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DF: Pragmata PS5/Pro/Series X/S review

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viveks86

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AI Summary:
This Digital Foundry tech review covers Pragmata, a new sci-fi title from Capcom (0:05). The game, set on an abandoned space station, is praised for its linear structure, unique hacking mechanics, and inventive concept (0:25-1:14).

Key Technical Takeaways:

• Image Quality: A major drawback on base PS5 and Xbox Series X is the native 1080p resolution paired with rudimentary FSR1 upscaling, which results in visible noise and pixel crawl (3:18-4:34). PS5 Pro significantly improves this using PSSR to reconstruct a clearer image (3:26, 11:15).
• Performance: While the target is 60 fps, the 'Resolution' mode on base PS5 and Series X struggles with heavy ray tracing and hair-strand physics, often dipping well below 60 fps (7:50-8:57). Switching to the 'Frame Rate' mode provides a more stable experience by disabling ray tracing (9:09-9:42).
• PS5 Pro Advantages: The PS5 Pro is the standout platform, running at a locked 60 fps with ray tracing enabled by default and vastly superior image quality. It even offers an unlocked high frame rate mode for 120Hz displays (10:56-14:41).
• Xbox Series S: The Series S hits the 60 fps target, but it sacrifices visual fidelity, running at 720p with dialed-back textures, no ray tracing, and no hair-strand technology (16:21-17:42).

Verdict: While Pragmata is a highly enjoyable game, the PS5 Pro is considered the essential hardware for the best experience, solving the image quality and ray tracing performance issues found on the base consoles (18:09-18:48).
- Built on Capcom's RE engine
- Quirky, inventive, ideas which pay off 'handsomely'
- PS5/Pro/Series X offers RT reflections
- Hair strand tech present similar to RE Requiem and praised
- This tech is not present in Series S (or Switch 2)
- All consoles can suffer from occasional low resolution textures
- PS5/Series X's AA is a bit lacking

Visuals:

- PS5/SX run at 1080p in either of its two modes, Series S is 720p
- Frame Rate and Resolution mode on PS5/SX are both 1080p native
- Pixel crawl and visual noise present on PS5/SX even in the Resolution mode
- DF thinks Capcom should have used something like FSR3 instead of its basic TAA
- The game has options for lens distortion, chromatic aberration, motion blur etc

- Frame Rate mode cuts back RT reflections, switching to cube maps, and hair strand quality is a bit more 'coarser'
- Resolution mode's RT reflections are a 'transformative effect'
- RT mode, however, also work in tandem with SSR and aren't as good as PC's path tracing

Performance:

- In Resolution mode on base PS5, tighter corridors are in the 50's and later open areas can drop to mid 40's. Cut-scenes can drop to mid to low 30's
- Frame rate mode shows flat 60fps in all the above scenarios with rare one or two frame drops noted
- DF noted that using a cloud save imported from PS5 Pro can cause base PS5 to run at native 1440p but that causes a much more notable drop in frame rate even in the Frame Rate mode

PS5 Pro:

- PS5 Pro runs at 864p using PSSR to reconstruct to 2160p, the up-scale removes the flickering and noise seen in base PS5
- Other visual settings are a match between the two
- Pro (and Series X) render more shadows in some of the opening areas compared to base PS5, DF wonders if this is a bug.
- RT reflection effects are more 'softer' compared to base PS5, as they're likely rendering from the lower base resolution
- PS5 Pro holds 60fps with rare single drops seen in default mode
- High Frame rate mode allows unlocked frame rate to 120fps, this mode also uses PSSR2 but targets 1440p up-scale instead of 2160p
- Seems to hang int he mid 70's to 80's in regular play

Xbox:

- Series X runs the same resolution and visual settings as base PS5
- Shadow resolution is often lower on SX compared to PS5, though in some areas SX renders more shadows than base PS5
- In Resolution mode SX generally runs a few frames better than base PS5 but behind PS5 Pro
- In Frame Rate mode it runs a pretty good 60fps at all times like PS5

- Series S has notably lower texture quality, missing strand hair and RT and generally worse IQ
- Due to the above cuts, Series S seems to be the most tightly locked 60fps between PS5/SX/SS
 
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PS5Pro:
Arnold Schwarzenegger Fitness GIF
 
I'm impressed with the quality of PSSR2 considering it's using such a low base resolution!
 
Cross posting from the other thread in case either gets locked.




- Built on Capcom's RE engine
- Quirky, inventive, ideas which pay off 'handsomely'
- PS5/Pro/Series X offers RT reflections
- Hair strand tech present similar to RE Requiem and praised
- This tech is not present in Series S (or Switch 2)
- All consoles can suffer from occasional low resolution textures
- PS5/Series X's AA is a bit lacking

Visuals:

- PS5/SX run at 1080p in either of its two modes, Series S is 720p
- Frame Rate and Resolution mode on PS5/SX are both 1080p native
- Pixel crawl and visual noise present on PS5/SX even in the Resolution mode
- DF thinks Capcom should have used something like FSR3 instead of its basic TAA
- The game has options for lens distortion, chromatic aberration, motion blur etc

- Frame Rate mode cuts back RT reflections, switching to cube maps, and hair strand quality is a bit more 'coarser'
- Resolution mode's RT reflections are a 'transformative effect'
- RT mode, however, also work in tandem with SSR and aren't as good as PC's path tracing

Performance:

- In Resolution mode on base PS5, tighter corridors are in the 50's and later open areas can drop to mid 40's. Cut-scenes can drop to mid to low 30's
- Frame rate mode shows flat 60fps in all the above scenarios with rare one or two frame drops noted
- DF noted that using a cloud save imported from PS5 Pro can cause base PS5 to run at native 1440p but that causes a much more notable drop in frame rate even in the Frame Rate mode

PS5 Pro:

- PS5 Pro runs at 864p using PSSR to reconstruct to 2160p, the up-scale removes the flickering and noise seen in base PS5
- Other visual settings are a match between the two
- Pro (and Series X) render more shadows in some of the opening areas compared to base PS5, DF wonders if this is a bug.
- RT reflection effects are more 'softer' compared to base PS5, as they're likely rendering from the lower base resolution
- PS5 Pro holds 60fps with rare single drops seen in default mode
- High Frame rate mode allows unlocked frame rate to 120fps, this mode also uses PSSR2 but targets 1440p up-scale instead of 2160p
- Seems to hang int he mid 70's to 80's in regular play

Xbox:

- Series X runs the same resolution and visual settings as base PS5
- Shadow resolution is often lower on SX compared to PS5, though in some areas SX renders more shadows than base PS5
- In Resolution mode SX generally runs a few frames better than base PS5 but behind PS5 Pro
- In Frame Rate mode it runs a pretty good 60fps at all times like PS5

- Series S has notably lower texture quality, missing strand hair and RT and generally worse IQ
- Due to the above cuts, Series S seems to be the most tightly locked 60fps between PS5/SX/SS
 
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I'm playing in resolution mode on XSX and the game looks and runs perfectly fine 🤷‍♂️

The bigger VRR window goes a long way. 40 vs 48 fps, anytime it his 48 or less, which happens pretty frequently going by the video, it loses VRR on PS5. On SX that window is extended to 40, which only seems to happen in some cut-scenes.
 
The bigger VRR window goes a long way. 40 vs 48 fps, anytime it his 48 or less, which happens pretty frequently going by the video, it loses VRR on PS5. On SX that window is extended to 40, which only seems to happen in some cut-scenes.

the Xbox VRR Window on a good TV is actually 20-120 fps. You're basically never out of the VRR window unless the game is broken or something lol
 
PS5 Pro taking full advantage of the new version of PSSR VS demo version. Great IQ results despite starting from 840p resolution.

XSX has definitely been another version that has improved compared to the demo. Back then, it even fell short of the PS5 in framerate, and now it even surpasses it.
The shadow issue could very well be a bug on both PS5 and XSX. In fact, in the demo, the shadows on XSX were corrupted if you previously played XSS with the same profile.

Then FSR1.....
Ryan Reynolds Reaction GIF


And XSS... Capcom certainly doesn't have much love for it. At least in this case, the 60fps is achieved phenomenally well.
 
the Xbox VRR Window on a good TV is actually 20-120 fps. You're basically never out of the VRR window unless the game is broken or something lol

I might be mistaken, but doesn't a game need to be running in the 120hz container for that sub 40hz limit to tick? Pragmata doesn't have a 120hz container on PS5/SX.

edit: ah, you mean the system wide LFC support. 🙏

That does work for 120hz TV's but if someone was (still) using a 60hz only display, they're limited to 40hz VRR.
 
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I might be mistaken, but doesn't a game need to be running in the 120hz container for that sub 40hz limit to tick? Pragmata doesn't have a 120hz container on PS5/SX.

nope.

that's why Elden Ring was decently smooth on Series X, while being a stuttery mess on PS5 (and why you should play the PS4 back compat version on PS5)

every 60hz container game gets frame doubled at 120hz output (this includes all back compat games too). so a game running at 20fps gets its frames doubled to 40fps, and therefore is still in the 40hz VRR window
 
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nope.

that's why Elden Ring was decently smooth on Series X, while being a stuttery mess on PS5 (and why you should play the PS4 back compat version on PS5)

every 60hz container game gets frame doubled at 120hz output (this includes all back compat games too). so a game running at 20fps gets its frames doubled to 40fps, and therefore is still in the 40hz VRR window

Yes, edited my post just as you were probably typing this. The system wide LFC support, which would do that for 120hz displays.

I guess if someone were still using a 60hz only display, or had their system set to 60hz for some reason, they'd be limited to 40hz VRR only.
 
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