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[TrebleShot]

Since we now have performance metrics from the excellent DF analysis and the game has been out now for a weekend and I am sure many people have been playing it consistently and gauging what modes they prefer I thought it would be interesting to get a consensus.

I often trawl Reddit for peoples opinions on this topic depending on the game so wanted to get some direct opinions from in here.

In my opinion I have mostly played on the Balanced mode, it looks very sharp and provides that mix between fidelity and frames, however I did switch over to the perf mode uncapped and it was of course so much clearer and better to the eye.

I am not a FPS purist but in recent months I have become increasingly sensitive to it.
My opinion is that the game is enjoyable and a fantastic experience at a lower res and higher frames but I cant help but have this feeling that I am missing out on the sharpness and clarity the higher res modes bring, but then you move...

To me, and not to be sensationalist, this game looks very PS4 on the higher frame modes.
I have also played a little on my 4090 system and whilst it looks sharper of course, the performance is wildly inconsistent and the graphics on a desktop (distance and screen size) dont scream next gen to me.

Besides the point I wanted to poll to see what people thought and if anyone else is happy to take the hit on clarity and can ignore the sharpness of the higher res modes for frames?

 

[Kuranghi]

My feelings are as long as the input lag isn't too high, the frames are well paced and the motion clarity isn't so jarring that it makes you feel bad in your headface (usually due to no/bad motion blur and/or bad frame pacing) then I get used to even 30fps after 5-10 mine, sure switch to 60fps and its slick like the oiled bum or that cute next door neighbour from childhood... but then 120hz is like the oiled bum of your biggest crush... BUT THEN 240hz is like the oiled arse of your fantasy crush and as you go up the difference makes the old fps look shite (granted 30 vs 60 is by far the biggest difference and returns diminish a bit after that).

So I get used to it, even with 30fps, but I can't stop noticing lower LoDs or settings or just general IQ and then when I try to examine something or watch a face move or look out over a vista it's like having grease on my glasses irl, plus as the sharpness increases perceived contrast increases so it looks more 3D on the display and the colours look "better".

So even though its only those extra 300 "p's" it does look way better to me, because there is also the settings increase.

 

[Freeman76]

Balanced all the way

 

[Doctor Hades]

I personally think there are too many modes to choose from on console making it not only confusing knowing which is the all-round best option but also frustrating because I am always switching to other modes to see what visual differences, if any there are, in certain places, but ultimately just keep going back to the 40 fps Balanced mode (on PS5).

Balanced mode at 40 fps / 120 fps feels the most like 60 fps while offering a noticeably improved draw distance over all the 60 fps Performance modes and keeping the visual quality and higher resolution of the Fidelity mode, which is more suited for my 55" 4K OLED TV. However, I do like the 30 fps ray-tracing mode when used in Hogwarts Castle as it shows off proper mirror reflections and shinier floors. I am also fine with the 30 fps framerate in this mode too, surprisingly, as I expected it to look awful on my OLED TV but it looks and feels fine. The problem is that ray-tracing mode in the open world areas shows a more limited draw distance with more pop up. If it wasn't for the distracting way that ambient shadows fade in and out at the edges of the screen and where they are occluded by the character in the non-RT mode then I wouldn't really miss having it. As it is though is does improve on the glitchy shadowing the game uses by default.

The unlocked framerate modes are a pointless addition in my experience as they do not offer a significant enough improvement over the locked modes. In my opinion, this game should have just shipped with a 30 fps Fidelity mode, a 40 fps Balanced mode and a 60 fps Performance mode. They perhaps should have left out the ray-tracing, unless they could have optimised to include it as standard for the 30 fps, 40 fps and 60 fps modes, because using that means having to sacrifice the visuals and resolutions, which goes against the whole point of using RT in the first place. In my opinion, RT is an extra that enhances or improves on the graphics at their highest settings, which isn't the case on consoles as framerate, visual quality and resolution have to sacrificed to use it.

 

[Saiyan-Rox]

Balanced is a nice sweet spot I wish a lot of games had

 

[DenchDeckard]

Ultra settings dlss 3

 

[Banjo64]

I’m using Series S balanced (40fps) which I think is missing from the poll. Looks great.

 

[dreamstation]

I'm using performance 60fps on the lounge room TV as it doesn't support 120. The missus is playing in the living room with balanced as it can do 120. Both seem pretty good.

 

[The_Mike]

I remember people saying consoles were more simple than pc because you didnt have to worry about settings it's just plug and play.

And then I see this game has 8 setting choices.

 

[Fart Knight]

 

[Fabieter]

I remember people saying consoles were more simple than pc because you didnt have to worry about settings it's just plug and play.

And then I see this game has 8 setting choices.

I mean its still relatively simple compared to pc though.

 

[Luipadre]

Balanced is the best

 

[thegame983]

Options are good, but they're also scary and confusing.

 

[The_Mike]

I mean its still relatively simple compared to pc though.

You have a slider from 0 to 10 in many games, with the option to tweak.

Or, from low medium high ultra.


More or less the same.

 

[Portugeezer]

Performance on PS5 runs very well, almost locked 60fps in every scenario (some areas and combat scenarios dropped to around 50fps.

RT mode isn't worth it for prettier reflections inside buildings.

 

[The_Mike]

Options are good, but they're also scary and confusing.

*starting game *
Hello thegame983 ,which graphic setting do you prefer?
thegame983 :

 

[buenoblue]

Another entitled piece of shit thread. Game looks great. Plays great. Just fucking enjoy the game. I was playing Atari 2600 games when young, now that's being hard done by.

 

[Captain Toad]

I'm on PS5 and haven't even tried anything other than the default performance mode. I just don't care enough to even play around with the different modes.

 

[Captain Toad]

Another entitled piece of shit thread. Game looks great. Plays great. Just fucking enjoy the game. I was playing Atari 2600 games when young, now that's being hard done by.

 

[Pedro Motta]

Balanced on PS5 feels amazing.

 

[Charles Brandon]

Fidelity and RT on series X

because pretty graphics >>> framerate and occasional stutters

 

[DanEON]

Balanced. 40fps mode was the best new feature for consoles this gen.

 

[adamsapple]

Balanced.

 

[analog_future]

Fidelity Mode w/ uncapped framerate, chromatic aberration off, film grain off.

Runs at 40+fps the majority of the time, and often runs at 60fps when inside of caves.

Balanced is fine but tends to render at a slightly lower resolution than Fidelity. It appears to prioritize framerate over resolution, whereas Fidelity is the other way around.

Series X | 77" LG C2 OLED

 

[DanEON]

Fidelity Mode w/ uncapped framerate, chromatic aberration off, film grain off.

Runs at 40+fps the majority of the time, and often runs at 60fps when inside of caves.

Balanced is fine but tends to render at a slightly lower resolution than Fidelity. It appears to prioritize framerate over resolution, whereas Fidelity is the other way around.

Series X | 77" LG C2 OLED

With uncapped frames you get stutter, because you basically are always below VRR range.

 

[TrebleShot]

With uncapped frames you get stutter, because you basically are always below VRR range.

Thats my experience also TBH Balanced capped is nice

 

[AngelMuffin]

Only 1 correct answer unless you have a VRR capable television.

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

Performance, always.

I will always take the 60fps option in any game no matter what.

 

[analog_future]

With uncapped frames you get stutter, because you basically are always below VRR range.

Thats my experience also TBH Balanced capped is nice

I'm on Series X, which has a VRR range of around 24-120hz. PS5 doesn't have LFC so you get a much more limited VRR range (48-120hz if I recall correctly).

 

[XXL]

Performance HFR

 

[Fabieter]

You have a slider from 0 to 10 in many games, with the option to tweak.

Or, from low medium high ultra.


More or less the same.

I know but what do you tweak if it doesnt run well? I know you can just use nvidia drive to optimize but its still not quite the same.

 

[rickybooby87]

40FPS/120hz all the way home and back.

 

[Putonahappyface]

Balanced mode capped.

 

[oji-san]

Still haven't bought it but so far this gen i've always gone with 60fps option and will also with HL.

 

[The_Mike]

I know but what do you tweak if it doesnt run well? I know you can just use nvidia drive to optimize but its still not quite the same.

I take it down a nudge.
Or turn off RT or something I know takes performance.

 

[MastAndo]

Performance capped on PS5. The only glaring visual issue I see with it is that the skyboxes are low in detail and muddy looking. I tried Balanced, and while it certainly looks better, I just can't do those sort of framerates anymore when a silkier option is available.

 

[Warnen]

Performance on PS5, no issues with it.

 

[damidu]

balance uncapped would not work on ps5, right?
you need cap for 40 fps frametime
or maybe it doesn’t make a difference on or off?

 

[Elios83]

Balanced but capped at 40fps. Uncapped has stutters because I guess the framerate fluctuates a lot around the VRR engaging threshold.
Ray tracing has some nice reflections but they're only noticeable inside Hogwarts and the price to pay is high with 30fps and lower res.