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Digital Foundry: Hellblade: PS4 vs PS4 Pro Graphics Comparison + Frame-Rate Test
- Thread starter Theorry
- Start date
PackAPunchedMick
Member
I'm not seeing the problem here.
All games should have the option of a lower resolution to hit 60fps.
PC gamers have been doing it forever.
Pjsprojects
Member
Eww very glad I went with the PC version.
Sure.
Just surprising to see when an alleged "rule" was that the bare minimum rendering resolution on PS4 Pro was supposed to be 1080p.
Irobot82
Member
No we turn down graphical settings way before resolution.
Caayn
Member
Multiple games have already broken these so called "rules".
PackAPunchedMick
Member
I'm guessing as it's an option they found a loop hole in Sony's mandate.
Eewwwwwww no thanks
Script of the Bridge
Banned
Yup very good to see 60fps options in console games. Nioh even had an option for 720p 60fps on the standard PS4. Wish every game had those options.
down 2 orth
Member
The more options, the better. Especially for Pro users.
Just to note - this is a *VERY* demanding game so it's no surprise that the resolution had to drop hard to reach 60fps.
I've been testing this on a Titan Xp 2017 model - I don't think there is a faster single GPU solution available and 4K60 is simply off the table (even using medium level settings). First game I've encountered that won't hold 60fps at 4K, actually. Clearly, it's not as well optimized as it could be.
The biggest issue with the console release is the lack of a frame-rate cap. Capped at 30fps, this would look great on the Pro but unlocked, unstable frame-rates are awful. At least the 60fps mode seems relatively consistent.
I've been testing this on a Titan Xp 2017 model - I don't think there is a faster single GPU solution available and 4K60 is simply off the table (even using medium level settings). First game I've encountered that won't hold 60fps at 4K, actually. Clearly, it's not as well optimized as it could be.
The biggest issue with the console release is the lack of a frame-rate cap. Capped at 30fps, this would look great on the Pro but unlocked, unstable frame-rates are awful. At least the 60fps mode seems relatively consistent.
This is the feeling I get playing it on PC. I'm encountering lots of stuttering and weird framerate dips.
LordOfLore
Banned
dark is the next Retro video tomorrow or today btw?
Nachtfalke
Member
Non 60fps mode needs a cap, but besides that I'm satisfied with the pro support. Happy to see the option for 60fps. I don't mind the blurrier image quality for better framerates.
I didn't realise that - I won't be buying the game then.
I simply can't tolerate it when games are unlocked and constantly hover between 30-60fps. I was so glad when they patched the 30fps caps in to Killzone: Shadow Fall and Infamous: Second Son, because before I just couldn't bare to play them.
I just simply hate judder, and I'm still baffled how people can stand to watch 24p content at 60hz too.
Yautja_Warrior
Member
Well that explains the fuzzy / less sharp picture in 60fps mode on the Pro then but a game this good looking running at 60fps on current consoles, it's hardly surprising something had to take a hit. Looks fantastic at 30fps though.
It's coming tomorrow!
When is that Xbox BC feature coming that was planned for the new year?
Just joking. Know you guys have alot to cover.
This game is indeed demanding, I can't even get perfect 60FPS 100% of the time with an i7 6700K and GTX 1080 at 1440P.
This is one of the blurriest games I've played though, even when considering other UE4 games. I think the sharpest UE4 game Ive played is Gears 4 and that was pretty damn good.
This is one of the blurriest games I've played though, even when considering other UE4 games. I think the sharpest UE4 game Ive played is Gears 4 and that was pretty damn good.
Watching the video, it looked like a blurry mess even compared to the standard PS4
I thought it was 720p max
guybrushfreeman
Unconfirmed Member
This makes me happy. Wish I still had my PS4 Pro and PC around to play this. I tried on my tiny laptop but it was just impossible. Thanks for the video dark
Frozone
Member
Yea, there is a lot going on with the game. The Lighting is fantastic with the correct amount of wavelength, the FX are really well done (ripples on the beach), and the character textures/hair are some of the best I've ever seen. Very impressed with the visual direction in this game. Animations are a little stiff though (character) and there are some low res textures scattered here and there, but overall great presentation.
I do hope they cap the framerate when favoring resolution. Doing a replay in that mode now and you can tell it's inconsistent.
The 60fps mode is rather nice though. IQ definitely takes a hit but since this game has so many distortion effects, raw clarity isn't as big a deal here and the improved temporal resolution counters it a bit. The increased animation fluidity really helps sell the game's mocap as well, which I feel is crucial to the experience that they're going for. Very cool to be able to play a game like this that's pushing the GPU so hard at 60 on a console.
Overall I love the visuals of this game. It's gorgeous and leverages a lot of UE4 features well.
The 60fps mode is rather nice though. IQ definitely takes a hit but since this game has so many distortion effects, raw clarity isn't as big a deal here and the improved temporal resolution counters it a bit. The increased animation fluidity really helps sell the game's mocap as well, which I feel is crucial to the experience that they're going for. Very cool to be able to play a game like this that's pushing the GPU so hard at 60 on a console.
Overall I love the visuals of this game. It's gorgeous and leverages a lot of UE4 features well.
As far as I know, any game that drops below 1080p on the Pro are games targeting 60 and have another mode that's higher res.
Well, honestly, once the Xbox One X news came to our doorstep, I kind of put it on hold. Figured it would make more sense to work on that when the One X hits since it'll likely do a LOT better.When is that Xbox BC feature coming that was planned for the new year?
Just joking. Know you guys have alot to cover.
Still have a lot of those captures I did on hard drives, though.
Traxtech
Member
Way blurrier than a standard ps4, but i guess that's the trade off for 30fps vs 60. I bet in a future patch it will be 1080p 60 with optimizations but will probably be abit late
I don't think it's that demanding purely (or even mostly) because of the tech it uses, there are games with better tech and bigger scale (this is almost entirely a corridor game) that perform better. It's just not well optimised and UE4 as we know has a lot of overhead. It's a mid budget tittle with a tiny team, something had to give. Even the settings menu is default UE4 rather than something the developers made themselves.
For example, to me Gears of War 4 seems a lot more complex (except for the faces ofcourse). But Gears 4 is also the only UE4 game that manages to do what it does. And it's a AAA with high budget.
LelouchZero
Member
I know Gears of War 4 and Titanfall 2 have options for a dynamic resolution, and if I recall correctly Firefall did too.
EDIT: I just remembered, Forza Motorsport 6: Apex and Forza Horizon 3 have a "dynamic optimization" option.
Wishmaster92
Member
tbh I would rather see 900p 60fps games on the pro than 1080p 45 fps. It does look like a blurry mess but at least the option is there for smooth gameplay. Idk just my thoughts but I would like to see more of this method.
Frozone
Member
UE4 has a lot of implementations (same as Unity) that can be harnessed by a developer. If a studio starts combining all these features, you get (IMO) a demanding game.
What is 'better tech'? All of these games use similar tech (i.e. SSR is just SSR. Baked GI is just a popular method of getting a good ambient lighting + environment lighting for example); some may focus on one aspect of the tech and neglect another aspect of it.
Same, even with dynamic resolution game looks significantly better with 60 hrz off.
Ouch
I didn't expect the trade off to be that severe
More along the lines of 1440p/30 or 1080p/60 both with standard ps4 settings
I'm all for 60fps but it looks just bad in that mode
PS4 / Pro 30 / Pro 60
That does not change the fact that UE4 has an overhead and my belief that Hellblade could perform better than it does. At some point engines start compromising performance for ease of use and Unity does that far more visibly than any other multiplatform engine. Yes developers can harness it to the best but that's not to say those same developers couldn't have harnessed even more if they had the time and resources to get their game up and running on another engine.
It's funny you'd say that when your original post implies how this is a demanding game because of its tech. I've seen games that are more technically complex run better. A game that has the same amount of tech deployed but in a larger scale for instance is also more technically complex. I admit it's a vague term but as good as Hellblade looks I won't put it among the most technically accomplished tittles out there. It's around the top...but not at the top.
As for tech being all the same. Yes SSR is SSR but there is a varying level of implementation and precision across all the games. Look at Destiny for example, it has SSR and you'd think it'd behave like SSR in all games. But it doesn't, it doesn't get applied to every surface with a reflective property and is only seen on water bodies, which is not how SSR works usually as it's a technique that gets applied based on a surface's specularity rather than be selective about which reflective body gets it. It also ends up reflecting wrong as sometimes it can reflect the ground in front of the water body. It doesn't behave like SSR yet at other times it still behaves like SSR. And that's just an extreme example, point being despite the homogeneous nature of rendering technology they are not all the same and differences comes down in implementation and precision.
Which is where a game becomes a game with "better tech" for me.
Resident_UA
Member
I have no clue why anyone would play this game 60fps... I mean if there's a game that doesn't really need to run at 60 it's this.
No, if there's a game that doesn't need 60 fps it'd be The Last of Us, even 720p would be preferable just to stick to the original game's vision.
LelouchZero
Member
I don't agree at all, 60 fps is much more pleasant to look at.
LMAO! Oh man that thread was weird.
Louis Cyphre
Banned
If it's an absolute must but I begin with turning down other settings first (lower shadows, lower aliasing ect.)
PLASTICA-MAN
Member
900p on PS4 PRO really? It seems Sony is less strict on their mandated rules for PS4 PRO. First, they are allowing more games to not support PS4 PRO or have minimal insignificant support. Now they allow resolutions less than 1080p and for a game which was supposed to be a PS4 exclusive at first. If they get loose more often, we will witness a batch of more unoptimised games or even scamped games for both platforms. I wish this game had more time and efforts to get optmised.
DongBeetle
Banned
Play it in 30 fps
Resolution scaling on monitors is terrible. I rather not play a game until my next GPU upgrade than play at non-native res.
Resident_UA
Member
Lol. I get the reference.
If there's no impact on visuals, sure 60fps is nice. But honestly most of the time in this game you move too slowly to tell a difference between 60 and 30.