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Horizon Forbidden West - PS5 vs PS4 vs PS4 Pro - Can Cross-Gen Deliver For All Gamers? (DF)

onQ123

Member



Concluding our Horizon Forbidden West coverage - for now, at least - John and Rich share their thoughts on how the latest Guerrilla Games masterpiece scales between PlayStation 4, PS4 Pro and PlayStation 5.



We first saw Horizon Forbidden West at the climax of the PlayStation 5 games reveal showcase, a fitting 'just one more thing' to an effectively debut for Sony's vision for the new console's launch window. It looked phenomenal, it possessed detail beyond anything we'd seen in the prior generation, but a key question had to be asked: how could Guerrilla Games deliver something this good with a title that also had to run on the standard PlayStation 4? With final code in hand, we finally have answers.

How Sony tackles the generation divide is intriguing and similar in some respects to Playground Games' approach to another cross-gen masterpiece - Forza Horizon 5. There are two distinct tiers of features, one for PS4 consoles, the other for PlayStation 5. Each of these tiers is deployed in two different scenarios: base PS4 and Pro feature a substantially pared back visual experience, running at dynamic 1080p on the standard PS4 and a dynamic 1800p checkerboard on Pro, both operating at 30fps. Meanwhile, the PS5 feature-set is run at native 4K in its 30fps favour resolution mode, dropping to checkerboarded 1800p at 60fps in the favour performance mode (DRS is also implemented on PS5, but quite difficult to pick up on).

So, we have two graphical feature sets: one for PS4 and Pro, another for PlayStation 5. Both of the last-gen machines deliver much the same visual experience, with resolution the only key difference between them. Meanwhile, for PS5, 30fps and 60fps also have the same features, with resolution and frame-rate targets dividing them. Some graphical effects may change in their rendering according to the core resolution, but ultimately, it's two tiers in total with two implementations per tier.
 
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Tschumi

Member
Inb4 cross gen gimped the graphics

Excited Tom Cruise GIF by Bodybuilding.com
 
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jroc74

Phone reception is more important to me than human rights
Just started watching, I stopped at 7 minutes in.

The differences between PS4 and PS5 already....

Yeah they did a good job on the PS4 versions, but you can clearly see a difference with the PS5.

Hell, just knowing the opening scenes is real time on PS5 vs a video on PS4 is something.
 
Performance mode looks like shit in comparison.
Which is what I said but some defense force disagrees.

Games like days gone or resident evil 8 do checkerboard resolution much better, also at 60fps.

I have seen screens and videos of horizon performance mode and played resident evil and days gone, and well, there’s certainly nothing “masterclass” about horizon.
 
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Hunnybun

Member
So was NX Gamer (I think it was his analysis) wrong about the PS4 version being checkerboarded??

He seems to get some major thing wrong in pretty much every video I watch. Or at least he disagrees with DF....
 

Tripolygon

Banned
So was NX Gamer (I think it was his analysis) wrong about the PS4 version being checkerboarded??

He seems to get some major thing wrong in pretty much every video I watch. Or at least he disagrees with DF....
They all get things wrong sometimes. NXGamer accurately called the resolution of dying light 2 on PS5 while DF got it wrong.
 
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TrebleShot

Member
Just played an hour after it unlocked , it’s a new graphical benchmark No question in side little mode which is incredibly smooth for 30fps
 

Quasicat

Member
I’m still running on a PS4 Slim for the time being as I’ve given up on finding a PS5 until I can walk into a store and pick one up. As long as they continue making cross-gen games, I’m excited to see how far they are stretching the PS4 tech.
 

sncvsrtoip

Member
Clear difference, on ps4pro still looks realy good, on ps4 with dynamic 1080p with vrs or cb on big tv probably not so great
 

ckaneo

Member
So was NX Gamer (I think it was his analysis) wrong about the PS4 version being checkerboarded??

He seems to get some major thing wrong in pretty much every video I watch. Or at least he disagrees with DF....
Digital foundry said they wanted to stop pixel counting for a reason. Developers use techniques that make the numbers pointless
 
Who TF cares? The game looks miles better than anything released rn, included next-gen exclusives.
It doesn’t and I don’t know why people have to tell themselves that to enjoy the game.
Well Digital Foundry were the ones who said it.
They say a lot of things… but I vehemently disagree with john on unlocked framerate, TAA and a manner of things ; that’s why we should only look at their data and not their personal opinions.

If John had his way he’d have capped bayonetta 2 on wii u at 30fps which is a maximum fruitcake opinion.
 
It doesn’t and I don’t know why people have to tell themselves that to enjoy the game.

They say a lot of things… but I vehemently disagree with john on unlocked framerate, TAA and a manner of things ; that’s why we should only look at their data and not their personal opinions.

If John had his way he’d have capped bayonetta 2 on wii u at 30fps which is a maximum fruitcake opinion.

Do you disagree with the game looking great on the PS5?
 

Tripolygon

Banned
Fair enough, just seems like a weird claim to get wrong. Or maybe DF are wrong, I dunno.
That's why I like VGtech analysis, they provide the sources they use for resolution count and provide raw data. DRS is at play in Horizon FW on last-gen so one scene might differ from another and they employ VRS as well which varies the shading resolution. Though DF says it only applies to foliage. That is why counting resolution these days is hard.
 
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Hunnybun

Member
Digital foundry said they wanted to stop pixel counting for a reason. Developers use techniques that make the numbers pointless

It doesn't seem like it's pointless on the 60fps version, though. IQ is apparently significantly worse.

Anyway, I'm just genuinely interested in the actual resolution on PS4, just to get an idea of the delta between it and the PS5 version.
 
You're right it's more like pixarclass
No that would be rivet and clank. :)
Do you disagree with the game looking great on the PS5?
I don’t like the visuals but in a technical sense it is every bit as technically competent as something like Returnal. It is technically impressive considering the cross gen nature and it has 4 modes. Just not the best.

In 4k30 mode it looks very crisp.
 

Sosokrates

Report me if I continue to console war
The added moss and peach fuzz is nice, higher res textures effects and better draw distance is nice, similar to high end PC enhancements.

Real time Gi and more foilege + geometry would really distinguish it as a current gen version though.
 

ckaneo

Member
It doesn't seem like it's pointless on the 60fps version, though. IQ is apparently significantly worse.

Anyway, I'm just genuinely interested in the actual resolution on PS4, just to get an idea of the delta between it and the PS5 version.
No, im not saying the resolution is pointless, I'm saying the exact numbers for the resolution are pointless. So because there are multiple techniques being used...saying that the ps4 resolution is just a number like 1080p doesnt tell the full story. Same with the 1800p on ps5
 

Tripolygon

Banned
It doesn't seem like it's pointless on the 60fps version, though. IQ is apparently significantly worse.

Anyway, I'm just genuinely interested in the actual resolution on PS4, just to get an idea of the delta between it and the PS5 version.
It's probably something like 5 to 6 times the resolution difference between base PS4 and PS5. Cloud rendering for example is quarter res on last-gen and full native resolution on current-gen.
 

Swift_Star

Banned
It doesn’t and I don’t know why people have to tell themselves that to enjoy the game.

They say a lot of things… but I vehemently disagree with john on unlocked framerate, TAA and a manner of things ; that’s why we should only look at their data and not their personal opinions.

If John had his way he’d have capped bayonetta 2 on wii u at 30fps which is a maximum fruitcake opinion.
Which game looks better? I really don’t understand why you make a point to come in every HFW thread to shit on the game.
 
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daclynk

Member
nice work Gorilla Games and its nice to see how much their engine has improved over the time on the PS4 / Pro, i can wait to see what they come up with when we are finally done with this Cross gen games in 2024 beyond.
 
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I mean… I never said anything to the contrary.

It’s just not this incredible never before seen technical feat and also wtf is up with this cross gen doesn’t matter narrative?

I don’t you. You’re the one that brought it up. Crossgen always matters however it doesn’t mean that cross gen games can’t be great looking. Just because HFW is on PS4 doesn’t mean the PS5 version is trash. Sure it could be better without it but the game is still worthy of praise.

It really isn’t that difficult to understand once you see some footage.
 
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Swift_Star

Banned
I don’t you. You’re the one that brought it up. Crossgen always matters however it doesn’t mean that cross gen games can’t be great looking. Just because HFW is on PS4 doesn’t mean the PS5 version is trash. Sure it could be better without it but the game is still worthy of praise.

It really isn’t that difficult to understand once you see some footage.
He's just interested in coming to HFW threads and shit on the game. He's on every single thread shitting on it saying nonsense stuff like "ugly color palette".
 
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He's just interested in coming to HFW threads and shit on the game. He's on every single thread shitting on it saying nonsense stuff like "ugly color patette".
See but at that point I was just stating my opinion and then the gasoline was poured and now here we are xD

Don’t worry this will be the last thread I poke my beak in.
 
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