Digital Foundry: Elden Ring Nightreign Tech Review: No PS5 Pro Support, Core Tech Has Not Improved

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Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?



The launch build of Nightreign is rather limited in its improvements over the network beta we tested back in February, and most worryingly has no PS5 Pro update in place. Tom runs through the final state of the game on each, and also includes a peak at changes from the network beta.



00:00 Overview
02:28 PS5/Pro/Series X/S Comparisons
04:47 Network beta vs Final Build Performance tests
06:10 Quality Mode Performance Tests
09:08 Frame-Rate Mode Performance Tests
12:18 Conclusion
 
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probably the worst technical team in the industry w/ this amount of success. but geez is the combat fun. (single player games, screw this multiplayer crap)
 
- Optimization on console is still disappointing
- Targets 60fps but falls much short
- No bespoke PS5 Pro supported noted in testing
- RT mode added to Elden Ring with a later update is removed here

- Quality mode. All consoles run with fixed resolutions.
- Series S: 1440p, Series X/PS5/Pro: 2160p
- Performance mode, same heights with DRS lows to 1008 (Series S) and 1440p (all the rest)

- Other visual settings are a match on consoles in general.
- PS5 Pro runs base PS5 code with higher DRS in Performance mode so IQ can look sharper
- Series S has some cutbacks like lower shadow quality, AO coverage etc

- Brief comparison of PS4 done which shows a significant drop in visual quality over current gen
- PS4 also only runs with a single 30fps mode with drops and uneven frame-pacing at 900p

- Current gen shows no improvement over network beta earlier this year
- The hub area drops performance over network test as it is more expanded over the test
- Using Quality mode 'makes no sense' on consoles, 30 to 45fps range, nowhere near 60
- PS5 Pro fares the best but it's still generally outside the VRR coverage all the time

- Frame rate mode, PS5/SX generally between 40 to 60 with Xbox's higher VRR range allowing more flexibility
- PS5 Pro runs at 50 to 60fps range, falls within VRR coverage nicely but can have some lurches to 40s.
- Generally performance mode runs in this order: Pro > PS5/SX > Series S

- DF's verdict: Frame rate mode, ideally on Xbox with VRR, while PS5 Pro reaches the highest theoretical best frame rate.
 
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How did you figure that out?
Past the launch the SKU does not seem to sell very well + recently nearly all 3rd party support of it (except maybe AC Shadows) was either disappointing or non existent.

It seems that more and more studios deem it's not worth the effort except maybe the more barebones upgrade with slight uplift in resolution and nothing else.
 
"If it ain't broke don't fix it"
"yeah...but it's broke though"
Not Listening La La GIF by Ranveer Singh
 
Seriously why is this game so fucking ugly?

what the hell is happening in over there? jesus christ. have some goddamn dignity.
 
Should've copied and pasted the Elden Ring DF video to stick with the theme. Also, it's not like these motherfuckers invest any of that 30mil sales cayyysh back into making their games not run like doodoo butter. They still recycle the same "walk on wood", and what not, sfx from Demon's Souls to this day.

I love a lot about From but wish they'd get their shit together because this Recycle Central direction is getting fucking old. It sells though so why would they I guess.
 
FROM is like Game Freak.


Tech is always lagging behind everyone else and the performance always sucks, but fans and critics ignore all the flaws and put their blinders on because they love the franchise's they make.
 
FROM is like Game Freak.


Tech is always lagging behind everyone else and the performance always sucks, but fans and critics ignore all the flaws and put their blinders on because they love the franchise's they make.

From has insanely good art design, Game Freak games look like the people working on them never made textures for a 3D game.
not comparable at all
 
I love Elden Ring and have 431 hours in it. And the art direction is fantastic. But with that said, no more excuses FromSoft, this is getting ridiculous. Do something with your billions of dollars already. Invest in engineers and technology that complements your art.
 
Game has almost unplayable stutters and fps drops on my 5070ti pc. Its so awful. Hopefully there is a fix coming soon since atleast they acknowledged it...
 
Past the launch the SKU does not seem to sell very well + recently nearly all 3rd party support of it (except maybe AC Shadows) was either disappointing or non existent.

It seems that more and more studios deem it's not worth the effort except maybe the more barebones upgrade with slight uplift in resolution and nothing else.
This is how Pro consoles or better GPUs have always operated.

There's nothing "more and more." First party takes the most advantage, other studios who have more pride in their work do as well. And some just let things "brute force."
 
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Its good more and more studios are picking up the pace for souls games ... not because I want From to loose anything, but at least to get some effort making the games up to par.

I Dont even want nice flashyy graphics.. gameplay is king.. but make your fcking ugly old gen looking game at least stable
 
This is how Pro consoles or better GPUs have always operated.

There's nothing "more and more." First party takes the most advantage, other studios who have more pride in their work do as well. And some just let things "brute force."
Not exactly ... with gpus you can tweak almost everything and can always upgrade some part to make up to standard... Pro consoles you are locked to what they give you .. last gen we had tons of Sony games to enjoy on our Pro.. what is making the Pro look like a shitty deal imho (I have one) is that we dont have proper games for it since Sony peaced out into gaas land and is giving us crumbles 5 years into the gen.
 
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Not exactly ... with gpus you can tweak almost everything and can always upgrade some part to make up to standard... Pro consoles you are locked to what they give you .. last gen we had tons of Sony games to enjoy on our Pro.. what is making the Pro look like a shitty deal imho (I have one) is that we dont have proper games for it since Sony peaced out into gaas land and is giving us crumbles 5 years into the gen.
Ok.
 
Playing ps4 version on ps5 pro is the move. Relatively locked 60 except on bosses. Game is fun as fuck but FromSoft needs to get their shit together in the graphics department.
 
This game is so fucking ugly.
Couldn't have said it better honestly. I've been playing GTA 5 Enhanced lately with Natural Vision mod and my god that game blows these visuals out of the water. Funny to think all the assets were made for a 20 year old console too. These FROM games are so pathetically ugly it's embarrassing.
 
Pretty bad on all the consoles. PS5 Pro drops all the way down to 1512p and even with that resolution can drop to 48fps. PC still has shader issues as well.

Zero effort put in on the engine side of things.
 
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Despite the weird narrative that DF have gone with it seems more like they targeted 60fps on a Pro and said fuck it to that target for the lower consoles.

They didn't exactly "target" anything, it's the same as the PS4 Pro version running better on PS5. Stronger hardware brute forcing it.
 
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