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[Diseased Yak]

Thanks to OP for the rundown, I noped out at the spoiler warning, will watch after I beat it next week.

I was already planning on the 4k/30fps Quality mode, but it sounds from the bullet points that the Performance mode is advised, so I'll stick with that.

 

[Pedro Motta]

Is it really that major? It wasnt a big difference in horizon

Depends on your tastes, for me and my eyes it is. 40 fps is smooth enough for me, I would play it at 30 if I had to if it means higher fidelity.

 

[Haggard]

I kinda miss an "all bells and whistles 1440p+ VRR mode" there.

 

[Mahavastu]

Cool, sounds like its a given to play it like this right?

If you have a 120hz screen with VRR this is probably the way to go

 

[Synless]

The big take away comment is that it isn’t a huge jump over GoW 2018 on PS5 with regards to tech. That to me is the most disappointing fact about this game.

GoW 3 was a mind blowing exp compared to GoW 2….. cross gen can fucking die.

 

[Putonahappyface]

I'm not watching a single review before playing this. I've gone out of my way to avoid any spoilers.

 

[Spukc]

wow HUUGE fing spoilers..

 

[SenjutsuSage]

SSM has had a lot of time to iterate and improve the engine while having the extra time to add depth. Those side mission tweets got me more excited.

Yep, this is what I'm happiest about. They put in all those years getting this new God of War vision and game design ready, so why not take advantage of that work by way of a quicker turnaround for a sequel that's more polished in every way? I care about the quality of the game more than any big tech leap that doesn't necessarily guarantee a better video game, if you know what I mean.

 

[jorgejjvr]

If you have a 120hz screen with VRR this is probably the way to go

Yeah i do

 

[Swift_Star]

Will play on 40fps mode.

 

[SLB1904]

I'm not watching a single review before playing this. I've gone out of my way to avoid any spoilers.

yep. first time im looking at anything gow will be on my ps5

 

[LiquidMetal14]

Will play on 40fps mode.

That will be the way I probably start but can't go wrong with a 60fps+ presentation.

They've done an amazing job given the difference systems and how well it runs. Not surprising given the pedigree of the studio.

 

[analog_future]

Quality mode @40fps for me.

 

[ChiefDada]

I'm going with the fidelity 40 fps mode, the increased contact shadows, shadow resolution, AO and LOD are more than enough for me to prefer that mode.

Yep these are the fidelity features that actually matter imo, not resolution. 40/vrr mode it is.

 

[Putonahappyface]

So between 30fps and 60fps there isn't any visual difference's? All the eye candy is still there at 60ps?

 

[nikos]

Will wait for PC if I end up playing this.

 

[Fake]

• PS5 used machine learning to upscale DRS in Performance mode which is why it looks better.

This is the future I want.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

I feel like John should do non-spoiler tech rundown for pre launch, then follow up with spoiler in depth videos like a month or two post launch

 

[Putonahappyface]

Quality mode at 30fps again from the looks of things. Fucking finger licking fantastic.

 

[MasterCornholio]

I guess people were mistaken when they said this game was being rushed. Proves that no delay was necessary.

 

[Boneless]

Which one is the locked 60fps mode?

 

[Physiognomonics]

I guess people were mistaken when they said this game was being rushed. Proves that no delay was necessary.

This game was actually internally delayed as disclosed by Kratos actor (he was the reason it was delayed). I'd guess that delay allowed them to spend more time on the excellent PS5 version, notably the performance modes which are actually the default (and best) modes.

 

[rofif]

So between 30fps and 60fps there isn't any visual difference's? All the eye candy is still there at 60ps?

no. There is a ton of differences when you comapre. Just not very visible.
Like high to ultra.
Better Lod, better shadows, better reflection etc

 

[Imtjnotu]

this shit is gonna look so good on my C2

 

[SSfox]

Sony Santa Monica always delivers. Always been my favorite Sony studio with PoDi.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

This will break my keister on the luscious, spectacular, and inoptutable LG C1 83incher. There's enough cum for even Banjo64

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

no. There is a ton of differences when you comapre. Just not very visible.
Like high to ultra.
Better Lod, better shadows, better reflection etc

Wonder if it’s a TLOU part 1 difference or Horizin FW difference (post patch).

If the latter, I’ll play it on performance mode. 1900P is really close to native 4K

 

[Slothbeing1209]

A fucking spoiler scene right after the spoiler warning. I was smoking and couldn't close the video quick enough.
Wtf is wrong with these guys?

 

[diffusionx]

I have to say it, I saw that graphic put out yesterday about Ragnarok’s 800 graphical modes and it was just exhausting to read. These videos are also getting progressively more tedious to go through, although it’s not DF’s fault for that, it’s just that these settings have gone so far beyond what they were in the days of PS4 Pro.

Basically, if I wanted to make a decision on how the game looks or watch a video on what settings I should use I would play them on a PC. I bought a console so these devs can make these decisions for me.

 

[Robbinhood]

I'm a 40fps whore so that's where I will be.

Question, does performance mode really look "sharper" than fidelity based on the upscale? If so why not use the same upscale in Fidelity and use the extra performance to ramp up the graphics even more?

I'd have to imagine Fidelity looks better overall.

 

[analog_future]

A fucking spoiler scene right after the spoiler warning. I was smoking and couldn't close the video quick enough.
Wtf is wrong with these guys?

Yeah, who the hell puts a spoiler after posting a spoiler warning? Crazy!

 

[SlimySnake]

I know the OP did an exhaustive summary of the video, but ive been reading the article and it has some pretty cool tidbits about the improvements from GOW 2018. Seems like they did upgrade a lot.

Lighting

First and foremost, the game's lighting has received a significant overhaul, especially when it comes to indirect illumination. Yes, it's pre-calculated but it does a much better job approximating the behavior of light. The way it pours into enclosed spaces, indirectly illuminating the environment around Kratos tantalises the senses. This is perhaps the single most impactful enhancement over the prior game.

Tessellation and improved level of detail

Enhanced tessellation is another feature on offer for PS5 users. This enables an increased level of detail within the ground surface which combined with the more physically accurate materials, produces far more detailed results. Snow deformation also makes a return and on PS5, the tessellation quality is increased over the prior game allowing richly detailed trailers to form as you navigate the snowy landscapes.

Reflections

God of War: Ragnarök rectifies this in a couple different ways. Firstly, while true hardware accelerated ray traced reflections are not featured in this game, it does seem to utilise a solution like Mafia: Definitive Edition where rays are traced into a cube-map with high quality lighting data baked into it to determine the most appropriate colour but also trace into a more accurate version of the scene geometry to determine the best cube-map placement. This is then combined with a greatly improved implementation of screen-space reflections which now extend deeper into the reflective surface producing a much more pleasing result compared to the prior game.

 

[rofif]

Wonder if it’s a TLOU part 1 difference or Horizin FW difference (post patch).

If the latter, I’ll play it on performance mode. 1900P is really close to native 4K

John says that resolution difference is not important because it is upscaled and so on.
So it comes down to the details of shadows, reflections, lod and so on.

 

[sachos]

The showcase of vistas and graphics starting around 5:20 mark is amazing. Great geometric environment and character detail and beautiful GI. Insane work and polish by SSM team, imagine if every game released like this.

 

[3liteDragon]

John says that resolution difference is not important because it is upscaled and so on.
So it comes down to the details of shadows, reflections, lod and so on.

Haven’t watched the video yet but I was initially gonna play on performance mode, now I’m not sure. Are the graphical cutbacks noticeable in perf (I play on a 55” TV)?

 

[DeepEnigma]

Haven’t watched the video yet but I was initially gonna play on performance mode, now I’m not sure. Are the graphical cutbacks noticeable in perf (I play on a 55” TV)?

You are probably not going to notice much difference. They said in some cases, performance looked better due to the machine learning uprezzing. I am going to try 40fps and switch to 60fps and see if it's that noticeable. Probably will end up sticking with 60.

 

[rofif]

Haven’t watched the video yet but I was initially gonna play on performance mode, now I’m not sure. Are the graphical cutbacks noticeable in perf (I play on a 55” TV)?

I've watched and didn't think so but when he starts switching back and forth, the fidelity mode have quite a bit better LOD. Shadows and reflections only a tiny bit better.
but you will not notice square objects in the distance with Performance mode without comparison so you know these should be more rounded
I think I will just do 4k40. I don't like to feel like I am missing out

 

[rofif]

You are probably not going to notice much difference. They said in some cases, performance looked better due to the machine learning uprezzing. I am going to try 40fps and switch to 60fps and see if it's that noticeable. Probably will end up sticking with 60.

yeah but only normal Performance with dynamic 4k is upressing?
I think the performance HFR mode is locked to 1440p without upressing?

 

[GymWolf]

This is the future I want.

Yeah IA machine learning sound like fun

Spoiler

 

[Elios83]

I'm going to try performance mode but for my personal tastes the best compromise seems to be the quality 40fps mode with VRR.

 

[Barneyco]

That's the good thing about being old. I'll watch the spoilers and forget about them by the time the game comes out.

 

[smart_brazileiro]

Haven’t watched the video yet but I was initially gonna play on performance mode, now I’m not sure. Are the graphical cutbacks noticeable in perf (I play on a 55” TV)?

I'd say, yes.

 

[GymWolf]

I know the OP did an exhaustive summary of the video, but ive been reading the article and it has some pretty cool tidbits about the improvements from GOW 2018. Seems like they did upgrade a lot.

Lighting


Tessellation and improved level of detail


Reflections

Nothing about improvements on the character models?

 

[ABnormal]

Wonder if it’s a TLOU part 1 difference or Horizin FW difference (post patch).

If the latter, I’ll play it on performance mode. 1900P is really close to native 4K

The differencies are not about resolution: they are about LOD, shadows detail, etc. Not big differencies but there.
But the level of perceived detail is bigger at 60 fps (thanks to the perceived solidity of the image and visual persistence), so it's overall the better trade-off. Now I just have to see if the unlocked 40 fps mode retains quality mode details with only a reduction of resolution. If yes, that's my mode. Otherways I will go for locked 60 fps.

 

[DeepEnigma]

yeah but only normal Performance with dynamic 4k is upressing?
I think the performance HFR mode is locked to 1440p without upressing?

I am just doing the 60fps performance mode, since they said it runs around 1876p most of the time and it's near discernable to native even if it drops lower due to the machine learning.

 

[Feel Like I'm On 42]

Holding back negative comment until it's confirmed that enhancements like tesselation, shadows, reflections are also in performance mode and not just fidelity

 

[Feel Like I'm On 42]

I know the OP did an exhaustive summary of the video, but ive been reading the article and it has some pretty cool tidbits about the improvements from GOW 2018. Seems like they did upgrade a lot.

Lighting


Tessellation and improved level of detail


Reflections

Buy is that only in fidelity mode??

 

[SlimySnake]

Buy is that only in fidelity mode??

No, all the lighting and detail upgrades are applied to all consoles including last gen.

The ps5 only upgrades are in both modes with the quality mode having slightly almost imperceptible upgrades over the performance version.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

That's the good thing about being old. I'll watch the spoilers and forget about them by the time the game comes out.

You piece of filth it's true too lol

 

[sendit]

• PS5 used machine learning to upscale DRS in Performance mode which is why it looks better.

Yep. This is the future, not performance draining native resolution. Even in the PC space. Smarter software solutions.