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[Yoday]

PS4 isn't out-selling the Xbone by a significant enough margin to change this situation. Last gen we got gimped PS3 multiplats because the majority of sales were on 360, the PS3 ports simply weren't as important. At the start of this gen PS4 has been selling more at the outset, but the Xbone is still doing quite well and it's entirely possible that it could pull ahead in sales after a price drop. Parity makes sense at this point.

It is what it is.

This doesn't make any sense when they don't need to spend more time to get better performance out of the PS4. The PS4 is supposed to be a bit easier to develop for, and they are running on pretty much the same architecture. If anything they are putting more time and money into getting the XB1 version to run at 1080p, while not putting in any effort to get more out of the PS4 version if there is true parity.

I'm not quite ready to board the hate train on this, as we haven't seen the final products, and we don't know what each game looks like outside of resolution and target framerate. For all we know the PS4 version could have better AA, more AF, more active light sources, sharper shadows, better draw distances, better V-sync, and a locked 30fps with the XB1 version occasionally dipping below 30. There are plenty of things that could be graphically different while still keeping parity. Developers would constantly talk about how the X360 and PS3 versions of games had parity when the PS3 version would run a little worse, and look a little worse. That said, if this is like NFS:R where the two versions really do look and run identical, then you know that there is a whole lot of completely wasted power there, and they simply didn't even try to make the PS4 version look any better.

 

[ZehDon]

Or devs not taking advantage of the strengths of each platform.

Pretty much. Instead of working from the PC, and scaling down, they appear to start with the Xbone and think "That's good enough." I don't think that'll work for them in the long run. If any title has true parity across Xbone and PS4, then it could have looked - or at least ran - a lot better on the PS4. If they're not willing to put in 100% of the effort, then I'm not willing to pay 100% of the price tag. I didn't buy an Xbone because I don't like paying more for less.

 

[Bgamer90]

That said, if this is like NFS:R where the two versions really do look and run identical, then you know that there is a whole lot of completely wasted power there, and they simply didn't even try to make the PS4 version look any better.

But NFS Rivals did look a bit better on the PS4 though -- a few more visual effects.

Overall, this is a large open world game so it not looking "that great" in visuals isn't too surprising to me. On top of that, the decision for 30 FPS for both versions could have simply been due to frame rate dips in the game which would somewhat make sense considering it seems like there's a lot of action going on in the game's huge open world.

Anyway, not every multiplat game will have the same difference between consoles as the multiplat(s) with the biggest differences between each version. This was true for every gen. There will also be a few cases in which the version on the weaker console will look and/or play better -- something that was also true for every gen including this one.

There will be more games with this multiplatform difference (or lack thereof) in the future. Deciding not to get those future games for the console you own based solely for that reason will more than likely mean missing out on a decent number of solid multiplatform titles this gen. If people want to do that then that's them but to me that doesn't really sound enjoyable, especially if the games are solid either way. I don't remember people taking this "stand" in previous gens so I don't really know why things are different this gen unless I'm not remembering things correctly when it came to those previous gens. Might be that... ::shoulder shrug::

 

[PeakPointMatrix]

30fps for racing games should be something from the past at this point. for me 30fps in racing games just feel completely wrong and made games almost unplayable.

It took 11 whole posts for someone to write "unplayable"? You're slipping GAF!

 

[Codeblew]

I didn't buy a PS4 to play XB1 quality games. Also, I don't spend $60 for free-to-play and pay-to-win games.

 

[jamiept]

Sucks that the PS4 version is being held back for the sake of parity. From the GameXplain video, a lot of the textures look quite bad.

From the comparison videos I've seen, textures were always better in the XO version of a multiplat.

And it would suck to be a PS4 owner if this 'parity' think keeps happening.

But... whatcha gonna do, eh?

 

[Mullah88]

From the comparison videos I've seen, textures were always better in the XO version of a multiplat.

And it would suck to be a PS4 owner if this 'parity' think keeps happening.

But... whatcha gonna do, eh?

Huh? What videos and what multiplats had better textures?

 

[miDnIghtEr20C]

Good to know PS4 versions will continue to be held back for parity. No reason this and UFC aren't 1080p/60 on PS4 with XB1 being 1080p/30.

Isn't the reason for parity?

 

[Joe T.]

If they're not willing to put in 100% of the effort, then I'm not willing to pay 100% of the price tag.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

This was one of the more interesting games for me at last year's E3, but the more I see and read about it the more I want to throw my arms up, shake my head and walk as far away as possible. If everyone handled multiplatform development this way it would make for one hell of an argument against doing it at all.

 

[jamiept]

Huh? What videos and what multiplats had better textures?

Just my opinion. Videos of BF4, CoD: Ghosts, looked like the textures were crisper on XO, and a little soft on PS4. Alternately, the general resolution was sharper on PS4.

 

[InsaneTiger]

Whoop-dee-doo...constant internet connection ruins it for me.

 

[boredandlazy]

Just my opinion. Videos of BF4, CoD: Ghosts, looked like the textures were crisper on XO, and a little soft on PS4. Alternately, the general resolution was sharper on PS4.

That was the awful sharpening filter MS used in their upscaler. Haven't they removed that now?

 

[DidntKnowJack]

Just my opinion. Videos of BF4, CoD: Ghosts, looked like the textures were crisper on XO, and a little soft on PS4. Alternately, the general resolution was sharper on PS4.

I know what you're saying, but the XB1 versions also had a lot more aliasing because of that damn filter they use. It was almost a parlor trick to make those games look sharper.

 

[The Llama]

100% sure it did.

If you really believe that, you're pretty ignorant about the gaming market.

 

[modsbox]

This 'No Platform Left Behind' nonsense with graphical parity has got to stop. So ridiculous. I'm not paying $60 for a game that could have been even better but the dev purposely didn't bother.

 

[Exploratory]

This 'No Platform Left Behind' nonsense with graphical parity has got to stop. So ridiculous. I'm not paying $60 for a game that could have been even better but the dev purposely didn't bother.

If a Dev is working on a game and they get the ps4 version up to snuff they moved on to the other platforms that need more work. Most games aren't going to push every console to the brink.

 

[TAJ]

That won't be the case going forward. The power gulf between PS4 and Xbone isn't significant enough to make a difference of, say, 30fps. Tomb Raider ran at like 50fps on PS4, not 60. The Xbone version likely ran at around 35-40fps. 50fps was "close enough" for the devs so they left the frame rate unlocked on PS4 and capped it at 30 on Xbone. Fastest and easiest solution.

Not this again...
Why make assumptions when there are hard figures out there?
The reality is that the sort of situations that drop Tomb Raider on PS4 to 40fps drop Bone to 24-25fps. (very rarely even lower)
And Bone can hit mid-40s, but only if you go inside a building and hump a wall. Meanwhile PS4 hits a solid 60fps in several highly-scripted sequences and lower-complexity not-so-scripted actual gameplay situations.

You can't take peak performance on one platform and compare it to a worst-case scenario on another and say "Look, only a few fps difference." Well, you can but it's basically trolling.

 

[BruiserBear]

This 'No Platform Left Behind' nonsense with graphical parity has got to stop. So ridiculous. I'm not paying $60 for a game that could have been even better but the dev purposely didn't bother.

Yup

 

[Timu]

That was the awful sharpening filter MS used in their upscaler. Haven't they removed that now?

Yep.

 

[Dragonborn]

If a Dev is working on a game and they get the ps4 version up to snuff they moved on to the other platforms that need more work. Most games aren't going to push every console to the brink.

Which is why I, personally, will not support devs who choose to that that. This parity thing is complete BS. The X1 shouldn't get special treatment just because MS royally screwed up.

It may be fine if they don't have the resources, but outright coming out and talking about parity is a one way ticket to the used game bin.

 

[_machine]

Turning into a chalkboard situation - is anyone going to release a 60fps racer on the PS4 soon?

Project CARS should be 60fps and releasing in November.

 

[system11]

Its as if Burnout Paradise didn't happen. Or that open world San Francisco game that i don't remember.

One of the Driv3r games. We can add Midnight Club 2 on the original Xbox to the list too, great big cities to play around in and they rarely dropped a frame. That game was sublime, I really wish Rockstar would just port it to PSN.

 

[ICPEE]

So now we can add "parity across all platforms" to the :
1. Always online requirement and,
2. Microtransactions

shit show we already got going here.

The perfect shit storm of how to tank your game. Brilliant Ubi, just fucking brilliant.

 

[Kura]

Well, it's fair not to pay the full price tag if they dont put the effort it deserves.
If we paid for a powerfull console, we want that power being actually used. It's only natural.

I can understand that if the industry is not in their best times, devs needs to cut from somewhere, but holding back quality ON PURPOSE is another story. And is inexcusable.

Yes, that parity thing should stop, but we know it wont = (

 

[Piggus]

I never said there are not better looking PS4 titles?

What i'am saying is that it may not be a practical or necessary for the game to take advantage of X console.

Actually it is necessary. It's in a dev's best interest to take advantage of the hardware they are given in order for their game to stand out on the platform. This is especially true considering how easy it is to use the extra raw power to boost or refine certain visual aspects. Choosing to not do so gives the impression that they're either lazy or just trying not to hurt Microsoft's feelings. There's no good reason for it.

 

[Chobel]

Just my opinion. Videos of BF4, CoD: Ghosts, looked like the textures were crisper on XO, and a little soft on PS4. Alternately, the general resolution was sharper on PS4.

lol

 

[fedexpeon]

Just my opinion. Videos of BF4, CoD: Ghosts, looked like the textures were crisper on XO, and a little soft on PS4. Alternately, the general resolution was sharper on PS4.

Wow...Did we just time travel back 6-7 months ago during BF4 beta thread?

 

[Korezo]

Just my opinion. Videos of BF4, CoD: Ghosts, looked like the textures were crisper on XO, and a little soft on PS4. Alternately, the general resolution was sharper on PS4.

You could of made the ps4 version look as crappy by increasing the TVs sharpness, and you'll get that aliasing sharp look you like.

 

[Tubie]

Just my opinion. Videos of BF4, CoD: Ghosts, looked like the textures were crisper on XO, and a little soft on PS4. Alternately, the general resolution was sharper on PS4.

Sharpening filter?

You can't judge those games by Youtube videos. Most reviewers reviewed PS4 CoD before it was patched to 1080p and there were many issues with early BF4 comparisons (trust me I play this a lot and saw the Xbox version on a 1080p TV, noticeable difference from PS4).

 

[Bgamer90]

This 'No Platform Left Behind' nonsense with graphical parity has got to stop. So ridiculous. I'm not paying $60 for a game that could have been even better but the dev purposely didn't bother.

This could be literally said for any game that needs to meet a deadline... Especially during this early part of the gen when none of the games are using the systems to their fullest.

 

[Damigos]

30 FPS for a racing game? Ewwww

I guess because it's openworld...?

 

[TAJ]

You could of made the ps4 version look as crappy by increasing the TVs sharpness, and you'll get that aliasing sharp look you like.

Unfortunately he couldn't get that chunky 720p look, though. If you set your PS4 to 720p output, it downsamples from 1080p. Too clean.
He could disable auto-updates and play without patches, but no online, lol.

 

[p3tran]

didn't the first wave of games completely destroy the accusations of forced parity?

 

[EventHorizon]

This is pretty simple. Games on the PS4 are going to be compared to other games on the PS4. Just like Infamous set the standard that we will judge Watch_Dogs, Drive Club will set the standard that we judge The Crew. If The Crew can meet that standard, no matter what it ends up being, then it will do fine. If not then competition in the market will do it's thing and the The Crew will suffer.

Parity for parity's sake isn't going to cut it this gen. The difference in hardware, and thus expectations, are large enough that to have parity is to acknowledge that inferior resources were given to the PS4's development.

didn't the first wave of games completely destroy the accusations of forced parity?

You'd think so, but then we get the game hype destroying quote of:

...adding that Ivory Tower is "really trying to get parity across all versions, so it's something that’s important to us not to branch out and not do individual things for individual platforms."​

 

[Nzyme32]

This will be amusing if it is the same as Need for Speed, where pushing the game to run at 60fps on PC results in the game running at double speed instead.

When wondering about a 30fps racer, I think about older games like Burnout, that seemed to be great fun to play in any case

 

[CyanideFuse]

This will be amusing if it is the same as Need for Speed, where pushing the game to run at 60fps on PC results in the game running at double speed instead.

When wondering about a 30fps racer, I think about older games like Burnout, that seemed to be great fun to play in any case

There is a workaround so that the game engine runs in a non Benny Hill mode when at 60fps. The downside is that if you cannot retain a constant frame rate e.g. 60fps the game engine slows down as the frame rate drops so it moves and plays slower.

It isn't good enough to have to do this on PC.

Edit: Not to derail but just in case any one didn't know of this 'trick'. Right-click the NFS Rivals icon in Origin and select game properties. Then enter this:

-Render.ResolutionScale 1.0 -GameTime.MaxSimFps 60 -GameTime.ForceSimRate 60.0 -MaxVariableFps 60 -MaxInactiveVariableFps 60

Alter the 60 to whatever your system can consistently run. I usually use 50 but was testing the new nVidia drivers.

 

[ComputerMKII]

And my interest in this game just fell to zero.

 

[dark10x]

Just my opinion. Videos of BF4, CoD: Ghosts, looked like the textures were crisper on XO, and a little soft on PS4. Alternately, the general resolution was sharper on PS4.

That simply isn't true. I think you're looking at old sharpened images before the XO scaler was patched. That fooled a lot of folks.

Textures are the same in those games.

There is a workaround so that the game engine runs in a non Benny Hill mode when at 60fps. The downside is that if you cannot retain a constant frame rate e.g. 60fps the game engine slows down as the frame rate drops so it moves and plays slower.

It isn't good enough to have to do this on PC.

Well, if you can't hit 60 fps in Rivals, then users should utilize MSI Afterburner OSD to limit frame-rate to 30 fps. Most included frame-rate limiters simply do not work properly on the PC resulting in incorrect frame ordering. As a result, the default experience on the PC actually winds up feeling less smooth than 30 fps. The MSI utility usually solves this issue.

 

[CyanideFuse]

That simply isn't true. I think you're looking at old sharpened images before the XO scaler was patched. That fooled a lot of folks.

Textures are the same in those games.


Well, if you can't hit 60 fps in Rivals, then users should utilize MSI Afterburner OSD to limit frame-rate to 30 fps. Most included frame-rate limiters simply do not work properly on the PC resulting in incorrect frame ordering. As a result, the default experience on the PC actually winds up feeling less smooth than 30 fps. The MSI utility usually solves this issue.

The game is limited to 30fps by default; just as the developers intended. The command line text I mentioned circumvents this enforced limit to the frame rate.

 

[yyr]

I'm not paying $60 for a game that could have been even better but the dev purposely didn't bother.

Echoing the above sentiment that just about all games could be even better, but then they'd never come out.

When wondering about a 30fps racer, I think about older games like Burnout, that seemed to be great fun to play in any case

Part of the reason I loved the Burnout series was because it ran at 60fps. It really helped the sense of speed. Which was awesome.

Xbone should never be the main development platform.

As long as the dev takes adequate time to optimize for each target platform, why should anyone care about what the main development platform is? If you eventually get to point B, does it matter so much where point A was?

 

[Portugeezer]

Xbone should never be the main development platform.

Fuck any third party dev that does this.

 

[wildfire]

I would think it's 30fps since it is open world.

A dev can shoot for performance or visuals. Ubisoft chose to sacrifice frame rate in a genre where it matters a lot.

I guess because it's openworld...?

You don't know what you are talking about.

 

[Handy Fake]

Looks like another case of development by trebuchet.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

Looks like another case of development by trebuchet.

Is there some context behind this bump or we just supposed to guess?

 

[Karatechop250]

Making the PS4 version look better is one thing, asking for 60fps might be a bit too much though.

Yeah the PS4 is more powerful but not by that much because your cutting you're rendering time in half. The PS4 is more like 1.3 - 1.35 the Xbox One GPU not 2 * the Xbox One GPU. They probably could have got it at 40 fps or so.

 

[Ricky_R]

Holy 8 month bump, Batman.

 

[Handy Fake]

Is there some context behind this bump or we just supposed to guess?

Apologies. There's another thread been started on it which linked to the original thread (this).

Also, I like the word "trebuchet" and I'm bringing it back into everyday conversion.


Even if my spellchecker refuses to acknowledge its existence and insists that I mean "Bucharest".

Spoiler

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=942862

 

[Gamezone]

Did you guys really expect 60 fps and 1080p in a open world game from Ubisoft?

 

[Percy]

Yeah the PS4 is more powerful but not by that much because your cutting you're rendering time in half. The PS4 is more like 1.3 - 1.35 the Xbox One GPU not 2 * the Xbox One GPU. They probably could have got it at 40 fps or so.

I love ass numbers.

 

[epmode]

Just out of curiosity, will the PC version support 60 FPS by default or does it have to be enabled with some config file or command line switch?