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neogaffer1 · Oct 4, 2014

The Xbox One release is immediately on the back foot, with our pixel count tests highlighting an upscaled 1600x900 resolve for the platform. In contrast with the full native 1920x1080 output on PS4,

Curiously, the PS4 and Xbox One feature an effect that refuses to work on PC: motion blur. Despite both camera and object motion blur being available in its settings menu, enabling it gives us no visible return while in-game.

Besides the 900p versus 1080p divide in native resolution, there are other noteworthy contrasts between the Microsoft and Sony versions. One of the biggest is in shadow quality, where Xbox One employs lower-resolution, flickering shadows that match the PC's medium standard. PlayStation 4, meanwhile, offers much sharper outlines - particularly on hand details as Talion presses to a wall, falling close to the PC's high setting. It's a clear PS4 lead here.

Added to that, while the Sony console falls very short of the PC's level of vegetation density, by comparison to Xbox One it still boasts a notable increase in foliage across the world. Otherwise, both versions are very closely aligned in terms of effects quality and filtering - the PS4 only missing out on a subtle alpha effect around a creature's fangs in one encounter (shown in our comparison videos).

All of which leads us on to the topic of performance. Each of these per-platform visual tweaks service one end goal: v-synced 30fps playback on console hardware. In dialling back the LOD levels, textures and shadow quality for Xbox One and PS4, Monolith Productions achieves a near-perfect lock at this target based on our tests. Even in rendering a screen filled with irascible orc underlings, there's little that disrupts Shadow of Mordor's clean 30fps read-out. We do get the odd dropped frame when the camera quickly zooms to an alerted general; but gameplay is otherwise consistent for both platforms.

V-sync me if old

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2014-shadow-of-mordor-face-off

Kezen · Oct 4, 2014

Weren't there rumors stating the PS4 would be 60fps ? So much for that.

Miles Quaritch · Oct 4, 2014

Monolith Productions achieves a near-perfect lock at this target based on our tests.

Yup, played the PS4 version for about three hours last night and this morning and I didn't notice a single stutter, drop, etc.

Pretty amazing they managed to lock it considering it's open world, I expected some serious problems when the game opened up...

Kaversmed · Oct 4, 2014

Kezen said:
Weren't there rumors stating the PS4 would be 60fps ? So much for that.

yup, and xone version would be 720p. Rumors were going wild.

neogaffer1 · Oct 4, 2014

Kezen said:
Weren't there rumors stating the PS4 would be 60fps ? So much for that.

They were targeting 1080p60 and everybody assumed it was unlocked 60 for that reason.

CyanideFuse · Oct 4, 2014

You can try pushing your luck by pushing texture detail higher - for example, we tried running high quality textures on a 2GB GTX 760 working in combination with the 30fps lock option. This may give your hardware time to swap in the textures in and out of GDDR5 without too much stutter, but results could vary - as we found when running ultra textures on the 3GB GTX 780 Ti.

I have yet to suffer from these terrible stuttering issues from using high textures on my 2GB card (running at 60fps).

StrongBlackVine · Oct 4, 2014

Kezen said:
Weren't there rumors stating the PS4 would be 60fps ? So much for that.

In an open world game? Only Kojima does that.

Noobcraft · Oct 4, 2014

Does the Xbox one version have more foliage? I don't understand what he meant by his statement.

Kayant · Oct 4, 2014

With PS4 and Xbox One alike patched up to version 1.02, the differences at first glance are few owing to a heavy use of pre-rendered cut-scenes of matching compression settings. As is often the case, resolution is a divisive point on the console front. The Xbox One release is immediately on the back foot, with our pixel count tests highlighting an upscaled 1600x900 resolve for the platform. In contrast with the full native 1920x1080 output on PS4, it's undoubtedly a downgrade that echoes the state of many multi-platform releases this year. However, catching this disparity does take very close attention to side-by-side shots - in part due to both versions' use of a heavy post-process anti-aliasing effect.

Curiously, this post-process setting is entirely absent from the PC version's menus. Instead, PC users are left with a raw image, which in our comparison shots is set to output a straight 1080p. As a net result, PS4 and Xbox One are able to reduce flicker when panning across foliage, while these elements appear harsh and pixelated on PC. As a fix, it's possible to set the PC resolution to 3840x2160, allowing the game itself to super-sample the image down to a pristine 1080p output, but given how GPU-intensive this is, a less taxing, console-style AA option would have been welcome.

Curiously, the PS4 and Xbox One feature an effect that refuses to work on PC: motion blur. Despite both camera and object motion blur being available in its settings menu, enabling it gives us no visible return while in-game. Even swapping between Nvidia and AMD graphics cards has no impact in kicking this feature into gear - and likewise for altering the appropriate .ini file line to force the effect.

Besides the 900p versus 1080p divide in native resolution, there are other noteworthy contrasts between the Microsoft and Sony versions. One of the biggest is in shadow quality, where Xbox One employs lower-resolution, flickering shadows that match the PC's medium standard. PlayStation 4, meanwhile, offers much sharper outlines - particularly on hand details as Talion presses to a wall, falling close to the PC's high setting. It's a clear PS4 lead here.

Added to that, while the Sony console falls very short of the PC's level of vegetation density, by comparison to Xbox One it still boasts a notable increase in foliage across the world. Otherwise, both versions are very closely aligned in terms of effects quality and filtering - the PS4 only missing out on a subtle alpha effect around a creature's fangs in one encounter (shown in our comparison videos).

All of which leads us on to the topic of performance. Each of these per-platform visual tweaks service one end goal: v-synced 30fps playback on console hardware. In dialling back the LOD levels, textures and shadow quality for Xbox One and PS4, Monolith Productions achieves a near-perfect lock at this target based on our tests. Even in rendering a screen filled with irascible orc underlings, there's little that disrupts Shadow of Mordor's clean 30fps read-out. We do get the odd dropped frame when the camera quickly zooms to an alerted general; but gameplay is otherwise consistent for both platform

More here - http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2014-shadow-of-mordor-face-off

Majmun · Oct 4, 2014

Pretty big advantages for the Ps4 version.

1080p, better shadows and more foliage compared to the XB1 version.

MiloFoxburr · Oct 4, 2014

Noobcraft said:
Does the Xbox one version have more foliage? I don't understand what he meant by his statement.

More foliage than the Xbox one but less than PC

symphonask · Oct 4, 2014

Interesting that they barely mention the 60fps advantage for PC. You know, the biggest differentiator between the 3 versions of the game.

killatopak · Oct 4, 2014

expected. I thought it was 60fps though.

Kaversmed · Oct 4, 2014

Noobcraft said:
Does the Xbox one version have more foliage? I don't understand what he meant by his statement.

PS4 has less than PC but more than Xone

edit: always beaten

blakep267 · Oct 4, 2014

What about the patch that bumped up the resolution of the game for xb1?

Galdelico · Oct 4, 2014

Noobcraft said:
Does the Xbox one version have more foliage? I don't understand what he meant by his statement.

Nope, the opposite. PS4 version has more and it's closer to the PC game in that regard.

Noobcraft · Oct 4, 2014

MiloFoxburr said:
More foliage than the Xbox one but less than PC

More foliage than the ps4 but less than PC?
Edit: ahh OK.

Business · Oct 4, 2014

Noobcraft said:
Does the Xbox one version have more foliage? I don't understand what he meant by his statement.

It has less but they couldn't find a more complicated way to say it.

Edit: beaten by I don't know how many

Radec · Oct 4, 2014

As expected

Cerity · Oct 4, 2014

symphonask said:
Interesting that they barely mention the 60fps advantage for PC. You know, the biggest differentiator between the 3 versions of the game.

I thought this is more or less a given when on PC. Unless the port is shockingly bad and gives reasons to mention it.

Mohonky · Oct 4, 2014

neogaffer1 said:
They were targeting 1080p60 and everybody assumed it was unlocked 60 for that reason.

Everytime we hear about a PS4 title aiming for 60fps its almost always discussed as though 60fps is locked in and assumed confirmed.

killatopak · Oct 4, 2014

symphonask said:
Interesting that they barely mention the 60fps advantage for PC. You know, the biggest differentiator between the 3 versions of the game.

Why does it have to be mentioned when 60fps is almost always the case unless the devs capped the fps to 30 on PC.

Backfoggen · Oct 4, 2014

blakep267 said:
What about the patch that bumped up the resolution of the game for xb1?

I dled the game yesterday and it looks like its 900p still.

CyanideFuse · Oct 4, 2014

symphonask said:
Interesting that they barely mention the 60fps advantage for PC. You know, the biggest differentiator between the 3 versions of the game.

It's not cinematic enough to mention...

jellies_two · Oct 4, 2014

a few nice bonuses for ps4 in that.
along with the usual console no fussing around pay and play advantage.

KojiKnight · Oct 4, 2014

killatopak said:
Why does it have to be mentioned when 60fps is almost always the case unless the devs capped the fps to 30 on PC.

For the same reasons they don't usually bother mentioning modding or other PC advantages... it goes without saying.

Whitechocolatekrispies · Oct 4, 2014

symphonask said:
Interesting that they barely mention the 60fps advantage for PC. You know, the biggest differentiator between the 3 versions of the game.

Not every PC will run it at 60fps. If you want the framerate, go find a graphics card benchmarker.

UrbanRats · Oct 4, 2014

Wait, PC version has no motion blur? I hope they'll fix that with a patch/driver update.

neogaffer1 · Oct 4, 2014

Highly recommend you play this game, BTW, even if you can only get the XB1 version. Even at 900p it still looks really nice (PC version w/ med-high settings):

Kezen · Oct 4, 2014

Whitechocolatekrispies said:
Not every PC will run it at 60fps. If you want the framerate, go find a graphics card benchmarker.

The fact that you can get 60fps should still be mentioned and stressed, you don't need cutting edge hardware for that either, especially if you accept console settings (medium/high).

Durante · Oct 4, 2014

symphonask said:
Interesting that they barely mention the 60fps advantage for PC. You know, the biggest differentiator between the 3 versions of the game.

It's not limited to 60 FPS on PC though -- though for some reason it's limited to 100 FPS, which seems silly on the face of it. I wish they would have asked them about that.

Lettuce · Oct 4, 2014

blakep267 said:
What about the patch that bumped up the resolution of the game for xb1?

Backfoggen said:
I dled the game yesterday and it looks like its 900p still.

What!, there's a patch that boosts the XB1 res from 900p to 1080p or 720p to 900p, where did u read this??

Canis lupus · Oct 4, 2014

There's no IQ difference between the PS4-PC versions

ethomaz · Oct 4, 2014

Gamespot lol

blakep267 · Oct 4, 2014

Lettuce said:
What!, there's a patch that boosts the XB1 res from 900p to 1080p or 720p to 900p, where did u read this??

According to gamespot there was a patch to boost it from 900 to 1080.

Calabi · Oct 4, 2014

Well at least now, finally I can decide on the better version.

ethomaz · Oct 4, 2014

blakep267 said:
What about the patch that bumped up the resolution of the game for xb1?

blakep267 said:
According to gamespot there was a patch to boost it from 900 to 1080.

They tested the last patch... 1.02.

Gamestop lied to you

Markitron · Oct 4, 2014

neogaffer1 said:
Highly recommend you play this game, BTW, even if you can only get the XB1 version. Even at 900p it still looks really nice (PC version w/ med-high settings):

How do I equip that cool cloak? Love the game but not a big fan of Talion's attire.

TrebuchetGames · Oct 4, 2014

blakep267 said:
According to gamespot there was a patch to boost it from 900 to 1080.

Yeah thats the strange thing because EG say they got the latest patches... so one of the gaming sites is wrong.

neogaffer1 · Oct 4, 2014

Whatever AA the consoles have make it look blurry as all hell.

Markitron said:
How do I equip that cool cloak? Love the game but not a big fan of Talion's attire.

It was a preorder bonus.

Kayant · Oct 4, 2014

blakep267 said:
According to gamespot there was a patch to boost it from 900 to 1080.

Well DF pixel counted this to found out it's 900p and the heading on that gamespot video doesn't say anything about the patch bringing it up to 1080p just that it was tested at that. Which from looking at things is their assumption because DF had to pixel count to find the difference.

However, catching this disparity does take very close attention to side-by-side shots - in part due to both versions' use of a heavy post-process anti-aliasing effect.

Krappadizzle · Oct 4, 2014

Oh, not a big difference. Aside from twice the frame rate on PC. What a schlep of an article. I have this on PS4 and PC. The visuals really aren't much better on PC. But the framerate is so smooth at 60 fps it's hard to go back to the PS4 version. Glad I still have it though.

Markitron · Oct 4, 2014

neogaffer1 said:
Whatever AA the consoles have make it look blurry as all hell.

It was a preorder bonus.

I have the dark ranger skin apparently but have no idea how to equip it

Chobel · Oct 4, 2014

I thought the framerate of PS4 version was unlocked, at least that was the case in EGX.

jellies_two · Oct 4, 2014

it is a menu option in the menu with wb play in it.

BouncyFrag · Oct 4, 2014

Markitron said:
How do I equip that cool cloak? Love the game but not a big fan of Talion's attire.

You can change your skin from the main menu as you could do in the Arkham Batman games. Unfortunately, Talion sports his default look in cutscenes which is annoying. This was also the case in the Arkham games. Other than this very small nitpick, the game is fantastic and fresh.

I impulse bought a PS4 last week to play this and I haven't been disappointed. I'd say its the draw distances have pleased me the most from finally upgrading my console.

Kezen · Oct 4, 2014

Krappadizzle said:
Oh, not a big difference. Aside from twice the frame rate on PC. What a schlep of an article. I have this on PS4 and PC. The visuals really aren't much better on PC. But the framerate is so smooth at 60 fps it's hard to go back to the PS4 version. Glad I still have it though.

DF have downplayed differences between consoles and PC many times in the past. Not surprising to see them trying to brush 60fps under the carpet since the PC is the only platform which can enable this.
I'll take that over AA. Motion blur will most likely be fixed since it's in the option menu.

R1CHO · Oct 4, 2014

30 fps on PS4? With lower settings? Well, then the performance of the pc version seems perfectly good.

Still sad that they don't have any native AA settings... besides down sampling. That and the shitty V-sync ingame.

neogaffer1 · Oct 4, 2014

Markitron said:
I have the dark ranger skin apparently but have no idea how to equip it

Go to the main menu, select "continue story." When you're at the screen that shows percentage completed and time spent, there's an option to change skin.

symphonask · Oct 4, 2014

Whitechocolatekrispies said:
Not every PC will run it at 60fps. If you want the framerate, go find a graphics card benchmarker.

Most mid-range hardware can run it at 60fps, though. This is the game maxed out (sans ultra textures) at 1080p. I consider a 670 a lower mid-end card - lower shadow quality/vegetation distance from ultra to high and you will probably get a very consistent 60fps on a 2GB 2 year old card.

http--www.gamegpu.ru-images-stories-Test_GPU-RPG-Middle-earth_Shadow_of_Mordor-test-ShadowOfMordor_1920.jpg

JoeTheBlow said:
They do, at the end, and state that even with that the console versions still look more polished thanks to the vsync lock, AA and motion blur.

Sorry but I'm not a big fan of blurry post-process AA (DF even mentions that it hides the differences between 900p and 1080p - losing your native res' clarity is not a positive). PC version has bordeless window mode which means you don't need to turn on vsync for a non tearing image.

I'm not sure where you are getting that the console version looks more polished when the PC version has built-in downsampling options as well as other higher fidelity options.

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