Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, the highly anticipated sequel to the original Death Stranding, launched on June 26, 2025, after a brief early access for premium edition purchasers. This title inherits the option for players to choose between Quality and Performance modes, a trend that has become standard for AAA games since the eighth console generation. Recent analysis by Digital Foundry highlights that the Quality mode may be unnecessary, particularly for players on the PS5 Pro. Most gamers are recommended to opt for Performance mode to achieve a better experience.
While the base PS5 maintains a stable frame rate, supporting 30fps in Performance mode and 60fps in Quality, the visual trade-offs noted were rather minimal. Key differences included lower anti-aliasing quality and minor sub-pixel instability, which manifests as shimmering or flickering due to fine visual details misaligning with the screen’s pixel grid. These issues were reported to be more evident on the base model than on the PS5 Pro, which also reported a slightly higher resolution, though the overall improvements were marginal and hard to quantify. The question arises whether the slight visual enhancement in Quality mode is worth sacrificing the smoother 60fps frame rate.
On the PS5 Pro, the verdict is clear: Quality mode does not provide a significant advantage over Performance mode, making it largely redundant. This situation aligns with Sony’s messaging regarding the PS5 Pro, which was designed for those who want the benefits of both high fidelity and high performance, negating the need to compromise on either aspect.