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DF: Hogwarts Legacy - DF Tech Review - PS5 vs Xbox Series X/S - 21 Mode Variations Tested

Lysandros

Member
Holy shit look at him go. He’s such a PlayStation hater lmao
Well apparently "XSX has a lot of better GPU for what is the future of graphics" huh... As if faster and more continuous data flow, thus ultimately the better use of these compute resources is 'the past of graphics'. Thinking about it, maybe this was Sony's grand strategy all along; winning the future of the generation by influencing the past. This makes PS5 a de facto time machine.

'Joke aside', his last assessment reminds me of the notorious "40-50 FPS on GPU alone" statement in a funny way. The guy who refused to believe that PS5 GPU had any kind of hardware accelerator for RT even after the spec reveal and spread misinformation about the variable clocks afterwards seems that he just can't hold his horses in occasions such as this. One might say that a 'professional' of his position should do a better job at hiding his biases and appear a least pseudo-objective. But Alex being Alex i guess, he is at least very consistent on that front.
 
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SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
You're right. I keep forgetting Sonys upgrade system requires a totally new build. Playing Cyberpunk on the PS5 sucked before patch 1.5.


No, it didn't because PS5s VRR range doesn't work half the time in ER and Xboxs version does. Neither one of them holds 60 fps but one of them has tech that alleviated the problem while the other doesn't. Like I said, I own it on both systems and anyone telling its more playable on PS5 is just straight lying or using an old tv.

It's also hilarious you would pretend otherwise when the general sentiment was if you had a PS5 you should install the PS4 version and play it instead.

You're trying to reinvent reality, not expose it.

Edit: I'll also point out that the the 1.05 patch brought the XSX version in line with the PS5 version in loading and framerate, even without VRR. But for most playable experience you'd want VRR.

Even before the 1.05 patch, when the PS5 had a 5-10 fps advantage over the XSX Digital Foundry, and everyone else, said the best way to play it was with VRR on XSX.

After Sony dropped their systemwide VRR patch I bought the PS5 version because i thought it would be fixed, but because their implementation only goes to 48hz unless you patch it by game, the VRR doesn't work reliably in ER on PS5. That's just a fact. I have 80 hours in ER on PS and another 350 on Xbox, the XSX is the best console version...the end.
we are talking about performance, not which console was the best place to play. This discussion is literally about the PS5 GPU/SoC outperforming a more powerful XSX SoC. This is not about VRR or DRS that was lowered to bring XSX in line. This is about how certain games offer a higher base framerate on the PS5 GPU despite the power gap.
 
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soulbait

Member
When I first started to play the game (PS5 and got the game early due to deluxe edition) I played in balanced mode with frame rate unlocked. I usually play in balanced mode (40 fps) when available, trying other modes here and there on games. I kept meaning to try RT mode, but due to that requiring a reboot of the game, I didn't want to hassle with it.

On Friday, I finally switch over to RT Mode. At first I did not like it, but I had frame rate unlocked. Once I changed the setting to lock the frame rate, it felt a lot smoother and not as much stuttering. I am guessing is the unlocked frame rate was increasing the frame rate some, but not above the threshold for VRR to kick in (this is a guess).

So now I am playing in the RT mode and it really does play great and I have not switched back. First game I have done this with, as for most games the higher FPS seems to play better, especially on my larger TV. So if you are like me and usually go for the balanced modes and/or faster FPS, do give the RT mode a try. I think it is good for this game.
 
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soulbait

Member
Ended up picking this up on SX over PS5 simply for quick resume. I’m about 27 hours in all on fidelity mode. There’s definitely some occasional stuttering that’ll last about a second here and there when I’m sprinting through the school. To be honest I feel like it’s actually become more frequent since the last patch as I’ve been playing since the 7th and don’t recall it doing that as much before a couple days ago. All that said, the stuttering issue is still infrequent enough that it’s yet to tarnish my enjoyment of the game. I don’t regret going Xbox on this one because as expected, Quick resume has been awesome and really shines for single player games like this. Overall this game looks incredible to me and runs well enough to be an non-issue for me. I say that as someone that got a refund for CP2077.

I usually play third-parties on Xbox, but I went with PS5 for this one due to the exclusive quest it has.
 

soulbait

Member
I’m playing on fidelity RT on PS5 & it’s very stable, but there’s still a lot of graphical pop-in issues with the game. Hope that’s fixed soon.

You won't notice as many pop-ins on Balanced mode (if your TV supports it), but I have switched to RT mode and I prefer it to Balanced, which is odd for me.
 

damidu

Member
So I only have to spend 2K€ in a new 4K HDR tv although I already have a 4K HDR tv to get the better version. Everyone claiming that now runs better need to get some receipts here. I wanna see them. Anyways ER was one of many examples over two years of generation.
yeah game was horrible pretty horrible at launch, if people claiming its now better than ps5 on series x, need some receipts other than it feels so. lol
remember hogwarts also felt good to people here.
 
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Ar¢tos

Member

People forget (or don't know) that Sony sells motion capture and localization services for whoever wants to buy them.
Are we completely signing off marketing deals as a reason why one version MAY have had a touch more love than an other?..just makes sense to me.

Sony must have paid something between 50 to 100 million for the marketing and extra content so I don't see it as impossible that the platform that contributed that marketing budget to be the version that got the most crunch up to launch.

Maybe I'm completely wrong, but that just makes business sense to me.
Marketing deals aren't made directly between devs doing optimizations and platform holders, they are made between publishers and platform holders.

Stop spreading FUD.

You think publishers send emails saying:
"Urgent - To the devs optimizing the game for Xbox consoles: remember that we have a marketing deal with sony, so check with the devs doing the PlayStation optimization so your version doesn't run better than theirs!!"
 

RoadHazard

Gold Member
This is madness, it's not that it would be purposefully "paired down" on the xbox...that guy is crackers for saying that. Like I said previously, for years we have heard that frame rate is more or less the last passes of development where you fine tune the game for launch.

Everything seems to launch hot now, so it wouldn't surprise me if one platform launched a little hotter than the other and it will be fixed post launch. Performance will be fixed on PC and ps5 too, every console will get performance patches after launch.

Don't like how that guys worded it, who ever he is.
Haven't watched the video, but the XSX version isn't even "pared down". It looks exactly the same, just runs worse. Are they saying that Avalanche intentionally sabotaged the game's performance on Xbox to make the PS5 version look better? Lol.
 
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3liteDragon

Member
You won't notice as many pop-ins on Balanced mode (if your TV supports it), but I have switched to RT mode and I prefer it to Balanced, which is odd for me.
I actually don’t see balanced since I have a Samsung LCD 55” 4K TV, but their 30FPS implementation is pretty good.
 

RafterXL

Member
So I only have to spend 2K€ in a new 4K HDR tv although I already have a 4K HDR tv to get the better version. Everyone claiming that now runs better need to get some receipts here. I wanna see them. Anyways ER was one of many examples over two years of generation.
You guys still crying about VRR...lol.
we are talking about performance, not which console was the best place to play. This discussion is literally about the PS5 GPU/SoC outperforming a more powerful XSX SoC. This is not about VRR or DRS that was lowered to bring XSX in line. This is about how certain games offer a higher base framerate on the PS5 GPU despite the power gap.
Who's we? I replied to an individual, not an entire thread of people.

And btw, the thread is about Hogwart's not whatever dumb shit you want to fight about. Just because you hijacked the thread doesn't other people can't have other conversations.
yeah game was horrible pretty horrible at launch, if people claiming its now better than ps5 on series x, need some receipts other than it feels so. lol
remember hogwarts also felt good to people here.
Jesus you people are stupid. I said with VRR. And everyone on the internet was saying that on day 1. It's literally in Digital Foundry's tech comparison from launch. And, no, I give a shit if you don't have VRR, that's not my problem, it's yours.

There's also videos all over the place comparing XSX framerate from launch to patch 1.05 and 1.06, it's not like it's a secret that framerate was improved.


But hey, don't mind me, you guys can go back to your circle jerk.
 

damidu

Member
Jesus you people are stupid. I said with VRR. And everyone on the internet was saying that on day 1. It's literally in Digital Foundry's tech comparison from launch. And, no, I give a shit if you don't have VRR, that's not my problem, it's yours.

There's also videos all over the place comparing XSX framerate from launch to patch 1.05 and 1.06, it's not like it's a secret that framerate was improved.


But hey, don't mind me, you guys can go back to your circle jerk.
i havent said anything about vrr "stupid", i know framerate improved since launch (on every platfrom)
now lets see your proof that its better on xsx then ps5... guessed so
 

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
Who's we? I replied to an individual, not an entire thread of people.

And btw, the thread is about Hogwart's not whatever dumb shit you want to fight about. Just because you hijacked the thread doesn't other people can't have other conversations.
The guy you are responding to is talking about what I am talking about. The whole discusssion started because the XSX is performing WORSE than the PS5 DESPITE having a more powerful GPU, and we've been talking about WHYs since. Elden Ring was merely presented as an example of that performance delta. You are the one who seems to have hijacked that conversation and seem absolutely clueless about it. I tried to correct you but you seem too stubborn to admit it. This is so frustrating... It's like talking to a woman.
 

01011001

Banned
So I only have to spend 2K€ in a new 4K HDR tv although I already have a 4K HDR tv to get the better version. Everyone claiming that now runs better need to get some receipts here. I wanna see them. Anyways ER was one of many examples over two years of generation.

the best gaming OLED on the market (lowest input latency on the market and 1000+ nits) is 1300€ at 55"

I can take a few shots later showing you that it runs better in the key areas that have a lot of framedrops later if you want. with the VRR display of the TV showing the exact refresh it's running at on both.

I have both versions (because Elden Ring is worth it) and after a patch late last year it improved a lot on SX, while remaining mostly the same on PS5.

my guess is they finally turned that ridiculous dynamic settings toggle off that also completely tanked the performance of the One X version that ran even worse than the SX version when played on an SX as shown by Digital Foundry.
that same setting also tanked performance on PC when used
 
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RafterXL

Member
i havent said anything about vrr "stupid", i know framerate improved since launch (on every platfrom)
now lets see your proof that its better on xsx then ps5... guessed so
I'm the one who mentioned VRR. Keep up, junior.

And show me ANYWHERE I said it ran "better" without VRR. Go ahead, I'll wait since I know you're slow.

It's better on XSX than PS5 with VRR...that's it, that's all I said. Now read it back to yourself a few times until it sinks in.

WTF.

Three month old account, probably freshly banned from ResetERA for fanboying and you're already starting that shit here, congratulations! You'll fit right in.
 

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
Devs don't already put as much time optimizing XBox version compared to PlayStation, but hey let's release series s to further take away dev time so the XBox optimization can be in the toilet.
Pretty sure they are porting the PC version to the XSX and XS and calling it a day. I got the same exact stuttering bug DF pointed out in the XSX review of the game on my PC. Stuttering so bad it runs the game at 2-5 fps for several seconds. Sometimes it never fixed itself. All in RT mode. Turned off RT mode and never saw it again. Exact same bug.

Now I see awful performance as soon as I turn on RT. Doesnt matter how much i downgrade the resolution or settings, it continues to have poor performance with wildly fluctuating framerates. Same thing i saw in the footage of XSX in the DF review.
 

damidu

Member
I'm the one who mentioned VRR. Keep up, junior.

And show me ANYWHERE I said it ran "better" without VRR. Go ahead, I'll wait since I know you're slow.

It's better on XSX than PS5 with VRR...that's it, that's all I said. Now read it back to yourself a few times until it sinks in.

WTF.

Three month old account, probably freshly banned from ResetERA for fanboying and you're already starting that shit here, congratulations! You'll fit right in.
well sorry, that has nothing to do performance (topic of the thread) either.
it had (probably still has) way worse framerate on xbox
also some nerve to call anyone fanboying with that post history.
 

Arioco

Member
Fair point. It is a mixed bag.


Callisto protocol had 150 Sony devs, so they better optimized ps through experience. Monster hunter rise is RE Engine which historically performs best on PlayStation, probably because of ps4s dominance last gen. CoD has Sony marketing, could also just be the faster ssd.

Yes, the same way MS had a whole team working with Epic for The Matrix demo and it ended up performing better on PS5.

And you must be joking about Monster Hunter Rise, because that's literally the first time we've seen a game that uses RE Engine performing better on PS5. Every other game using that engine up until now has performed slightly better on Series X. Devil May Cry 5, Resident Evil Village, Resident Evil 2 Remake, Resident Evil 3 Remake... you name it. Not a huge difference, but it's there. Only the 120 fps Mode in Devil May Cry 5 ran better on PS5, I'm sure you can't name any other example. Unlike UE4, which has performed sometimes better on PS5, sometimes on Series X, RE Engine has always been consistent in favoring Series X for whatever reason.
 

Loxus

Member
But the XSX and PS5 CPUs are nearly identical.

The game is definitely CPU bound on PC, but it still doesnt explain why the PS5 would be performing so much better.
Only if your looking at architecture and clocks.

You have to add API and customizations into the mix.
We know the CPU has more resources free for other tasks than the XBSX.
 

Esppiral

Member
The bigger problem on Series consoles is the asset streaming, you can notice it while the games loads new chunks of map once it is fully loaded the framerate stabilizes
 

RickSanchez

Member
i vaguely remember DF getting a lot of abuse here because they earlier said that they were not going to cover this game. lol now everyone is thankful.
 

Robbinhood

Banned
How come my game indoors is way more washed out then their footage, specifically in the castle. I almost want to turn off hdr to test it but it usually looks contrasty outside when it’s not raining. That’s ignoring the annoying lighting shift when moving between indoor outdoors.
 

Tripolygon

Banned
Only if your looking at architecture and clocks.

You have to add API and customizations into the mix.
We know the CPU has more resources free for other tasks than the XBSX.
XSX gives 7 cores to games than PS5 6.5 cores. Series consoles have similar resources free. API is a wash really, somethings are better in one or the other.

It's really simple, both consoles are in similar performance. XSX having a slight edge in compute and PS5 having a slight edge in other areas.
 

sachos

Member
I would have liked a like for like comparison. At least in the Filedity RT and Performance modes and specially the uncapped mode to trully get the sense of the difference % in performance. Its a great title to compare to a similar priced PC too due to uncapped FPS but i don't know why they stoped doing those videos and comparisons in their analysis.
 

ManaByte

Member
Finished it on the PS5 in Balanced mode and its definitely smoother than the XSX version, but if you can deal with the stuttering in the castle the combat is a little better on XSX thanks to the lower input latency with that controller.
 

ManaByte

Member
I would have liked a like for like comparison. At least in the Filedity RT and Performance modes and specially the uncapped mode to trully get the sense of the difference % in performance. Its a great title to compare to a similar priced PC too due to uncapped FPS but i don't know why they stoped doing those videos and comparisons in their analysis.

Uncapped in Balanced mode helps the stuttering on XSX a tiny bit. Didn't notice any improvement on PS5 because it never stuttered in the same spots.
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
i vaguely remember DF getting a lot of abuse here because they earlier said that they were not going to cover this game. lol now everyone is thankful.

People are quick to draw pitchforks but slower to retract and admit they were wrong, unfortunately.

How come my game indoors is way more washed out then their footage, specifically in the castle. I almost want to turn off hdr to test it but it usually looks contrasty outside when it’s not raining. That’s ignoring the annoying lighting shift when moving between indoor outdoors.

I've read this washed out thing elsewhere as well, are you using the right RGB setting on your console ? I didn't have any kind of washed out experience either in or outdoors.
 

Loxus

Member
XSX gives 7 cores to games than PS5 6.5 cores. Series consoles have similar resources free. API is a wash really, somethings are better in one or the other.

It's really simple, both consoles are in similar performance. XSX having a slight edge in compute and PS5 having a slight edge in other areas.
The source for that 6.5 comes from DF who to this day still doesn't understand how variable clocks and SmartShift works.

Anything about how the PS5 works I would never believe from DF. Especially from Alex that was so confident the PS5 didn't have any RT capabilities and runs with the XBSX full RDNA 2 nonsense.
 

Fredrik

Member
Alex is refusing to do it.
Stutterstruggle related? I know he was kinda upset awhile ago about the state of PC gaming and didn’t know how to deal with it.

A coworker with a 4090 bought it yesterday anyhow, so I’ll get some reports soon, he’s a cranky guy so if it’s a bad port I know I’ll hear about it. If it’s good I’ll double dip sooner or later, mods always push PC versions ahead for me unless they have some technical issues.
 

Mr Moose

Member
Stutterstruggle related? I know he was kinda upset awhile ago about the state of PC gaming and didn’t know how to deal with it.

A coworker with a 4090 bought it yesterday anyhow, so I’ll get some reports soon, he’s a cranky guy so if it’s a bad port I know I’ll hear about it. If it’s good I’ll double dip sooner or later, mods always push PC versions ahead for me unless they have some technical issues.
There was this:
A6p0aOD.png


And I think he said something else about him not doing it as well, I'll try and find it.
 
Stutterstruggle related? I know he was kinda upset awhile ago about the state of PC gaming and didn’t know how to deal with it.

A coworker with a 4090 bought it yesterday anyhow, so I’ll get some reports soon, he’s a cranky guy so if it’s a bad port I know I’ll hear about it. If it’s good I’ll double dip sooner or later, mods always push PC versions ahead for me unless they have some technical issues.
Im playing with an 4090 now. I have everything set to ultra to include RT i get a smooth 120 @4k with DLSS 2 and frame gen. Feels very responsive and i only ever get a few dips to like 115ish when entering one of the inner castle areas with a ton of reflective marble floors/pillars/stairs. Not sure if this is good performance or not as i just recently picked up PC gaming. Doesn't seem to struggle imo.
 

Robbinhood

Banned
I've read this washed out thing elsewhere as well, are you using the right RGB setting on your console ? I didn't have any kind of washed out experience either in or outdoors.
I believe my settings are correct but I did notice something that might help others.

When you select Balanced mode and engage 120hz on PS5, it knocks it down from RGB to YUV422 chroma.

Now, at least on my OLED, the Limited/Full setting on PS5 no longer does anything in YUV422. Here's the interesting thing:

In RGB you can select:
Limited (PS5) and Low (Black level on OLED), this will produce good results.
Limited (PS5) and High (OLED) this will produce washed out blacks
High (PS5) and Low (OLED), this will produce good results*
High (PS5) and High (OLED) this will produce black crush

But in YUV422 since the RGB setting no longer does anything, everything is set to Limited.
That means you NEED to select:
Limited (PS5) and Low (OLED) which produces good results
If you select HIGH (PS5) and High (OLED) you get washed out results since its equiv to Limited and High.

You can't achieve black crush in YUV422.

So for those with OLEDs, make sure you select Limited and Low (black OLED setting equivalent) so that when it switches between games with 120hz and 60hz you aren't getting screwed.
 

DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
People forget (or don't know) that Sony sells motion capture and localization services for whoever wants to buy them.
Marketing deals aren't made directly between devs doing optimizations and platform holders, they are made between publishers and platform holders.

Stop spreading FUD.

You think publishers send emails saying:
"Urgent - To the devs optimizing the game for Xbox consoles: remember that we have a marketing deal with sony, so check with the devs doing the PlayStation optimization so your version doesn't run better than theirs!!"

So you're telling me a completely different set of devs are working on the xbox version? Is that true?

I'm not spreading fud at all, do you know how hard game dev is now? Are you telling me with 100 percent certainty that there is 0 percent chance that a studio who is trying to work on 6 or more versions of a game and who clearly know there's a marketing deal in place as its been set in stone for like 2 years or more, doesn't have business meetings as a company with all departments discussing progress on the project and is assigning resources to the project could not dedicate a few extra resources to one version?

You are not thinking straight if you think this isn't possible.

I work for a large company that's in gaming and deals with aignigicant businesses in the UK.

Now, we absolutely have all the best intentions and aim to offer the exact same service to all our customers but the reality is there is a larger player that invests more in the business and generates more revenue overall than others. we don't even need to have the conversation with them, where it is raised that they receive priority but internally...if crunch comes to crunch and a deadline is looming we will absolutely prioritise resources to ensure that the launch, or project will go as smoothly with that specific business, and while we never leave a business high and dry there maybe some smaller teething issues that we will iron out as soon as we can.

It's like people think there is some conspiracy, when there isn't. I truly believe the majority of people have the best intentions at heart but other factors get in the way...and the craziest of them all is time....time waits for no one.

It's like some of you can't even grasp what I'm trying to say and just shout crazy talk like "fud".

Imagine what the marketing budget is or this game, now look at what the market share of sales for this game are across PS5, PC and xbox is becuase of that marketing deal and the install base of ps5 vs xbox....and you honestly can't see why the ps5 version "MAY' have been given some extra resources? If you don't......then that speaks volumes.

But, please get back to me on the devs question on the xbox version...wqs it different devs working on that version?
 

Ar¢tos

Member
So you're telling me a completely different set of devs are working on the xbox version? Is that true?

I'm not spreading fud at all, do you know how hard game dev is now? Are you telling me with 100 percent certainty that there is 0 percent chance that a studio who is trying to work on 6 or more versions of a game and who clearly know there's a marketing deal in place as its been set in stone for like 2 years or more, doesn't have business meetings as a company with all departments discussing progress on the project and is assigning resources to the project could not dedicate a few extra resources to one version?

You are not thinking straight if you think this isn't possible.

I work for a large company that's in gaming and deals with aignigicant businesses in the UK.

Now, we absolutely have all the best intentions and aim to offer the exact same service to all our customers but the reality is there is a larger player that invests more in the business and generates more revenue overall than others. we don't even need to have the conversation with them, where it is raised that they receive priority but internally...if crunch comes to crunch and a deadline is looming we will absolutely prioritise resources to ensure that the launch, or project will go as smoothly with that specific business, and while we never leave a business high and dry there maybe some smaller teething issues that we will iron out as soon as we can.

It's like people think there is some conspiracy, when there isn't. I truly believe the majority of people have the best intentions at heart but other factors get in the way...and the craziest of them all is time....time waits for no one.

It's like some of you can't even grasp what I'm trying to say and just shout crazy talk like "fud".

Imagine what the marketing budget is or this game, now look at what the market share of sales for this game are across PS5, PC and xbox is becuase of that marketing deal and the install base of ps5 vs xbox....and you honestly can't see why the ps5 version "MAY' have been given some extra resources? If you don't......then that speaks volumes.

But, please get back to me on the devs question on the xbox version...wqs it different devs working on that version?
Devs = people inside the studio. They don't do one, then move to another, unless it's a small studio releasing one version first.
 

MP!

Member
Some points

Every platform has their optimizations regardless of how "similar" the hardware appears
xbox, PC and PS5 are all pretty different architecturally
This is a game made across like a TON of platforms so balancing optimizations takes work
I think it's clear that PS5 was the lead Development platform... which isn't surprising as the playstation platform has been the lead development platform for years now.
 
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