Digital Foundry Article Technical Discussion [2021]

[BRiT]

New Year, New Thread.

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This is principally a technical discussion thread. It is allied to the other tech analysis threads and shares the same rules as those which you should familiarise yourself with. The purpose is to discuss the findings of the Digital Foundry articles on a technical level, including the techniques employed by game developers in their games, and the comparative design decisions off cross-platform titles. Digital Foundry is more closely allied with Beyond3D than other gaming sites which is why they get special mention here!

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If you want to leave editorial feedback for Digital Foundry, the best place is to leave a comment for the relevant article(s).

 

[Shortbread]

What did you do over the Christmas break? Rich revisited Ghost of Tsushima on PlayStation 5, and dug a little deeper into its 60fps upgrade, how it compares to PS4 Pro, and spent some time playing the impressive Legends DLC.

 

[Rootax]

Yeah, I enjoy it a lot on PS5. Can't imagine doing it at 30fps...

 

[PSman1700]

Yeah, I enjoy it a lot on PS5. Can't imagine doing it at 30fps...

30fps should be in the past going forward now.

 

[Shoujoboy]

I started GoT on ps4pro and it performed good enough for me to have
fun but once my ps5 arrived in November, I immediately moved this game over
to the SSD and played in 60fps.

It really transforms this game in particular.

 

[Vega86]

I wonder if there's going to be enough backlash if Sony makes better graphics at 30 fps for some of the upcoming big PS5 exclusives with no 60 fps mode. I hope the graphics are so good, it's worth going back to 30.

 

[Jay]

I wonder if there's going to be enough backlash if Sony makes better graphics at 30 fps for some of the upcoming big PS5 exclusives with no 60 fps mode. I hope the graphics are so good, it's worth going back to 30.

Unless it's a walking sim, I can't see why most that would be 30fps couldn't have a 60 mode.

 

[JPT]

30fps should be in the past going forward now.

Thats doubtful, if they feel the need to hit what ever their vision is, 30 will still be a very valid option for game makers.

 

[cwjs]

Unless it's a walking sim, I can't see why most that would be 30fps couldn't have a 60 mode.

We've already seen games ship that (partly or entirely) need 30fps in order to run core visual features. We'll see lots of 30fps games.

 

[chris1515]

If a game is not CPU bound, there always been a way to do a 60 fps mode, if the dev want to give the option.

Like with all the option on PC, people can decide to decrease the settings if they want to reach a framerate.

I think it is the same on Xbox Series but this is probably the reason the choice between quality and performance mode is possible at system level on PS5.

After it does not means all dev will let the choice even if the game is not CPU bound. But this will be the dev problem if gamers aren't happy.

Maybe one day it will means run the game at 1080p 60 fps in 6 years.

 

[Globalisateur]

I started GoT on ps4pro and it performed good enough for me to have
fun but once my ps5 arrived in November, I immediately moved this game over
to the SSD and played in 60fps.

It really transforms this game in particular.

60fps will do that to all games having fast moving stuff on-screen

 

[Silent_Buddha]

60fps will do that to all games having fast moving stuff on-screen

Or any game where the player has control over the camera or character movement. So, almost all games. Nothing worse than moving the camera at 30 FPS and having everything stutter as you move the camera. Motion blur only helps a tiny bit in hiding that, but it doesn't help at all with feeling like you are moving the camera view through molasses at 30 FPS.

Regards,
SB

 

[Shortbread]

Cyberpunk 2077 gets a bespoke port for the Stadia platform, meaning that it's not an enhanced last-gen version - as is the case on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. While not the best way to play the game, it's certainly a fully viable contender - and it's light years beyond the flawed last-gen versions. Oh, and did we mention that in many cases, it's actually more detailed than the Series X version?

 

[BRiT]

Article @ https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2021-cyberpunk-2077-stadia-is-the-surprise-package

Cyberpunk 2077 on Stadia: a surprise package that's comparable with Series X
The power of the cloud.

Cyberpunk 2077 - one of the very biggest games of 2020 and also one of the most contentious, most notably because on last-gen consoles, the experience is sub-par to the say the least. The next-gen machines fare better, but there's another contender to consider too: Google's Stadia streaming platform. The closer we looked at the Stadia port, the more interesting it became, and in actual fact, there are scenarios that see it deliver improved visuals over the Xbox Series X rendition of the game.

Coming to these conclusions and getting the data I needed was problematic. In the current Covid situation, ensuring we're playing Stadia at its best when our home internet connection doesn't play ball is a bit of a challenge. You can get the full story in the embedded video below, but suffice to say, after driving out to cell towers, rigging an in-car portable capture system, then chancing upon a 200mbps public WiFi spot, we finally managed to get the rock solid, high bandwidth connection we needed. And we knew that the connection was good thanks to the rather excellent Stadia Enhanced extension for the Chrome browser, which includes a bunch of useful features such as the ability to force the highest quality stream, monitor bandwidth stats and much, much more. Despite a challenging test environment, thanks to this extension, we knew that our network latency was just 14ms and that out of a 132 minute capture session, just 140 frames were dropped, with 8.28 gigabytes consumed per hour. Stadia Enhanced also confirmed a proper 4K video stream, using the optimal VP9 compression system.

In terms of the port itself, I think there's one key takeaway here. While the console experience is best enjoyed on a next-gen machine, the bottom line is that you're still playing a tweaked version of a last-gen console game, with plenty of visual compromises. Cyberpunk 2077 on Stadia is a different kettle of fish: CD Projekt RED even brought in a separate developer to deliver the port - QLOC - who previously handled Dark Souls Remastered, Hellblade on Switch and the PC versions of Mortal Kombat 11 and Injustice 2. The results are intriguing, to say the least.

...

 

[snc]

so stadia with vega56 (around 1070ti) lost with nextgens running in compatibility mode, strange as in some other video I watched ps5 struggle with 1060 ;d /s

 

[Riddlewire]

I bet my area doesn't see 200Mbps internet for another ten years.
And my 100Mbps connection never seems to perform up to that level.

 

[Cynicalking]

I bet my area doesn't see 200Mbps internet for another ten years.
And my 100Mbps connection never seems to perform up to that level.

My 10Mbps internet laughs at you.

 

[JPT]

I bet my area doesn't see 200Mbps internet for another ten years.
And my 100Mbps connection never seems to perform up to that level.

To hit 100 you must make sure other components in the path is up to the task to. Not just your broadband. HDD, Wifi / Ethernet etc etc

 

[Insight]

 

[BRiT]

Written Article @ https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/...ny-2-ps5-xbox-series-a-huge-performance-boost

Destiny 2 on next-gen delivers the upgrade that matters - performance
60fps and 120fps modes tested on PS5 and Xbox Series consoles.

Bungie jumps onto next-gen systems with extra support for Destiny 2 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S and X, delivering the key feature many fans have been waiting for - a move to 60 frames per second gaming. But how successful has the next generation transition been? How do the three new consoles compare and what are the key upgrades beyond the boost to frame-rate? Bungie has a reputation not just of excellent visual design and solid technology, but also in delivering very similar experiences across platforms - and so it is with Destiny 2.

To get the basics out of the way, Destiny 2 delivers true 4K resolution on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, with pixel counts resolving at a native 3840x2160 on each in a vast majority of test shots. Bungie has developed a dynamic resolution system for this engine (as notably used on PS4 pro), and it's likely deployed here too, though its appearance is minimal. There's an element of uncertainty on how the DRS system works too; a lower bounds of 2560x2160 is noted as a very rare extreme on each next-gen machine. However, where there are brief signs of sub-native rendering, it may simply be the case lower resolution effects buffers producing aliasing. On the whole it's a net positive though. Essentially, moving from PS4 Pro to PS5, you're doubling the frame-rate and removing the most glaring resolution drops while using DRS. Meanwhile, comparing the 4K picture on Xbox One X and Series X, there's little to differentiate them on a visual level, bar the huge performance upgrade.

For tests then, I used the initial tutorial stages for comparisons, which takes us back to classic Cosmodrome area from the first Destiny - plus set-piece battles from Destiny 2's latest expansions. Crucially, There is cross-play compatibility within specific console families - so PS4/Pro owners can play with PS5 gamers, while the same holds true for the Xbox One and Xbox Series families. This may perhaps explain why very little has changed beyond performance: key rendering features remain unchanged, and even the disappointing texture filtering quality is entirely like-for-like comparing Series X with One X. Reflections may have changed slightly, but it's clear that Bungie's focus here has been on pushing frame-rate hard - something it couldn't do on last-gen systems owing to CPU limitations.

...