Digital Foundry vs Metro Redux

K

Kayant

Member
This is based on hands on time with the PS4 and XB1 versions

For this piece, we want to give you a taste of the work 4A has done, so we'll be stacking up the original Xbox 360 version of Metro 2033 with the Reduxed Xbox One game - as there was no PS3 release there, it's the natural choice. For Metro Last Light, we're breaking out the PlayStation 4 edition of the Redux and comparing it directly with PlayStation 3.
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The result is fascinating. Comparing the original Xbox 360 and Redux Xbox One, we strongly suspect that where Last Light assets could help out, 4A used them where they could as direct like-for-like replacements: the mutated wild-life - showcased effectively in 2033's initial level - looks much better and character models are routinely switched out for far superior versions. Outdoor environments share the same basic geography (although we note some subtle tweaks) but the detail level is ramped up significantly - debris and other new geometry elements pepper the landscapes and additional blasted dead trees and foliage are commonplace.
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The further you play into the Redux version of Metro 2033, the more the differences stack up. The subterranean sequences still hold up rather well on Xbox 360 - especially in terms of lighting - but the Redux improves things with small environmental detail boosts backed up by far superior precision in effects work, much higher detail artwork and what we suspect is a completely revised take on the lighting.
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The original Xbox 360 version holds up surprisingly well considering it's now over four years old - but it's interesting to note that the areas that have aged the most aren't really so much different in the Redux. Most notable is character definition and in the way they move. Not all of the character models are swapped out with higher detail alternatives and those do stick out somewhat. Facial and body movement is a step behind Metro Last Light, which in turn falls short of the more advanced performance capture seen in latter-day last-gen titles.
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Comparing the Redux PS4 version of Last Light to its PS3 predecessor is an interesting experience. It's the same game but the level of refinement the new version brings is obviously a highly worthwhile upgrade. The raw mathematics explain much of the differential: 4A opted for a 1152x640 framebuffer on PS3 (1280x672 on 360), while the PlayStation 4 offers up the full monty at native 1080p. The additional pixel-count gives Last Light's intensely detailed texture work the real estate to shine - this more than anything offers up a good proportion of the top-end PC experience on your new console.
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In an age where marketing often promises 60fps only for the final product to fall short, it's refreshing to see that 4A's approach is brutally uncompromising. There is indeed no 60fps 'target', or even what we like to call a 'perceptual' 60fps - where performance often dips below the ideal, but not to any great, noticeable detriment to the experience. This looked absolutely rock solid.
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On PlayStation 4 running Last Light, we see a solid 60fps from start to finish (screen-tear is only evident on FMV cinematics, curiously enough). Across 26,000 sample frames, each is entirely unique. For our Metro 2033 Xbox One captures, just two frames are dropped - one accompanied by a fleeting screen-tear cascade, again proving that adaptive v-sync is in place. What this means is that the Metro Redux offers up a consistency in visual and controller feedback that is transformative in nature, significantly improving the feel of the interface between player and game. In a first-person shooter, that kind of improvement is priceless.
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We'll cover like-for-like performance on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in a forthcoming pre-launch update, but we're going into that testing with the expectation of very close results. Differences kick in at the resolution level: PS4 hits its 60fps target at full 1080p, while Xbox One currently stands at a curious 912p native resolution - that would be something in the region of 1620x912 (assuming square pixels). The original plan for Xbox One was to ship at 900p, but the June XDK update (returning the Kinect GPU resources to developers) has allowed for a tiny resolution boost - our guess here is that 4A opted to bank the additional resource to help lock down that all-important frame-rate rather than really push the pixel-count. If so, that's the right trade.
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PS4 vs PS3 Framerate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsB8M9bvlVY

XB1 vs X360 Framerate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MV43onKiC0

More here - http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2014-vs-metro-redux
 
So, (1920 * 1080) / (1620 * 912) = 1,4035 --> PS4 pushing about 40% more pixels than Xbox One?

Awesome locked 60 fps btw.
 
PS4 hits its 60fps target at full 1080p, while Xbox One currently stands at a curious 912p native resolution - that would be something in the region of 1620x912 (assuming square pixels). The original plan for Xbox One was to ship at 900p, but the June XDK update (returning the Kinect GPU resources to developers) has allowed for a tiny resolution boost - our guess here is that 4A opted to bank the additional resource to help lock down that all-important frame-rate rather than really push the pixel-count. If so, that's the right trade.
Click to expand...

Nice to hear it's solid 60fps on both versions. It's interesting to hear that the Xb1 version only got a 12p bump (900p to 912p) with the Kinect GPU return update, not exactly a 'gap closer' so to say.
 
I genuinely want to know how the fuck they have managed to achieve a solid 60fps with this game on these consoles. The graphics look way too good to be able to do so. I'm really impressed.
 
Definitely picking this up on the PS4 (my GTX560 couldn't come close to handling this). Fantastic that it's 1080p/60. I'm glad more and more developers are hitting that mark. It should be the standard.
 
Lukas Japonicus said:
921p? Wtf is up with these funky X1 resolutions? Hopefully they can reach 1080p, pre or post release.
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4A used the June XDK update just to reach 912p. I think that's as far as it will go for the XB1 for Metro Redux. All in all though, I'm glad they managed to hit a rock solid 60FPS.

Great job 4A! :)
 
I'll probably go digital on Last Light on PS4 for $25. Is the game worth it for that much or wait for a price drop? How long does it take to beat?
 
Deviousb33r said:
4A used the June XDK update just to reach 912p. I think that's as far as it will go for the XB1 for Metro Redux. All in all though, I'm glad they managed to hit a rock solid 60FPS.

Great job 4A! :)
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Indeed, locking it to 60fps regardless of platform is quite the accomplishment. 2033 in particular ran like crap on even the best PC's, so running it like they are on the new consoles is amazing.
 
The more I hear about this the more I want it. However, as a digital-only PS4 owner I can't seem to pre-order it from the PSN Store for some reason.
 
Yoday said:
Indeed, locking it to 60fps regardless of platform is quite the accomplishment. 2033 in particular ran like crap on even the best PC's, so running it like they are on the new consoles is amazing.
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2033 ran poorly you're right, but last light was the opposite. It was highly optimised - I was running it with super sampling on my 670gtx.
 
They should of also compared the non Redux, PC version of 2033 and Last Light to see just how much of the lighting changes and the like are new code for the Redux versions vs just being ports of the much better lighting the PC versions had over the last gen console versions.

Yoday said:
Indeed, locking it to 60fps regardless of platform is quite the accomplishment. 2033 in particular ran like crap on even the best PC's, so running it like they are on the new consoles is amazing.
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Not really, 2033 just had one or two effects that ran like complete shit (DOF) and the MSAA was also a huge hog (the console versions of Redux only use post AA).
 
flipswitch said:
2033 ran poorly you're right, but last light was the opposite. It was highly optimised - I was running it with super sampling on my 670gtx.
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Hate to hark on this again, but metro 2033 on PC ran quite well for what it was graphically doing (minus one option, the advanced depth of field).
So many of the lights were volumetric, so many of the lights cast shadows, the shadow resolution was huge, full screen effects were done at native resolution... etc...

While metro last light added lots of great graphical features (the bokeh, the tesselation on nearly everything (which will be improved in redux), the new particle lighting) and of course tightened up the code to make effects run better, it also removed and toned down some of the sample counts.

Shadows are not as high res, there are less volumetric lights, the volumetric lights do not appear to run at native res, etc...
 
Such a strange resolution on Xbone for another time, why devs don't go for 1280*1080 for better scaling and use the extra resources for better AA?
 
Yoday said:
With what, black magic? They aren't going to be able to suddenly increase the pixel count by 40%.
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Deviousb33r said:
4A used the June XDK update just to reach 912p. I think that's as far as it will go for the XB1 for Metro Redux. All in all though, I'm glad they managed to hit a rock solid 60FPS.

Great job 4A! :)
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JoeTheBlow said:
How many times has this kind of increase happened, ever?
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Ok, Ok, it was a stupid thing to say :P

At least they have the framerate solid on both consoles, though. Really pleased about that.
 
TheD said:
They should of also compared the non Redux, PC version of 2033 and Last Light to see just how much of the lighting changes and the like are new code for the Redux versions vs just being ports of the much better lighting the PC versions had over the last gen console versions.



Not really, 2033 just had one or two effects that ran like complete shit (DOF) and the MSAA was also a huge hog (the console versions of Redux only use post AA).
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Hmm, I ran it on my 2500k and GTX580 at the time and it never really ran too well for me. Either way, they are impressive games, so running at a locked 60fps is still impressive. ;)
 
The Xbox is really getting some strange resolutions for games. Titanfall was 792p, the CoD AW trailer was counted at 882p and I think Watchdogs was 792p. Now we have this at a new resolution of 912p. It's just weird lol
 
Dictator93 said:
Hate to hark on this again, but metro 2033 on PC ran quite well for what it was graphically doing (minus one option, the advanced depth of field).
So many of the lights were volumetric, so many of the lights cast shadows, the shadow resolution was huge, full screen effects were done at native resolution... etc...

While metro last light added lots of great graphical features (the bokeh, the tesselation on nearly everything (which will be improved in redux), the new particle lighting) and of course tightened up the code to make effects run better, it also removed and toned down some of the sample counts.

Shadows are not as high res, there are less volumetric lights, the volumetric lights do not appear to run at native res, etc...
Click to expand...
Doesn't matter. People have already made up their mind and utter "unoptimized" whenever the original is mentioned.
 
Man, the XOne is a really fucked up console in terms of resolutions. What happened? I thought it had a very similar architecture than the PS4...
 
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