Digital Foundry Article Technical Discussion [2024]

[Nesh]

I've bought 3 DS4 controllers this past month to try to replace my original, all with dodgy thumbsticks. Seems there are more forgeries than real ones being made!

Yes. This one is a forgery. From a friend who has a repair store. Someone left it there and bought a third party controller. I remembered you so I took a photo to show. Looks identical but something is off in it's tactile feeling. The screws are different though and the small reset button is missing from the tiny hole

 

[Shifty Geezer]

The latest one from Amazon, which was from a seller rather than Amazon (hate that!), had grey face buttons and naffer-feeling shoulder buttons. The sticks were sensitive this time, but locked in the cardinal directions at full press eliminating subtle motions around those cardinal directions.

Three purchases, deliveries, and returns. I can't even go into a store in town to buy a real controller because no gaming stores exist any more!

 

[Seanspeed]

Good luck getting that kind of longevity out of a modern PS5/Series controller. Source - I work at a games store and repair controllers for a living.

Is there such thing as a reliable controller? I feel like they've always needed to be treated as things that pretty much will break/malfunction at some point, which is exactly why I despise the idea of controllers being $60-70 these days, or even a fair bit more for ones with fancier features, but no better reliability.

Like, it's nice to see more 3rd party controllers with hall effect sticks and all, which might help one problem, but often still have likely issues elsewhere that will pop up at some point.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

They can be expected to fail after a certain amount of use from wear and tear. They should last a few years of sensible use though. My DS4 is the one I had with the PS4, and it still mostly works save for some odd behaviour at small movements in the left stick. However, a friend of mine gets through controllers more readily, often the shoulder buttons going.

 

[Seanspeed]

They can be expected to fail after a certain amount of use from wear and tear. They should last a few years of sensible use though. My DS4 is the one I had with the PS4, and it still mostly works save for some odd behaviour at small movements in the left stick. However, a friend of mine gets through controllers more readily, often the shoulder buttons going.

A few years aint much, though. Especially when a console generation lasts like 7-8 years now.

I dont think we're ever gonna see proper durable controllers, but maybe we could have controllers designed with fixability in mind? Easy to take apart, with mechanicals that are easy to clean and replace parts. Maybe even include a small little thing of contact cleaner with the controller.

I dunno, I just want better for how much they cost nowadays.

 

[Charlietus]

The platform holders are totally making those controllers knowing that they don't last more than 2 years without needing a repair. People who don't know how to repair them will simply throw them away and then buy another one, all for a really good profit.

 

[Scott_Arm]

I think the chromatic abberation is too strong, and the depth of field too aggressive. If I think of a film like the Batman, which was shot on anamorphic lenses with defects (by intention), even it had a certain sharpness to the focal point of each frame. Overall though, characters, nanite looking beautiful and lumen, vsms bringing it together with some needed realism.

 

[cheapchips]

Really nice job there from John. The game's visuals are something else and it deserves to have all that work scrutinized with a keen eye.

 

[Karamazov]

it's honestly much superior to the initial UE5 demo shown in 2020 (even if resolution is lower), and at the time lot of people said that no game would look close to that demo.
AH !

 

[DavidGraham]

So 1080p30 on Series X. The full features (Lumen, Virtual Shadows and Nanite) of UE5 take their toll.

 

[Cyan]

I think the chromatic abberation is too strong, and the depth of field too aggressive. If I think of a film like the Batman, which was shot on anamorphic lenses with defects (by intention), even it had a certain sharpness to the focal point of each frame. Overall though, characters, nanite looking beautiful and lumen, vsms bringing it together with some needed realism.

great job by John and Richard. Regarding the game, I tried the PC Gamepass version today. Technically wise it's something else, gameplay wise it's not so fun but it is okay. I hope Microsoft can see beyond the number and keep the so talented people behind the game. As a Playstation executive said today, after the era of graphics the future of games is going to be the narrative.

I didn't experience that stutter mentioned by John at minute 24:35 into the video.

Got 34fps at 4K and XeSS Balanced. 60fps required me to run the game at 1080p and XeSS Ultra Performance. At 4K XeSS Ultra Performance the game run at 45fps, and at 2800x1600 with XeSS Ultra Performance I could get 55fps.

 

[snc]

I think the chromatic abberation is too strong, and the depth of field too aggressive. If I think of a film like the Batman, which was shot on anamorphic lenses with defects (by intention), even it had a certain sharpness to the focal point of each frame. Overall though, characters, nanite looking beautiful and lumen, vsms bringing it together with some needed realism.

Great analyze as usual by John. Hellblade 2 defenilty delivered in terms of graphics, wonder if new gears on ue5 will be close to this level targetting porbably 60fps on xsx and having like proper gameplay. Cant wait to see results.

 

[Scott_Arm]

So 1080p30 on Series X. The full features (Lumen, Virtual Shadows and Nanite) of UE5 take their toll.

I mean, "take their toll" makes it sound like they don't have a great visual impact.

 

[iroboto]

So 1080p30 on Series X. The full features (Lumen, Virtual Shadows and Nanite) of UE5 take their toll.

Weird slant. It looks incredible for a console title.

It’s the first next gen title we’ve really seen. Is the expectation to run this game at 4K60?

 

[DavidGraham]

Weird slant. It looks incredible for a console title.

I mean, "take their toll" makes it sound like they don't have a great visual impact.

It looks incredible of course, but that's not exactly amazing considering the very limited scope of the game. Problem is it's performance is somehow low compared to PC hardware. GPUs like the RTX 2070 Super/RX 5700XT runs at ~35 fps at a fixed 1080 resolution and high settings, compared to a variable 1080p (960p to 1070p) and a mix of med and high on Series X. I recon if the 2070 Super is running console settings then 45fps is within reach.

Senua's Saga - Hellblade II тест GPU/CPU | Action / FPS / TPS | TEST GPU

Мы выполнили тестирование игры Senua's Saga: Hellblade II на максимальных настройках графики с видеокартами серий GeForce RTX и Radeon RX. В ходе испытаний мы оценили производительность, качество графики и влияние технологий DLSS, FSR, Intel XeSS и Frame

gamegpu.com

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II Performance Benchmark Review

In "Hellblade II," Senua returns, confronting her haunting past as one of gaming's most tragic heroes. Powered by Unreal Engine 5, the graphics are among the best we've ever seen, but hardware requirement are high, too. In our performance review, we're taking a closer look at image quality, VRAM...

www.techpowerup.com

It’s the first next gen title we’ve really seen. Is the expectation to run this game at 4K60?

Well, A Plague Tale Requiem was the first. There was also Alan Wake 2. Also Star Wars Jedi Survivor, Fortnite UE5, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, some could also make a case for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, The Callisto Protocol and Hogwarts Legacy. There were also other PS5 exclusive titles.

 

[Nesh]

I think the chromatic abberation is too strong, and the depth of field too aggressive. If I think of a film like the Batman, which was shot on anamorphic lenses with defects (by intention), even it had a certain sharpness to the focal point of each frame. Overall though, characters, nanite looking beautiful and lumen, vsms bringing it together with some needed realism.

Great analysis. Those visuals are something else

 

[iroboto]

It looks incredible of course, but that's not exactly amazing considering the very limited scope of the game. Problem is it's performance is somehow low compared to PC hardware. GPUs like the RTX 2070 Super/RX 5700XT runs at ~35 fps at a fixed 1080 resolution and high settings, compared to a variable 1080p (960p to 1070p) and a mix of med and high on Series X. I recon if the 2070 Super is running console settings then 45fps is within reach.

Senua's Saga - Hellblade II тест GPU/CPU | Action / FPS / TPS | TEST GPU

Мы выполнили тестирование игры Senua's Saga: Hellblade II на максимальных настройках графики с видеокартами серий GeForce RTX и Radeon RX. В ходе испытаний мы оценили производительность, качество графики и влияние технологий DLSS, FSR, Intel XeSS и Frame

gamegpu.com

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II Performance Benchmark Review

In "Hellblade II," Senua returns, confronting her haunting past as one of gaming's most tragic heroes. Powered by Unreal Engine 5, the graphics are among the best we've ever seen, but hardware requirement are high, too. In our performance review, we're taking a closer look at image quality, VRAM...

www.techpowerup.com

Well, A Plague Tale Requiem was the first. There was also Alan Wake 2. Also Star Wars Jedi Survivor, Fortnite UE5, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, some could also make a case for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, The Callisto Protocol and Hogwarts Legacy. There were also other PS5 exclusive titles.

there’s no black bars on PC? Because DFs numbers accounts for black bars.

If you’re not accounting for black bars, 1440p is the benchmark numbers you should be using in TPU. Which a 5700xt is getting 22fps.

The limit may not be compute for series X here. High settings above 1440p is pushing beyond 10GB, that would take it out of Series X sweet zone.

 

[Below2D]

there’s no black bars on PC? Because DFs numbers accounts for black bars.

If you’re not accounting for black bars, 1440p is the benchmark numbers you should be using in TPU. Which a 5700xt is getting 22fps.

The limit may not be compute for series X here. High settings above 1440p is pushing beyond 10GB, that would take it out of Series X sweet zone.

There are no black bars on PC.

Edit: It seems this might only apply to ultrawide monitors.

 

[function]

Up next: Series S and Steam Deck.

Very respectable version of the game on Series, though at a lower resolution and with some settings reduced. The loss of Lumen RT reflections is a pity IMO, as at times it compromises the visual consistency beyond just things looking softer and noisier.

On Steam deck, DP4a XeSS once again better than FSR for a similar performance cost. Playable on Steam Deck but needs to be cut back to the point where it looks pretty rough.

Predictably, there's a point below which UE5 doesn't scale so well in terms of final output image.

 

[Cyan]

There are no black bars on PC.

Edit: It seems this might only apply to ultrawide monitors.

haven¡'t tried 32:9 yet on my screen, but at 4K, 2800x1600, 1080p, etc, the game has black bars.