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DF - Horizon is a technical masterpiece on PS4 and Pro

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
Did you? Or maybe anyone from DF did? Why are we talking about this? Why are you talking about some "lazy devs"? Do you even understand what I'm saying? That praising a console game for a fact that it manages to hold locked 30 fps 99.9% of the time is rather strange since you'd expect that 99.9% of console games would do this by default.

It's not a jab at Horizon or DF or "lazy devs", it's just a fact which seems weird to me. I don't know why we have so many games which struggle to keep it at steady 33.3ms - hell, there's an example of FFXV latest patch where keeping it steady have nothing to do even with the quality of graphics. It just feels like the platform holders QA should probably be better? Or maybe some devs really need to educate themselves on how modern GPUs and multicore CPUs work?

But again, there nothing "difficult" in having a locked 30 fps in any console game. If a game can't handle this then it's an issue of the development team which they should really take care of via patches or at least in their next project - which again is not the case quite often (BB->DS3 stuttering?) which makes this whole situation even more bizarre.
Let me explain this better - the reason we choose to praise a stable 30fps is simple; the give stability the attention it deserves. You said it yourself, a lot of games DO NOT hit the target frame-rate, right? By praising games that DO hit that level, it's positive reinforcement and good press.

Even if it should be standard it is not and anything we can do to help keep awareness alive is positive in my book.

Beautiful

Dies this game have real time GI? Some scenes I don't see any light bounce

And do clouds move? It was standing still the whole time in that vid
Clouds absolutely move and are incredible. The reason nothing moves in that video is due to the fact that it was taken in photo mode. I made a lot of similar shots as well since you can adjust time of day within photo mode - but all animation is frozen while doing so. During actual gameplay, the clouds, grass etc all move.
 

nitrowolf2

Neo Member
Beautiful

Dies this game have real time GI? Some scenes I don't see any light bounce

And do clouds move? It was standing still the whole time in that vid

Yes the clouds Move, they aren't because this is using "photomode" to capture the scenes

sorry what is GI?
 

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
Lmao you played it on PC? But eh thats just like your opinion man.
It's an odd one to compare.

I personally feel that Horizon looks dramatically better than The Witcher 3 but much of that is due to my preference for the aesthetic. The use of high-quality motion blur, a massive sense of scale to the world (more so than Witcher), better animation work and a better choice of colors. I still feel that The Witcher 3 just looks somewhat jerky in motion even when running at a high frame-rate on the PC with various mods.

It can be a beautiful game on a PC, no doubt - this isn't a PC vs console question either, I just don't really like the look of Witcher 3. Never have.

Clearly a matter of opinion, though.
 
I mean, disregarding things like vegetation distance, shadow quality, ao quality, or subjective ideas about art or hair rendering, I think it is pretty safe to say that Horizon Zero Dawn looks better than The Witcher 3.

The materials and post processing are quite a bit better. It also has volumetric shadows, those clouds, and (seemingly) lit valley fog.

You would hope things like that would be better though given the years between the game releases and the fac thtat one has the luxury of targetting one single piece of hardware.
 

Hairsplash

Member
If I get a pro but not a 4K tv will I see enough difference over a reg PS4 on my 1080p tv?

yes,
the antialiasing is superio IMO, on a 1080p using the ps4pro... compare COD: remastered on ps4pro, and same game on ps4... same, but more lifelike.

Yes if you have an nvidia card with enough power, (gtx980 lets say) you can compare GTAV, using DSR 4K and switch in game to see the difference, which is a really clean presentation... also so good, that you start to wonder if a 4K monitor in needed... the difference between 1080 dsr4k and a 4k monitor is really close...

(Also you can get a good idea, by using the 4k mode vs unlock rate in ROTTR...
 

Piggus

Member
I've played Witcher 3 maxed on PC and Horizon looks much better.

Same. In fact I have W3 pushed well beyond "Ultra" via INI settings. It's a beautiful game, but what GG is doing with Horizon is on another level. It's just a much more advanced engine.
 

Inuhanyou

Believes Dragon Quest is a franchise managed by Sony
I mean, disregarding things like vegetation distance, shadow quality, ao quality, or subjective ideas about art or hair rendering, I think it is pretty safe to say that Horizon Zero Dawn looks better than The Witcher 3.

The materials and post processing are quite a bit better. It also has volumetric shadows, those clouds, and (seemingly) lit valley fog.

You would hope things like that would be better though given the years between the game releases and the fac thtat one has the luxury of targetting one single piece of hardware.

We've come a long way from PS4 would melt trying to do Watch Dogs 1 visuals on PC(post downgrade even!)

To think we've got so far on base PS4 no less with a good FPS and IQ in games like Horizon. PS4 has come onto its own. Can't wait for Spiderman

It looks lovely, but I don't think I'll ever be able to call a game running at 30fps a technical masterpiece.

Good for you. Luckily those who are talking about actual technical engine details and not FPS are making the call.

i never encountered this level of annoying talk when SOTC came out on PS2 sub 20 at points. It was still regarded as a technical masterpiece
 

mxgt

Banned
It looks lovely, but I don't think I'll ever be able to call a game running at 30fps a technical masterpiece.

Good for you. Luckily those who are talking about actual technical engine details and not FPS are making the call.

i never encountered this level of annoying talk when SOTC came out on PS2 sub 20 at points. It was still regarded as a technical masterpiece

I don't see why you are being so defensive. It's not like I'm shitting on the game.
 
We've come a long way from PS4 would melt trying to do Watch Dogs 1 visuals on PC(post downgrade even!)

To think we've got so far on base PS4 no less with a good FPS and IQ in games like Horizon. PS4 has come onto its own. Can't wait for Spiderman



Good for you. Luckily those who are talking about actual technical engine details and not FPS are making the call.

i never encountered this level of annoying talk when SOTC came out on PS2 sub 20 at points. It was still regarded as a technical masterpiece

or even witcher 2 lol
 

Pakoe

Gold Member
It looks lovely, but I don't think I'll ever be able to call a game running at 30fps a technical masterpiece.



I don't see why you are being so defensive. It's not like I'm shitting on the game.

You can still call it a cinematic masterpiece.
 

Inuhanyou

Believes Dragon Quest is a franchise managed by Sony
I don't see why you are being so defensive. It's not like I'm shitting on the game.

I'm not defensive, i am irritated by your spotty definition of 'technical masterpiece' in a technical thread, where John and DF have laid out their parameters.

"Lol not 60fps!" is basically nonsense, its a youtube video comment
 

mxgt

Banned
I'm not defensive, i am irritated by your spotty definition of 'technical masterpiece' in a technical thread, where John and DF have laid out their parameters.

"Lol not 60fps!" is basically nonsense, its a youtube video comment

I don't see how it's nonsense, this is a thread discussing the technical side of the game. Would you rather me circle jerk about how godly the game is?

I'd just prefer the game would either be in 60fps or have a 60fps option. In my (obviously unpopular) opinion, 30fps is insufficient in providing a solid gameplay experience, and it's a shame that pretty graphics are preferred.

I am sorry my post upset you.
 
Lmao you played it on PC? But eh thats just like your opinion man.

Witcher 3 is a beautiful looking game, and I expect Cyperpunk 2077 to look insane. But as others have said, the lighting, modelling and effects here look more impressive. Rendering also looks better to me. Witcher 3 certainly looks more polished on PC compared to consoles, it clearly looks better. But it isn't a fundamentally different looking game, even with the mods I have seen. The stuff Horizon does better still holds across the PC platform, because they don't change in a significant way.
 

Inuhanyou

Believes Dragon Quest is a franchise managed by Sony
I don't see how it's nonsense, this is a thread discussing the technical side of the game. Would you rather me circle jerk about how godly the game is?

I'd just prefer the game would either be in 60fps or have a 60fps option. In my (obviously unpopular) opinion, 30fps is insufficient in providing a solid gameplay experience, and it's a shame that pretty graphics are preferred.

I am sorry my post upset you.

And that's a perfectly legitimate opinion to have.

i was just annoyed by what you said coming off as saying the game was not worth the title DF placed on it from their own perspective just because it did not fit what you prioritize in games.

They are coming at it from a scale, graphics, visuals and (smooth) performance metrics, not whether or not its 60fps
 
Witcher 3 is a beautiful looking game, and I expect Cyperpunk 2077 to look insane. But as others have said, the lighting, modelling and effects here look more impressive. Rendering also looks better to me. Witcher 3 certainly looks more polished on PC compared to consoles, it clearly looks better. But it isn't a fundamentally different looking game, even with the mods I have seen. The stuff Horizon does better still holds across the PC platform, because they don't change in a significant way.

pc versions of multiplatform games this gen are so similar to the console versions, maybe more so then ever
 

Kyolux

Member
Getting myself a discounted Samsung KU7000 for in big parts this game (and whatever comes in the future).

Can't wait to experience HDR finally (even if limited on that TV from what I gather).
 
Witcher 3 is a beautiful looking game, and I expect Cyperpunk 2077 to look insane. But as others have said, the lighting, modelling and effects here look more impressive. Rendering also looks better to me. Witcher 3 certainly looks more polished on PC compared to consoles, it clearly looks better. But it isn't a fundamentally different looking game, even with the mods I have seen. The stuff Horizon does better still holds across the PC platform, because they don't change in a significant way.

Don't forget character animation .
Still cyberpunk should be awesome looking in the next few years .
 
pc versions of multiplatform games this gen are so similar to the console versions, maybe more so then ever

Yeah, last gen there was a big difference even between 720p, which pretty much all big name console games were and 1080p. AA also made a big difference. Now current gen consoles are going above 1080p and have pretty good to great AA, the differences are less. Of course if PCs are specificially leveraged, then the games will look substantially different, but effects are dialled up, rather than core assets changed. There is a difference, it is just not anywhere near as much as it could be.
 
Lmao you played it on PC? But eh thats just like your opinion man.

It seemes the majority opinion on GAF here including the person over at Digital Foundry who did the original evaluation agrees that Horizon looks better than The Witcher 3 maxxed out.

I've noticed a small group at GAF that can be very defensive when it comes to visual comparisons on PC. The Witcher 3 looks fantastic but at this point its now a dated game, this holds true in regards to graphics as well.

Edit: good god some of these horizon screen grabs look straight up bullshots.
 

Elixist

Member
I'll get some soon but here's a couple random caps of the motion blur

SAnc.jpg

RAnc.jpg


goddam thems sum good gfx
 

Gurish

Member
I mean, disregarding things like vegetation distance, shadow quality, ao quality, or subjective ideas about art or hair rendering, I think it is pretty safe to say that Horizon Zero Dawn looks better than The Witcher 3.

The materials and post processing are quite a bit better. It also has volumetric shadows, those clouds, and (seemingly) lit valley fog.

You would hope things like that would be better though given the years between the game releases and the fac thtat one has the luxury of targetting one single piece of hardware.

I know you are a big PC guy and you know a lot about tech as well, hearing this from you should put an end to this argument :p

(for me it is very obvious Horizon looks better than TW3 on PC as well and I find it hard to understand how can anyone think otherwise but opinions (or being a little biased? ;) ) and all.
 

Grassy

Member
Wow, it looks great even on PS4 Amateur. Is there any difference in screenshot quality between PS4 Pro and Amateur other than resolution?
 
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