Fallout 76's new ultrawide monitor support disappoints players

Published , by Brittany Vincent

Bethesda has introduced its latest patch for Fallout 76 with 21:9 resolution support, but it appears it's only serving to frustrate players rather than excite them.

The latest Fallout 76 patch 1.0.3.10 this week included a wealth of changes, but most importantly ultra wide support for players looking to utilize it. Unfortunately, a number of Reddit users have stumbled upon the fact that the ultrawide mode isn't really that. Instead, it's simply a modification to the game's INI file, which means that its original 16:9 aspect ratio has been stretched to accommodate the 21:9 resolution instead of being a true change in display.

The result is a frustrating mix of garbled UI, and while the game itself looks fine, the display stretches in some strange ways. It doesn't look great. You can tell how the "ultrawide" picture is simply stretched in the image below.

Redditor AbheekG's screenshots show off the shoddy work. Hilariously, there are unofficial mods for Fallout 4 and Fallout 76 that actually add ultrawide support that work far better than anything Bethesda has done. The Redditor commented that "A modder without access to the source code did what Bethesda didn't in a whole month!" Others in the thread have chimed in with similar results, which isn't a great look for the company.

This change to the INI file has been a solution players have utilized since the game launched, but it was never quite official. The idea that Bethesda simply added the same tweak to its source code for the game's "ultrawide" support isn't sitting well with players, as a result. When you take a step back and look at the entire Fallout 76 picture, including the recent canvas bag debacle, issues with the game in general, and Bethesda's seemingly cavalier attitude toward it all, one thing becomes abundantly clear: the Fallout 76 launch has been nothing short of a disaster.