With a full 1080p full HD resolution now in place for Diablo 3 on both PS4 and Xbox One, the time has come to investigate each in their fully updated states. After all, we've seen performance drops on Microsoft's platform since its bump from 900p to 1080p, but does Sony's hardware suffer similar issues at the same stress points? And from a visual perspective, does Blizzard keep all the bells and whistles of a maxed-out PC playthrough for each?

Arriving just a few days ahead of the European launch, both platforms are prepped for a day one patch to resolve separate issues. On the PS4 side (and to a lesser extent Xbox One), a bug that once caused frame-rate dips to animation and effects rendering is now entirely fixed (as of patch C.2.0.9.26396, seen on its splash screen). The net result? We no longer see drops to the low 40fps range on PS4, and instead, we're thrilled to see a perfect 60fps during all our test sections.

And as ever, Sony's platform runs at the full 1920x1080 native frame-buffer, backed up by what appears to be post-process anti-aliasing focused on high contrast edges. Only in specific scenes, such as the sandy Caldeum Bazaar hub area, do we see any stair-stepping; in this case across dangling palm tree leaves or stacks of wheat grain in the corners. But for dungeon-crawling in the main, the murk and grime of each new area avoids these strong, alias-inducing contrasts.

This content is hosted on an external platform, which will only display it if you accept targeting cookies. Please enable cookies to view. Manage cookie settings Diablo 3 compared on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Use the full-screen button and full HD resolution for the best viewing experience. Please feel free to check out our PC comparison videos below too.

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With no rift in texture asset quality, shadow rendering, effects-work or its lighting model, it's clear Blizzard has no mandate to push either console out of the parity deadlock. Rather, it appears to be a point of continued attention, with the Xbox One receiving a 1080p resolution bump to bring it neck-and neck with PS4 in the image quality stakes. Outside of randomised item placements across each stage, these two games are now practically identical.

There are oddities here and there though. We spot spider-webs in the Skeleton King's crypts that seem dialled down in sharpness on Xbox One - but curiously, fineries elsewhere are unaffected. The PS4 also adds a blue tone around the Highlands area, making it stand at odds when placed side-by-side with PC and Xbox One. In other words, comparing the two editions of Diablo 3 typically highlights elements that are randomised by the engine, rather than significant per-platform advantages.

It's a beautiful 1080p title on both Xbox One and PS4, with only brighter areas such as the Caldeum Bazaar showing a rare case of aliasing on foliage. Curiously, the palm tree leaves next to the doorway have no anti-aliasing on console, whereas they do on PC. Aside from this, the console versions match PC very, very closely indeed. Not only is the field of view (FOV) re-arranged on console, but the backdrop layer is altered too - as shown by the shifted city view at the top. Textures on PS4 and Xbox One are identical. While we don't have a perfect pixel-for-pixel match on PC, asset quality is hard to distinguish from its high setting. Interior layouts share the same polygonal detail across all three platforms. Shadows also use the smoothed look of PC, with no aliasing to speak of. The battle with the Skeleton king has urn placement randomised in the background. Curiously, cobwebs appear sharper in this shot on PS4 - but nowhere else. Diablo 3's cut-scenes show alpha and particle effects letting loose on both platforms - and again it's a high on indistinguishable. Another bizarre change is colour tone variation in some levels. Here, the PS4 is the odd one out with a cooler tone for the Highlands area.

Compared to PC on its highest settings, the fully patched PS4 and Xbox One games run with a no-compromise approach. We get the high quality, smoothed dynamic shadows under each character here - with no pixellation seen on the lower settings. The core texture-work around the Highlands is beautifully preserved too, and explosive spell effects during cut-scenes show little change to alpha buffer resolution. It's all intact.

Given parity is essentially achieved everywhere else, has the touted Xbox One's resolution boost changed anything in performance testing? With both running at a full 1080p, we see a clear margin when running the New Tristram Gates, during the Skeleton King boss fight, and during packed skirmishes on the South Highlands plains. It reaches as low as 52fps on Xbox One, whereas with the rendering glitch now fully attended to on PS4, Sony's hardware never drops a frame in these areas.

Exclusive to console Playing Diablo 3 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One remains close in design to the last-gen console versions, albeit blended with top-end PC visuals. All console editions benefit from some unique design choices and features not available on PC though, including: A buddy system, which allows a player to join a friend's game despite their level. To avoid embarrassing scenes, the console versions will automatically scale health and attack damage so a lower-levelled player remains competitive.

A new Nemesis dynamic, also not available on PC as yet. While the specifics of how this works are still being established, the core idea is tantalising. Essentially, an enemy AI that defeats a player is flagged as a unique "Nemesis" character, who can then proceed to invade your friends' game worlds to wreak havoc (and even level up independently a maximum of five times).

The mail system is console only too, allowing players to mail gifts and items to friends.

The PS3 and PS4 also boast some exclusive themed content. Sony console versions see extra armour added, as based on the lore of Shadow of the Colossus, and also a Last of Us-themed Nephalem Rift area.

Finally, the Dual Shock 4's features are utilised in subtle ways. Different sides of the touch-pad allow access to separate menus for instance, while the front light bar helpfully corresponds to the colour of each character during local co-op play.

It isn't quite a faultless display from the PS4 version, but close; in our full playthrough, the auto-save causes the odd a hiccup, as does occasionally streaming in new segments of a just-loaded area. However this stands at odds with the prolonged stretches of 50-60fps play possible on Xbox One. Given no issues were recorded during our earlier, pre-patch 900p tests, it's logical to assume this is a GPU-side strain, perhaps where alpha transparency effects are pushing Microsoft's console to these lurches.

But is this performance a deal-breaker for Xbox One? Given how infrequently we bumped into the issue, even during frenzied sand dune battles with two allied AI players in tow, the issue is surprisingly rare. Most drops tend to be imperceptible, and in the end, we resorted to scanning hours of footage to track most shifts downwards from the 60fps mark. A screen filled with effects-spewing creatures isn't necessarily the ticket to a frame-rate drop - even at its extremes the Xbox One holds up well save for a few choice moments.

This content is hosted on an external platform, which will only display it if you accept targeting cookies. Please enable cookies to view. Manage cookie settings Stress-testing the PS4 and Xbox One builds in matching areas shows a PS4 lead. A 52fps drop is the lowest recorded on Microsoft's platform here, but to be fair, these frame-rate dips took some finding.