Environments look significantly chunkier and often have a bit of a low-poly look. The last-gen machines are simply way behind current-gen here, with smeared and low-detail 2D artwork.

On top of that, there's a streaming problem too: after loading a save, textures can take a while to load in fully on older hardware, sometimes taking upwards of 10 seconds before the full-res assets appear. Texture resolution is much lower on just about any surface in the game and it's not just resolution that's been cut back - a lot of overlaid textures are simply missing. Across the board, the artwork has been hugely simplified. The first and most obvious difference lies in texture quality. There's a clear generational divide, and putting the best version up against worst - PlayStation 5 vs Xbox One S - there's a vast gulf between them.

To put it frankly, The Callisto Protocol is seriously downgraded on last-gen consoles in a way we rarely see in cross-gen games. So how did Striking Distance Studios manage to cram this game onto the PS4 and Xbox One? Is last-gen Callisto serviceable, or do the cuts simply run too deep? And if so, is this perhaps indicative of the beginning of the end for cross-gen development? With extremely high quality assets paired with multiple ray tracing effects, it packs some truly superb visuals - at least if you're playing on a high-end console or PC - but despite its remarkable graphics, The Callisto Protocol is a cross-gen title, which means it also ships on last-gen consoles, including the nine-year old base machines. The Callisto Protocol is one of the most visually advanced games currently available.

Download callisto protocol