Death Stranding 2: On The Beach - PS5/PS5 Pro - Digital Foundry Tech Review

The pro has plenty of games to showcase it already.

Callisto protocol is easily the best one. Shit can do 8K ffs…
I was talking specifically about me dude, i have a pc so i play all platform games on pc, ds2 is the first AAA game i bought on pro (old stalker games and tw3 don't have any pro improvement and they are old games).

I thought that at least the sony exclusive were about to have the best pro patch, silly me i guess :lollipop_squinting:

Gta6 and sushi2 are next, let's see how much sony can let me down with this absolute beast of a console...
 
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Kojima needs no rt and no nanite ue5 crap.
blessed kojima

edit: I will also add - RT lighting is realistic. And Kojima - an auteur might have his own vision of how the scene should be lit
I don't think Kojima has a "vision" for how 90% of the vast empty areas should look. He ain't gonna be breathing over his team's shoulder and tell them he wants the lighting to look at this at 9:30 am when it's raining. In cutscenes, sure, those are painstakingly directed, but in general play? No amount of Kojima genius will do better than RT for an open world of that size.

Also, it seems that Decima is using something similar to Nanite for the micro geometry anyway. It's just the mid-distance details that look totally off at times.
 
I have a ps5 pro, and hoped this would have a decent jump over the base for the cost of investment.

I like the lack of shimmering, but it doesnt look like theres much difference. Great for the majority of players on the base....but I had hoped for more. Still, my PS5 pro will be getting some good action with the beauty!
 
How can Sony screw us Pro owners THIS MUCH on a game like DS2 that many bought specifically hoping for a meaningful upgrade?

Like do you guys who got on my case for complaining about Sony and the Pro finally get it now?
well, cerny promised quality mode at 60 fps no?

Thats what you are getting here.

- On Pro, Quality mode is essentially redundant but on base PS5 some users might prefer the sharper IQ of the Quality mode with its 30fps presentation.
 
I was talking specifically about me dude, i have a pc so i play all platform games on pc, ds2 is the first AAA game i bought on pro (old stalker games and tw3 don't have any pro improvement and they are old games).

I thought that at least the sony exclusive were about to have the best pro patch, silly me i guess :lollipop_squinting:

Gta6 and sushi2 are next, let's see how much sony can let me down with this absolute beast of a console...
Sony exclusive with pro enhancements? Look no farther than Demons Souls remake.
 
I don't think Kojima has a "vision" for how 90% of the vast empty areas should look. He ain't gonna be breathing over his team's shoulder and tell them he wants the lighting to look at this at 9:30 am when it's raining. In cutscenes, sure, those are painstakingly directed, but in general play? No amount of Kojima genius will do better than RT for an open world of that size.

Also, it seems that Decima is using something similar to Nanite for the micro geometry anyway. It's just the mid-distance details that look totally off at times.
There is a point at which great graphics are great enough.
And Even death stranding 1 characters look better than anything else.

Here, they improved everything. It looks fantastic and is still 60fps.
And yes. Of course kojima want every part of this game look certain way lol. He is more of a director than a game maker.

I have to appreciate that a studio can say "this looks good enough, we will only improve a bit" and spend all those years using the developed tech and making the game.
Not reinventing the wheel if it was already round...

tl:dr - I dont give a fuck if it looks the same as resident evil 4 og (we could only hope). I care that it's an amazing visionary game... and it just so happens to be one of best looking games've ever seen.
SlimySnake SlimySnake Clearly this is not as good looking as ac shadows pro 40fps mode. nothing is this gen. But somehow it still looks fantastic and characters are 10x better
 
Sony exclusive with pro enhancements? Look no farther than Demons Souls remake.
Already played at launch on hobo ps5 and i barely replay games (also sold the game)

(Ironic if you think that the remake was already kinda of a replay :lollipop_squinting: )
 
Already played at launch on hobo ps5 and i barely replay games (also sold the game)

(Ironic if you think that the remake was already kinda of a replay :lollipop_squinting: )
Not sure what your last sentence means. Huh? 🤔

I play Souls games throughout every year. Some of the highest replay video games can offer. I'm on DS remake playthrough 4 this year?

Otherwise you can just turn on your console, go to store, pick "pro enhanced" and pick one of the 50+ games there you may have interest in to get more juice from the machine.

Spider-Man 2
Ratchet and Clank

Those two are superb on pro.
 
HDR footage on OLED monitor looks totally bonkers and insane. It's so rare to see HDR that properly elevates the experience and I'm glad that Sony-funded games are almost religious with the tech at this point. Plus Decima itself is one of the best engines in terms of dynamic tonemaping. And it shows.
 
Not sure what your last sentence means. Huh? 🤔

I play Souls games throughout every year. Some of the highest replay video games can offer. I'm on DS remake playthrough 4 this year?

Otherwise you can just turn on your console, go to store, pick "pro enhanced" and pick one of the 50+ games there you may have interest in to get more juice from the machine.

Spider-Man 2
Ratchet and Clank

Those two are superb on pro.
Already played all these games and i rarely replay games (especially mid games like ratchet and sp2) just to check the improved graphic (also sold all of them)

Last phrase was me realizing that evencif i barely replay games, demons was a replay because i played the original on ps3 but i was starved at launch so i bought whatever was available.
 
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How can Sony screw us Pro owners THIS MUCH on a game like DS2 that many bought specifically hoping for a meaningful upgrade?

Like do you guys who got on my case for complaining about Sony and the Pro finally get it now?
Most devs prioritize a consistent look over platforms. Beyond cleaning up resolution and/or "quality mode at 60 fps", you shouldn't expect special sauce just so you can feel secure about your purchase. If even that isn't delivered (as many games do actually fall short of it), then by all means we should complain. You are just wasting energy on the rest.
 
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Most devs prioritize a consistent look over platforms. Beyond cleaning up resolution and "quality mode at 60 fps", you shouldn't expect special sauce just so you can feel secure about your purchase. If even that isn't delivered (as many games do actually fall short of it), then by all means we should complain. You are just wasting energy on the rest.
I mean, PS4 Pro was usually even less useful in 1st party games outside of patchy unlocked FPS w/o VRR and more bearable internal res for 4K TVs.
 
Already played all these games and i rarely replay games (especially mid games like ratchet and sp2) just to check the improved graphic (also sold all of them)

Last phrase was me realizing that evencif i barely replay games, demons was a replay because i played the original on ps3 but i was starved at launch so i bought whatever was available.
Games to try:


This list seems to cover a lot of good ones and what pro adds.

There is no shortage of pro enhanced games is my point. If you think otherwise is not a Sony issue but a giga specific super niche taste in games lol.
 
Personally, I think that rather than deriding the Pro version (which looks visually better than the majority of games released this gen), we should be applauding how good the PS5 base version looks. I played the original on PS5 and it was stunning. The Decima engine is incredible.
 
I ended up hating the gameplay loop in the first one and it was a huge chore to finish it. So I don't care what it looks like if it isn't fun.
 
Games to try:


This list seems to cover a lot of good ones and what pro adds.

There is no shortage of pro enhanced games is my point. If you think otherwise is not a Sony issue but a giga specific super niche taste in games lol.
I play all multy games on pc, console is only for those 1-2 exclusive per year that i like.
 
Edit:
Also a bit of shimmering on far objects on the performance mode of the base console. They don't exist on Pro.
image.webp
 
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I really miss this straight to the point tech analysis from new games.
I dont need all this backgound fluff and how they feel when they play the game
 
When you pick up a Pro for DS2 but all you get is a handful of extra pixels :messenger_expressionless: Ah well, I guess I'll take it...

Surprised it outputs 120Hz but doesn't have an option to uncap the framerate, could've been a nice bonus on Pro
 
Main promise of the Pro was PS5 base Quality IQ in Perf mode. PSSR is one way to try to reach that goal. Sometimes it doesn't and maybe it's going to be no brainer in the future.
But if you're disappointed, hoping for RT on every game just because it got better support on the Pro, that's on you.
The game is gorgeous and there's no need to force RT in it just because.
 
John is spot on. Slight, but noticeable improvement in resolution and LOD between base and pro. Can't see anything that DF may have missed. So are they pulling off the same upscaling solution on base and pro? Are they even using the FW upscaling solution?
 
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Wait, does that mean the Pro is a scam since base PS5 is doing what it does? 🤔
Pro is a solid upgrade. You have to see it in motion. Or you could just read post #14 which outlines the differences. Or you could have just played the last Horizon, seen how much better it is than the PS5 version, and already known what to expect.

Honestly, Pro is a big upgrade here. Non-Pro owners can keep telling themselves the lie that it is just as good but its bullshit. In motion the game is upgraded hugely on pro. I've seen the last horizon on pro and on base PS5 at my house because I own them both and run them in tandem. The Pro is just much better.

I get it is comical to some to try to downplay these differences, but you are just lying to yourself. Pro owners know better. The quality will be remembered long after the price is forgotten. It's kinda like that Split Fiction meme going around on instagram showing Switch 2 Split Fiction side by side with PS5 Split Fiction. On insta you cannot tell the difference between these two games. People are dissing PS5 over that shit because Switch 2 looks identical...on insta. In person not so much, I would assume. Read post 14.
Awkward John Krasinski GIF by Saturday Night Live
 
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Pro is a solid upgrade. You have to see it in motion. Or you could just read post #14 which outlines the differences. Or you could have just played the last Horizon, seen how much better it is than the PS5 version, and already known what to expect.

Honestly, Pro is a big upgrade here. Non-Pro owners can keep telling themselves the lie that it is just as good but its bullshit. In motion the game is upgraded hugely on pro. I've seen the last horizon on pro and on base PS5 at my house because I own them both and run them in tandem. The Pro is just much better.

I get it is comical to some to try to downplay these differences, but you are just lying to yourself. Pro owners know better.
Awkward John Krasinski GIF by Saturday Night Live

Usually people who downplay the Pro are not base PS5 users

They are people who can play this game at 0 fps and 0x0 resolution right now :D
 
Pro is a solid upgrade. You have to see it in motion. Or you could just read post #14 which outlines the differences. Or you could have just played the last Horizon, seen how much better it is than the PS5 version, and already known what to expect.

Honestly, Pro is a big upgrade here. Non-Pro owners can keep telling themselves the lie that it is just as good but its bullshit. In motion the game is upgraded hugely on pro. I've seen the last horizon on pro and on base PS5 at my house because I own them both and run them in tandem. The Pro is just much better.

I get it is comical to some to try to downplay these differences, but you are just lying to yourself. Pro owners know better. The quality will be remembered long after the price is forgotten. It's kinda like that Split Fiction meme going around on instagram showing Switch 2 Split Fiction side by side with PS5 Split Fiction. On insta you cannot tell the difference between these two games. People are dissing PS5 over that shit because Switch 2 looks identical...on insta. In person not so much, I would assume. Read post 14.
Awkward John Krasinski GIF by Saturday Night Live
It's not that deep, relax. I was joking + I don't need to lie to myself when I play on PC LUL 😂😂
 
Pro is a solid upgrade. You have to see it in motion. Or you could just read post #14 which outlines the differences. Or you could have just played the last Horizon, seen how much better it is than the PS5 version, and already known what to expect.

Honestly, Pro is a big upgrade here. Non-Pro owners can keep telling themselves the lie that it is just as good but its bullshit. In motion the game is upgraded hugely on pro. I've seen the last horizon on pro and on base PS5 at my house because I own them both and run them in tandem. The Pro is just much better.

I get it is comical to some to try to downplay these differences, but you are just lying to yourself. Pro owners know better. The quality will be remembered long after the price is forgotten. It's kinda like that Split Fiction meme going around on instagram showing Switch 2 Split Fiction side by side with PS5 Split Fiction. On insta you cannot tell the difference between these two games. People are dissing PS5 over that shit because Switch 2 looks identical...on insta. In person not so much, I would assume. Read post 14.
Awkward John Krasinski GIF by Saturday Night Live

Whats even funnier is DenchDeckard DenchDeckard mentioning the "High" cost of the Pro in a world where less capable Series X is more expansive 🤣
 
Main promise of the Pro was PS5 base Quality IQ in Perf mode. PSSR is one way to try to reach that goal. Sometimes it doesn't and maybe it's going to be no brainer in the future.
But if you're disappointed, hoping for RT on every game just because it got better support on the Pro, that's on you.
The game is gorgeous and there's no need to force RT in it just because.

there are some people that really expected way too much from a Pro console that only adds about 45% more GPU grunt.

I don't think people realise just how small of an upgrade that is.
PSSR is the only way to really make a noticeable difference on that system.
 
there are some people that really expected way too much from a Pro console that only adds about 45% more GPU grunt.

I don't think people realise just how small of an upgrade that is.
PSSR is the only way to really make a noticeable difference on that system.
Or RT, which this game doesn't use either
 
Or RT, which this game doesn't use either

even there the uplift isn't all that big. what we saw so far is a game running with RT at 40fps on base PS5, being able to reach 60fps...
or games adding some small rt improvements.

people expected Doom Dark Ages to add RT reflections for example, but that didn't happen. because when it comes to RT, often the CPU is also limiting. and the CPU barely got an upgrade.
 
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Wasn't this the game supposed to sell people on the pro? Over here the pro is about $400 more than the base PS5. I'm just not seeing the value at all.

In regards to the game it looks like one of the true generation defining games visually and the sound looks like another level. The characters and how real they look as well as the voice syncing is top tier and may be the best yet. Naughty Dog is in that same level but they might be topped here.
 
Looks good but i don't see why people are so impressived by the graphics except that fireworks scene.
Pictures and videos on the internet do DS no justice I was blown away with how DS1 looked when playing on PS4 can't wait to play DS2 and see for myself I'm sure it be a worthwhile upgrade.
 
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