Can old-gen console players keep squadding up in the new generation of Rainbow Six Siege?

Rainbow Six Siege first released way back in 2015, and despite a rocky launch, Ubisoft‘s tactical first-person shooter has gone on to become one of the most thrilling and competitive multiplayer shooters out there. With the launch of new consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, many R6 veterans who grew up getting headshots on PS4 and Xbox One face a dilemma – upgrade and potentially lose access to their old squadmates who remain on old gen hardware? Or stay locked in the past and miss out on all the next-gen improvements?

Well my friend, I come bearing good news – thanks to backwards compatibility and cross-generation play, you CAN continue playing Rainbow Six Siege with your full squad, even across the console generation divide! However, this functionality does come with some technical caveats, as we‘ll explore in this guide.

Rainbow Six Siege through the years – from troubled launch to multiplayer masterpiece

It‘s easy to forget now, but when Rainbow Six Siege first launched in December 2015, reception was lukewarm. Plagued with connectivity issues, barely any content, and questionable design decisions, early reviews averaged around 70%. Most critics figured the game would quickly fade into obscurity.

But Ubisoft saw long term competitive multiplayer potential in the tactical, team-based premise of Siege. They stuck with it and steadily improved the game through 6 years of ongoing support, tweaks, and content additions.

Here are some milestones in Siege‘s journey to becoming one the world‘s top esports titles, with over 85 million players as of 2022:

• 2016 – First DLC operators and maps added, introducing the continuous update model.
• 2018 – Playerbase grows to over 30 million as investment ramps up. Siege esports scene takes off.
• 2019 – Year 4 sees largest influx of content yet like reworked maps and 100+ quality of life tweaks.
• 2020 – Record breaking Year 5 adds six new operators, battle pass system, replay streaming tools.
• 2021 – Daily average players exceeds 100k for the first time during Crystal Guard season.

With the level of depth, skills, teamwork, and post-launch support from Ubisoft, Siege has achieved something few games manage – continual growth year after year into a vibrant community with thriving competitive circuits like the Six Invitational.

But with the dawn of a new console generation in late 2020, many Siege vets faced a dilemma – upgrade to enjoy graphical improvements and 120fps…or stay on their trusty old gen systems alongside squadmates and thousands of fellow players?

Understanding the technology powering old vs new consoles

To analyze the cross-generational play experience, we must first examine the hardware capabilities underlying PS4 vs PS5 and Xbox One vs Series X/S. Why does the new generation allow for such improved performance in games like Rainbow Six Siege?

Old Gen Consoles (PS4/Xbox One)

Released in 2013, both systems sport broadly comparable specs:

• CPU – 8 low power AMD Jaguar cores clocked at 1.6GHz
• GPU – Integrated AMD graphics with 18-32 compute units, max 1.3 teraflops
• Memory – 8GB GDDR5, up to 176GB/s bandwidth
• Resolution – Up to 1080p HD, some titles support upscaling to 4K

While impressive for their time, these aging components impose limits in 2021 like:

• Lower frame rates – Most titles max out at 30fps, competitive shooters can hit 60fps. But 120fps is impossible.
• Longer load times – Slow 5400rpm hard disk drives used for storage. 100GB games can take multiple minutes to load.
• Limited graphics – Low texture quality and effects relative to modern GPUs. Only basic ray traced visuals.

For Siege players accustomed to buttery smooth gameplay at high frame rates, playing on old generation hardware can be painful. But friends make everything better!

New Gen Consoles (PS5/Xbox Series X)

By contrast, the shiny new consoles deliver hardware capable of up to 8K and 120fps:

• CPU – 8 Zen 2 cores up to 3.5Ghz, almost 3X faster than old gen
• GPU – Custom RDNA 2 graphics with 10-12 teraflops, over 8X increase
• Memory – 16GB GDDR6 with over 2X the bandwidth
• Storage – Blistering fast custom SSDs with raw throughput up to 6GB/s

Benefits like:

• Twice the frame rate – Most games do 60fps, comp shooters reliably hit 120fps
• Faster loads – SSDs can load massive open worlds in seconds instead of minutes
• Higher fidelity – More advanced effects, ray tracing, sharper resolutions

For competitive players, the jump from 60fps to 120fps is game changing. But are new gen consoles SO good that playing against them on old hardware is impossible? Let‘s find out!

Yes, cross-generation crossplay is enabled! But…

Here‘s the good news – Ubisoft has implemented cross-generation crossplay in Rainbow Six Siege between old and new consoles! So you can squad up with friends even if some remain on PS4 while you upgrade to PS5.

However, there are limitations:

• Only works for same console family – PS4 to PS5, or Xbox One to Series X/S. No crossplay between Playstation and Xbox.
• New gen users must run old gen version – The new standalone next-gen edition of Siege does NOT support crossplay with old gen.
• Matchmaking can struggle – Given hardware differences, matching teams fairly isn‘t easy. Skill should determine games, not frame rates.

So in summary – crossplay IS enabled, but only when new gen consoles run the old gen backwards compatible version of Siege. Let‘s break down exactly how to get crossplay running for your squad.

A seamless guide to crossplay from R6 veteran to newbie

Alright, let‘s say you just unwrapped a shiny new PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X – congrats! All your friends are begging you to squad up in Rainbow Six Siege…but they don‘t have hundreds of dollars to drop on new hardware. What should you do?

Follow these steps to effortlessly transition from old generation to new while keeping the Siege band together:

On your new console:

• Locate Rainbow Six Siege in your library or console‘s digital storefront. Make sure you download the old gen PS4 or Xbox One version via backwards compatibility.

• During first launch, make sure crossplay is enabled in Settings > Gameplay > Crossplay. Set it to On to play with friends on old consoles.

• Consider disabling 120fps mode when in crossplay matches to ensure balance with 60fps old gen players. Some report screen tearing issues otherwise.

• Check your friend‘s list – you should now see your buddies on PS4 or Xbox One. Send cross-gen invites and squad up!

On your old gen console:

• Similarly enable crossplay in your settings menu. Accept invites from next-gen friends when they arrive.

• No other special steps needed – treat it like playing with any other platform user. Let the cross-generation carnage commence!

With some simple preparation, you can breach and clear with your day one Siege bros even on totally different console hardware generations. But how does the actual gameplay experience hold up?

Community perspectives – does cross-gen play actually work well?

Numbers and specs are one thing, but I wanted hands-on opinions from veterans who‘ve tested cross-gen play after upgrading to PS5 or Series X/S. How does Siege feel across console generations? Here‘s what they had to say:

"Honestly I expected to have a huge advantage on PS5, but after a few games with my PS4 buddies it felt surprisingly fair. Sure, buttery 120fps is nice, but going loud in a stack with the homies levels the playing field" – Lara (PS4 -> PS5 player)

"I was worried my kid would crush me on his new Xbox when I‘m on old trusty One S. But Ubi‘s matchmaking seems on point, and the action holds up. Only real difference is he loads maps way faster thanks to SSD" – Frank (Xbox One S player)

"Happy I can keep playing with little bro on PS4 after I upgraded…but dang, sometimes it does feel like PS5 gives me an edge. Things just feel more responsive at higher fps." – Jeff (PS4 -> PS5 player)

The verdict seems to be that cross-generation Siege works, and remains fun with friends even across console power gaps. But some new gen advantages like frame rate can occasionally rear their head. Ubisoft‘s tweaked matchmaking strives for fairness, but hardware differences can‘t be fully compensated for in competitive play.

The developer balancing act – Interviewing Ubisoft on crossplay challenges

Implementing cross-gen support for a fast-paced competitive shooter seems rife with challenges. How does the Siege dev team approach balancing and matchmaking across generations? I decided to ask Lead Game Designer Jean-Baptiste Halle directly:

"Our philosophy is gameplay first – we aim to make having friends on both old and new consoles as seamless as possible. But blistering action with tight hit windows like Siege magnifies any performance gaps. Our matchmaking looks at many factors like input, ping, and skill to create the fairest matchups. But ultimately, some difference between console power persist."

Their goal seems to be minimizing friction for cross-gen squads, while acknowledging new gen systems push R6‘s limits further. Let‘s explore specific technical factors that can create gameplay differences across generations:

Frame rate – 120fps vs 60fps

Perhaps the most impactful advantage of new consoles is hitting up to 120fps in Rainbow Six Siege, compared to just 60fps max on old gen. This can provide a competitive edge through:

• Faster reactions – reduced input lag to aim and shoot more quickly at 120fps.
• Smoother aim – higher fidelity mouse or thumbstick control with more frame samples.
• Finer adjustments – like managing recoil bounceback, crucial at high skill levels.
• Faster leans – Quick left/right leaning to peek corners that‘s honed by pro players.

Of course, many other factors affect gunfights like positioning, coordination and raw skill. But 120fps grants new gen users intrinsically heightened reflexes and precision that could be the difference in close matches, especially in high MMR gameplay.

Loading – New SSDs vs Old HDDs

Another new gen benefit comes from blazing fast solid state drives that load maps and matches in seconds, rather than minutes on old hard drives. Users report waiting over 3-4 minutes for matches on PS4 and Xbox One:

"Dude it takes longer to load into a match than to play it – I can boil water between rounds on my PS4"

This affects gameplay by:

• Letting new gen players modify loadouts and operators while old gen users are still loading.
• Potentially allowing quick re-queues after losses, gaining more practice over time.
• Minimizing frustration during play sessions – less wasted time staring at load screens.

For players chasing high ranks, every bit of extra prep and practice between long loads on old gen could make a difference.

Resolution/Visuals

This one is minor, but new consoles also support up to 4K resolution along with graphical improvements like better textures, shadows and effects. Combined with higher frame rates, this can provide some visual advantage in spotting enemies. Muzzle flash, debris and other visual clutter are more defined in next-gen.

However, many competitive players actually prefer 1080p for higher frames. So visual changes seem less impactful than raw performance benefits.

Optimizing old gen – squeeze out every frame

While new consoles clearly push Siege‘s limits further, are there ways for old gen users to optimize settings and hardware for the fairest crossplay experience? Here are some community recommended tweaks:

In-game display settings

• Set graphics to low or medium to maximize frame rate
• Pick lower resolutions like 720p if your TV supports it
• Disable vsync for reduced input delay
• Tweak lens and camera bounds for maximum visibility

External monitors

• Gaming monitors with higher refresh rates up to 120hz can connected via HDMI or adapters. This allows older consoles to output higher frame rates.

Adjust aim techniques

• Use movement instead of flicking aim at higher sensitivities to compensate for lower frames.

Gameplay positioning

• Be mindful of long angles where new gen player‘s aim assist from higher fps could have an impact.

Parties and communication

• Use Discord on phones/tablets to enable seamless voice chat across platforms.

With some equipment and settings adjustments, competitive old gen players can slightly compensate for technical differences versus new consoles. But valid concerns around fairness persist, especially at high skill levels.

What does the future hold for crossplay in Rainbow Six?

While currently limited to consoles, Ubisoft has an exciting crossplay roadmap planned to allow more players to squad up together:

Cross-progression

Currently targeted for early 2023, this would allow you to sync your unlocked operators, stats and ranks across platforms via your Ubisoft account. This means you can switch between console and PC while retaining all your progress.

PC and console crossplay

One major limitation is the lack of direct crossplay between PC and console players. But Ubisoft plans to change this once compatible anti-cheat software like BattlEye is implemented on consoles, letting these communities finally unite.

Mobile crossplay

Rainbow Six Mobile is planned for a global launch in 2022-2023. The potential to sync progress and play on both mobile and console via crossplay is hugely exciting.

Further next-gen improvements

Ongoing upgrades planned include 4K 120fps support, refined destruction physics using new hardware capabilities, and other major visual upgrades.

While the full crossplay dream is still on the horizon, Ubisoft‘s robust post-launch support for Rainbow Six Siege gives us hope that someday, we‘ll all be able to play together regardless of platform or generation. The future is bright!

TL;DR and Verdict

Let‘s recap everything we learned about cross-generational play:

• Crossplay between PS4 and PS5 or Xbox One with Series X/S works, provided new gen consoles run the old backwards compatible version.

• Some valid balance concerns exist due to hardware differences in framerate, loading, and graphics. But with communication and practice, squads can overcome tech gaps.

• While not perfect, crossplay allows you to keep playing with friends even if you upgrade consoles before them. No one gets left behind!

• Ubisoft aims for fairness but hardware differences can‘t be fully compensated for. Tweak settings to optimize old gen experience.

• Exciting future plans are in store like PC/console crossplay, cross-progression and mobile support down the road.

So while some generational growing pains exist, the ability to squad up across PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Series X/S provides a big boost in keeping the R6 community together. Until your whole crew has new gear, embrace crossplay to continue making memories on the battlefield with your long-term teammates!