VI and updating Starfield, Microsoft could potentially hand over the development of classic remasters to external, specialized studios. This would allow fans to get the high-quality ports they want without delaying Bethesda's highly anticipated future titles.
While some PlayStation players worry that these classic remasters might become Xbox exclusives, Microsoft's recent strategy suggests otherwise. Microsoft has begun releasing several of its first-party games, such as Sea of Thieves and Hi-Fi Rush, on PlayStation 5. Given the massive audience of PlayStation owners who watched the Fallout TV show, releasing remasters on all platforms would maximize profits and satisfy the entire gaming community.
How Bethesda Can Rebuild Fan Trust
The rocky launch of the Fallout 4 next-gen update has left some dedicated fans feeling skeptical. To regain the community's full confidence, the studio needs to show that they are actively listening to feedback. This can be achieved through a few key steps:
Transparent Communication
Players appreciate honesty and regular updates. When technical bugs or platform issues occur, developers should acknowledge them quickly and offer realistic timelines for fixes. When Bethesda remained silent about the initial broken Quality/Performance modes on Xbox, it caused unnecessary speculation and frustration. Regular, clear communication goes a long way in keeping a community happy.
Working Closely with Mod Creators
Instead of releasing patches that surprise the community and break their work, Bethesda could collaborate with top modders ahead of time. Giving key mod developers early access to updates would allow them to prepare their creations for the new version of the game, preventing broken save files and ensuring a seamless transition for players. Additionally, integrating popular community-made bug fixes directly into the official game code would save development time and result in a much more stable final product.
Conclusion: A Rich History Worth Preserving
Bethesda Game Studios has spent decades building some of the most immersive, beloved worlds in digital entertainment. These RPGs are not just temporary experiences; they are virtual homes for millions of players who love to lose themselves in deep stories and endless exploration.
The widespread demand for updates on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S is a testament to the lasting power of these games. While the Fallout 4 next-gen update was a flawed first step, it proved that the hunger for classic Bethesda experiences is stronger than ever. By addressing the technical issues of their current ports and dedicating resources to properly remastering classics like Fallout: New Vegas and Oblivion, Bethesda can make sure their legendary library remains playable, beautiful, and accessible for generations to come.
To stay updated on official announcements and patch notes, you can visit the official Bethesda website or check out the latest gaming updates on the Xbox Wire and the PlayStation Blog.
from Kotaku
-via DynaSage
