Concurrently with the development of an eye-catching sequel, Kojima Productions has continued refining the original Death Stranding, releasing a series of ports. The latest addition to this lineup is particularly intriguing, as it targets MacOS and select iOS devices.
With a single purchase, players gain access to a version of the game optimized for Apple Silicon Macs, iPads, and even the iPhone 15 Pro. The prospect of experiencing the full Death Stranding adventure on portable, fanless devices is indeed enticing.
Straight to the point, the performance of Death Stranding on Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro comes remarkably close to the console experience.
While there are some noticeable differences in visuals compared to its PS4 counterpart – such as less prominent rain, varying foliage appearance, and simplified LODs – the overall graphical fidelity remains impressive.
Details in close proximity are comparable between the iPhone and PS4, although there are occasional simplifications in more distant LODs and adjustments to foliage density and quality. Shadow resolution, typically sacrificed in mobile ports, remains consistent between the two systems.
Screen-space reflections are present on the iPhone but may appear coarse, and the volumetric cloud system takes a hit in quality, resulting in chunkier and slightly artifact-ridden volumes.
Cutscenes on the iPhone 15 Pro’s 19.5:1 aspect ratio are handled in different ways, sometimes presenting extra content on the sides during gameplay, while others display a cropped image. Post-processing effects like depth of field and motion blur are preserved, maintaining a cinematic feel.
However, image clarity suffers due to the lower rendering resolution on the iPhone, which averages around 400p during typical gameplay, significantly lower than the PS4’s 1080p resolution. Despite this resolution discrepancy, the impact on image quality is somewhat mitigated on the iPhone’s high-quality display.
In terms of performance, Death Stranding targets a 30fps frame rate on the iPhone, though it occasionally struggles with severe frame rate drops, especially around artificial structures and during intense action sequences.
Traversal may also experience occasional stuttering, and some cutscenes exhibit performance issues. While the game supports external gamepads, touchscreen controls are not recommended due to their subpar implementation.
On MacOS, however, Death Stranding offers a different experience, leveraging Apple’s MetalFX upscalers to enhance performance and visual quality. MetalFX temporal upscaling, akin to DLSS, provides a significant performance boost while maintaining image quality, resulting in smoother gameplay.
By adjusting settings to medium with MetalFX temporal enabled, users can achieve close to 60fps at 4K resolution on compatible Mac systems. Despite some minor performance dips during traversal and cutscenes, the overall experience is smooth and visually appealing.
Comparing the performance of Death Stranding on MacOS to PC, there’s a similar alignment between an RTX 2060 desktop system and the M1 Max chip, with both delivering a comparable gaming experience. However, the RTX 2060 outperforms the M1 Max in certain scenarios, particularly in handling DLSS in the opening cutscene.
In summary, Death Stranding on the iPhone offers a mixed experience, with impressive visuals but compromised resolution and occasional frame rate issues.
On Mac, the game runs smoothly and looks beautiful, showcasing the potential of Apple’s hardware. While the iPhone version may be more of a novelty, the Mac port provides a compelling alternative for players seeking a high-quality gaming experience on Apple devices.