Does Diablo III Patch 2.4.0 Impact Console Performance?

The editors over at Eurogamer have posed this very question after reports on Blizzard’s forums appeared to indicate that at least some players – particularly those with the PlayStation 4 version of the action RPG – are experiencing framerate issues after the update was released. As it turns out, they seem to be on to something:

With thanks to Eurogamer’s Oli Welsh and his up-to-speed PS4 save, we’ve managed to isolate some of the challenges players are experiencing in the video below. In particular, the issue manifests as a stutter when travelling the game world, even while uncontested by enemies. And surprisingly, these frustrating hitches remain even when the game is installed to a nippy SSD, strongly suggesting it has little to do with data streaming from a PS4’s stock HDD.

Though most interior areas run at a clean 60fps as expected, larger outdoor spots like Southern Highlands, or Dreadjudge Approach show frames dropping in clusters without any real provocation. Simply moving quickly – whether that’s via a Barbarian’s leap move, or being knocked back by an enemy – is one of the easier ways to see the stutter in action. Even simply walking across a bridge, without an enemy in sight, produces the issue, as demonstrated in our video below.

These one-off hitches are a distraction, but pale in comparison to some of the choppier playback we see in actual combat. Even playing entirely solo (in this case as a level 70 Barbarian in Dreadjudge), Diablo 3’s current patch shows drastic frame-time spikes when engaging with a screen filled with enemies. The target for a 60fps title is a consistent 16.7ms render time per frame. But out of the blue this can chop down to around 200ms – a fifth of a second – as our lowest recorded figure. This means drops down to 40fps – and an immediate return back – are something to watch out for.