Starfield's 30fps cap is best explained by a big pile of sandwiches

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That sandwich gag highlights why 60fps would be tough to achieve on console

Starfield
(Image credit: Bethesda)

Starfield's 30fps cap is best explained by a big pile of sandwiches.

During the recent Starfield Direct, producer Jamie Mallory revealed that when playing Starfield, she likes to "go the more piracy routes", which includes stealing everyone's sandwiches and hoarding them. "I steal all the sandwiches and put them in my cargo hold that I have specifically for sandwiches," she says, and sure enough, on the screen we saw a huge stack of sandwiches. Mallory's thieving antics are not only hilarious but also perfectly demonstrate why Starfield is locked at 30fps on console.

This was pointed out on Twitter by Digital Foundry's John Linneman, who wrote, "While it's used as a gag in the video, this sandwich pirate concept highlights one reason why 60 FPS would be tough to achieve", Linneman explains. "Like prior BGS titles, it seems that Starfield tracks the location and position of arbitrary items in the world. Given the scope, this stuff begins to add up."

While some fans are less than thrilled at the news, Donnie Carlone, a developer at Sony Santa Monica, also recently defended Bethesda's decision to lock Starfield at 30fps. "It's not a sign of an unfinished game," Carlone pointed out on Twitter. "It's a choice. 60fps on this scale would be a large hit to visual fidelity. My guess is they want to go for a seamless look and less 'pop in'."

Of course, it's not just all about stealing sandwiches as there's an impressive amount of freedom to virtually every aspect of Starfield, from the seriously detailed character creation system to exploration in "the biggest city" Bethesda's ever built and far beyond.

Following the Starfield Direct, our own Heather Wald is completely sold on Bethesda's new adventure.

Anne-Marie Ostler
Anne-Marie Ostler
Freelance Writer

Originally from Ireland, I moved to the UK in 2014 to pursue a Games Journalism and PR degree at Staffordshire University. Following that, I've freelanced for GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine and, more recently, Play and GamesRadar+. My love of gaming sprang from successfully defeating that first Goomba in Super Mario Bros on the NES. These days, PlayStation is my jam. When not gaming or writing, I can usually be found scouring the internet for anything Tomb Raider related to add to my out of control memorabilia collection.