[Digital Foundry] The Witcher 3: PS5 vs Xbox Series X Hands-on - Ray Tracing + 60FPS Modes Tested

Draugoth

Draugoth

Gold Member


Ahead of its full patch roll-out on 14th December we had a chance to visit CD Projekt Red's offices to try the new PS5 and Xbox Series X release of The Witcher 3. Today, its new ray tracing modes are tested, and the 60FPS mode is put through its paces too - with plenty of details on the upcoming PC upgrade included. Tom explores the opening White Orchard segment of the game - with plenty more to show when it releases in full.
Click to expand...

adamsapple said:
www.eurogamer.net

What the next-gen Witcher 3 update is like to play.

The next-gen update doesn't transform The Witcher 3, but it does make returning to it a pleasure
www.eurogamer.net www.eurogamer.net


- RT is 30 FPS, Performance is 60 FPS. Performance is 60 FPS. RT feels choppy compared to Performance.
- All modes include HD textures, better vegetation, weather, shadows, backdrops.
- Both modes use FSR 2.1 and is a big upgrade over previous AA methods.
- DF did not get a chance to test Series S. But they were told it includes a 60 FPS performance and 30 FPS Quality mode.

- RT mode: RTGI and RTAO
- PC also gets RT Reflections and shadows (not on consoles)
- Enabling RT mode on consoles improves SSR quality on consoles (Perf mode uses legacy SSR )

- Perf mode: No drops beyond one off in opening areas, but Novigrad did show a few drops
- New assets for Foliage, 4K Textures, new weather states, self shadowing on Geralt etc. These are present in both modes, but Performance also benefits from them. It's not just last gen version running at 60 FPS.

- Plenty of QoL updates as well along with the visual enhancements.
- All QoL updates and new content will also be patched into PS4/XBO/Switch versions, minus the new camera system which is exclusive to PC and new gen.
Click to expand...
 
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www.eurogamer.net

What the next-gen Witcher 3 update is like to play.

The next-gen update doesn't transform The Witcher 3, but it does make returning to it a pleasure
www.eurogamer.net www.eurogamer.net


- RT is 30 FPS, Performance is 60 FPS. Performance is 60 FPS. RT feels choppy compared to Performance.
- All modes include HD textures, better vegetation, weather, shadows, backdrops.
- Both modes use FSR 2.1 and is a big upgrade over previous AA methods.
- DF did not get a chance to test Series S. But they were told it includes a 60 FPS performance and 30 FPS Quality mode.
- CDPR have previously mentioned Series S will not get RT, so it will probably be a higher resolution 30 FPS Quality mode.

- RT mode: RTGI and RTAO
- PC also gets RT Reflections and shadows (not on consoles)
- Enabling RT mode on consoles improves SSR quality on consoles (Perf mode uses legacy SSR )

- Perf mode: No drops beyond one off in opening areas, but Novigrad did show a few drops
- New assets for Foliage, 4K Textures, new weather states, self shadowing on Geralt etc. These are present in both modes, but Performance also benefits from them. It's not just last gen version running at 60 FPS.

- Plenty of QoL updates as well along with the visual enhancements.
- All QoL updates and new content will also be patched into PS4/XBO/Switch versions, minus the new camera system which is exclusive to PC and new gen.
 
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Any improvement to the laggy controls on console, even after Alt mode? Ended up loving the story and put over 100 hours in, but I didn't like the controls through to the end. I'm guessing 60fps will help with that but real time GI sounds like a big upgrade too.
 
adamsapple said:
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- RT is 30 FPS, Performance is 60 FPS. Performance is 60 FPS. RT feels choppy compared to Performance.
- All modes include HD textures, better vegetation, weather, shadows, backdrops.
- Both modes use FSR 2.1 and is a big upgrade over previous AA methods.
- DF did not get a chance to test Series S. But they were told it includes a 60 FPS performance and 30 FPS Quality mode.

- RT mode: RTGI and RTAO
- PC also gets RT Reflections and shadows (not on consoles)
- Enabling RT mode on consoles improves SSR quality on consoles (Perf mode uses legacy SSR )

- Perf mode: No drops beyond one off in opening areas, but Novigrad did show a few drops
- New assets for Foliage, 4K Textures, new weather states, self shadowing on Geralt etc. These are present in both modes, but Performance also benefits from them. It's not just last gen version running at 60 FPS.

- Plenty of QoL updates as well along with the visual enhancements.
- All QoL updates and new content will also be patched into PS4/XBO/Switch versions, minus the new camera system which is exclusive to PC and new gen.
Click to expand...

Sounds really good, I will play the performance mode, 60fps with all the upgrades sounds delicious.
 
LordOfChaos said:
RT in Control also felt way worse than a regular 30fps mode, I wonder what's up with that
Click to expand...
I think it comes down to frame syncing lag and motion blur. TLoU Remastered on the PS4 in 30 felt choppy as well compared to other games (and even compared to the PS3 version), and the shadow resolution upgrades were minimal so I played in 60.

But there are some 30fps games that don't chop like this at all.
 
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I can't watch right now, but what can we exactly expect from the raytracing here?

If visual fidelity is the same across both modes there's no reason to play in RT mode unless the raytracing truly makes a big difference. And 30fps is now more choppy than before? Because I always felt it was more than fine already on consoles, this 30fps feels way smoother than AC Valhalla for example in quality mode.
 
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TW3NG_DLCs_PC_Geralt_Netflix_Armor_RGB_EN.jpg
 
DeepEnigma said:
I think it comes down to frame syncing lag and motion blur. TLoU Remastered on the PS4 in 30 felt choppy as well compared to other games (and even compared to the PS3 version), and the shadow resolution upgrades were minimal so I played in 60.

But there are some 30fps games that don't chop like this at all.
Click to expand...

Yeah I think it felt like the lights were lagging behind the camera movements and it was disorienting
 
adamsapple said:
www.eurogamer.net

What the next-gen Witcher 3 update is like to play.

The next-gen update doesn't transform The Witcher 3, but it does make returning to it a pleasure
www.eurogamer.net www.eurogamer.net


- RT is 30 FPS, Performance is 60 FPS. Performance is 60 FPS. RT feels choppy compared to Performance.
- All modes include HD textures, better vegetation, weather, shadows, backdrops.
- Both modes use FSR 2.1 and is a big upgrade over previous AA methods.
- DF did not get a chance to test Series S. But they were told it includes a 60 FPS performance and 30 FPS Quality mode.

- RT mode: RTGI and RTAO
- PC also gets RT Reflections and shadows (not on consoles)
- Enabling RT mode on consoles improves SSR quality on consoles (Perf mode uses legacy SSR )

- Perf mode: No drops beyond one off in opening areas, but Novigrad did show a few drops
- New assets for Foliage, 4K Textures, new weather states, self shadowing on Geralt etc. These are present in both modes, but Performance also benefits from them. It's not just last gen version running at 60 FPS.

- Plenty of QoL updates as well along with the visual enhancements.
- All QoL updates and new content will also be patched into PS4/XBO/Switch versions, minus the new camera system which is exclusive to PC and new gen.
Click to expand...
I'd add that the Series S won't have a ray-tracing mode, just a 30 FPS Quality Mode with higher resolution, according to CDPR.

A "30 FPS Quality Mode" may imply that it's the same Quality Mode as Series X (with the RT), which it isn't.
 
This is shaping up to be an excellent update. I'm looking forward to it and playing the game again.

Weirdly, I'm most excited about the closer camera settings. That was my biggest pet peeve, and I had the close camera mod enabled every time I played it on my PC.
 
30fps on current gen with RT ... meh - why not at least 40fps120hz?
Metro Exodus PS5/Series did RT and 60fps which looked and felt incredible compared to old gen version.
 
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MatrixReloaded101 said:
The RT might be worth it ? idk if this is the type of game that would require high frame rates.
Click to expand...
A lot of your combat encounters require you to fight many enemies at the same time. 60fps definitely makes the combat feel more fluid, but I played the entire game on a launch Xbox One originally, and 30fps isn't a killer here.
 
The RT difference is subtle but I notice it has a more realistic look than One X, I like that. But I don't know if I will play in that mode much, it sounds like all the other visuals bells and whistles are for both modes. Making it almost a no brainer to go with performance mode.

I do notice one thing though, did they scale down the swaying foliage?
 
Honestly, what an amazing free patch for a 5 year old game. Can't wait to dive into this.

I do wish the RT mode had a 40fps option though.
 
Soooo... seeing how crap releases are nowadays, I might just get Witcher for ps5 if they make new disc release of this.
But I have w3 on steam, so I will check upgrade there first. Its free
It just looks different. Not necessarily better
 
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rofif said:
Soooo... seeing how crap releases are nowadays, I might just get Witcher for ps5 if they make new disc release of this.
But I have w3 on steam, so I will check upgrade there first. Its free
It just looks different. Not necessarily better
Click to expand...
Does PC have a 30fps lock option? If so, play it there my man. Curious to know if there will be pc stutter tho.

Celebrate In Love GIF by HBO Max
 
pasterpl said:
If you have got decent gaming pc, you should play on pc as you will get the best quality and performance.
Click to expand...
5600/6700xt
GHG said:
Crosssave so no harm in trying out both. It's what I'll be doing. Hope to have sorted a GPU update in time for this update.
Click to expand...
Didn't know about cross save. Nice perk to try both out with. Hopefully Dualsense is supported properly on PC.
 
MikeM said:
Conflicted on where to play. Have it for both PC and PS5. Gonna have to test them both out
Click to expand...

Depends on your PC specs. Just remember that with this version you get 2 additional Ray Tracing options (for a total of 4) and Ultra+ settings (increased draw distance, foliage density, background character detail, new geometric details, better asset quality etc).
 
M1chl said:
Meh, please give me performance RT otherwise I don't really see much difference between this version and One X...


Input lag
Click to expand...

That's not the full explanation. I also found Control to look VERY choppy at 30fps, couldn't stand it. Other games aren't nearly as bad. Probably something to do with motion blur.
 
It remains to be seen if visual fidelity truly is the same in both modes. No way will performance mode have the same resolution, but if overall there's not a big difference, except for raytracing.....then performance mode it is.

The foliage swaying though, I really hope they didn't touch that. This gave it something.....extra, I guess.
 
RoadHazard said:
That's not the full explanation. I also found Control to look VERY choppy at 30fps, couldn't stand it. Other games aren't nearly as bad. Probably something to do with motion blur.
Click to expand...

Control feels similar to AC Valhalla in quality mode, stuttery as hell.

Whereas Witcher 3 in resolution mode felt way, way smoother, just like RDR2.
 
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I didn't play Control on console, but the stuttery feeling in 30fps mode comes down to frame persistence, you get 30fps a second but they don't come out consistently so it feels juttery and weird. It makes a big difference. Compare Demons Souls PS5 to, well, any From 30fps game to see it very clearly.

I would hope CDPR is aware of this and will deliver a good 30fps game.
 
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Horse camera looks really bad.
If anything, should be on other shoulder since swords hilts are distracting.
 
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And 30fps mode could use some motion blur. 30fps is terrible without good motion blur.... Calisto plays great at 30
 
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