Grid Legends: A Testament to the Seamless Transition of Console Games to Mobile Devices
First impressions indicate a strong visual performance on the iPhone, showing results that closely resemble the high-end Xbox One version of the game. However, it’s important to note that there are some trade-offs. The lighting has been notably simplified, and shadows are noticeably lower resolution, with a harsher contrast between cascades. Shadow aliasing is more pronounced as a result, leading to shadows that appear less realistic when still. This issue is more evident in the cockpit view, where the close camera perspective reveals the lower resolution of the nearest cascade.
Additionally, foliage shadows do not animate on the iPhone, likely to reduce the number of shadow calculations the game has to process. I would argue that these shadow modifications might not be very noticeable in the typical third-person camera perspective while driving at speed. There are also various minor lighting changes throughout the game, such as a weaker effect of ambient occlusion in truck cockpits. The foliage on certain tracks appears somewhat flatter, displaying lower contrast colors underneath. Subtle lighting adjustments can be seen across the tracks if you look closely, although their impact is more subdued during gameplay.
Volumetric lighting is arguably the most significant feature missing here, as the trackside ambiance often lacks volumetric effects. This results in a noticeable visual difference on certain tracks, although the majority of tracks and times of day still look fairly similar. That said, there is one lighting enhancement that benefits the iPhone. The real-time cubemaps used for vehicle reflections on Xbox refresh at just 15Hz, updating once per every two frames. On the iPhone, however, they operate at full rate and appear significantly clearer.
Model detail also takes a hit. LODs pop in closer to the camera, and texture detail is reduced, despite the fact that I have the game’s high-resolution texture pack installed. Texture filtering is diminished, crowds are less detailed, and particle effects are simplified or omitted altogether. It goes without saying that the resolution drops—Xbox One uses a dynamic 1080p which occasionally settles around 900p, while the iPhone 15 Pro offers approximately 630p without utilizing Apple’s impressive MetalFX upscaler.
While this may appear to be a long list of compromises for the iPhone, comparing the two platforms in broad strokes, the lighting appears similar, the models look largely the same, and the gameplay remains quite comparable. It’s certainly a step up from what you’d expect from a Nintendo Switch port, where you would typically see more significant sacrifices in visual quality.
This is all the more impressive considering that performance remains robust. The game’s default graphics mode aims for 30fps and maintains stable performance during standard play, averaging around 33ms frames even during high-paced action. However, when there are many vehicles in close proximity, frame rates can briefly drop into the 20s. These performance dips are noticeable, but they usually occur during the beginning of a race when several cars are clustered together. Rewinds can also lead to frame rate issues, though they have minimal impact on gameplay. The Xbox One S exhibits similar behavior but tends to stay closer to the higher 20s, experiencing fewer drops. It’s a better performer in challenging scenarios, but both systems manage to deliver a fairly solid 30fps experience overall. Moreover, the motion blur effect on both platforms adds a smoothness to the game despite its lower frame rate.
Up to now, I have only discussed the default mode, which provides the closest resemblance to the home console experience. Nevertheless, there are also two additional visual modes to consider, each with its own set of trade-offs. The battery saver mode comes with certain reductions—including notably the removal of screen-space reflections, which makes a significant difference on wet tracks. The track-side spectators have also been somewhat reduced, and there seem to be minor LOD adjustments, along with lower-resolution real-time cubemaps. However, the most significant trade-off is a dramatic reduction in rendering resolution, as battery saver mode operates at around 360p, although both modes feature an equally sharp HUD.
The upside, however, is that performance is very solid, consistently achieving 30fps in standard gameplay. Large groups of cars do not significantly affect performance, except during flashbacks, where substantial drops may occur—though this has minimal relevance to gameplay. The performance level is noticeably better than that of the graphics preset, and battery drain also seems to be lower. The performance mode maintains all the same visual compromises.