Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora - PS5/Xbox Series X|S Tech Review - Graceful Scaling vs Maxed PC

[Music] developer massive entertainment surpasses itself with its work on Avatar frontiers of Pandora a game that takes the Snowdrop engine at the heart of its the division games a game that harnesses the power of PlayStation 5 Xbox series X and S to create one of the most visually striking games of the generation so far following on from from Alex's PC tech Showcase of Avatar frontiers of Pandora which I highly recommend checking out for a rundown of its visual features this video instead focuses on what you get on Console what we get on PS5 series X and S and specifically how the three compare whether it's the dense Rich jungle environments the r traced Global illumination and Reflections or high quality materials how does the four teraflop Series S version hold up and in looking at the games 60 frames per second performance mode which is only available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox series X are all of its Cutting Edge visuals possible with unwavering performance or is the alternative 30fps quality mode the better way to go let's find [Music] out first things first the good news is you do not necessarily need a top-end PC to see the fruits of massive entertainment labor even on platforms like PS5 Xbox series X and Series S which does admittedly have cutbacks I'll get to each console offers an excellent means to enjoy the game so this is Xbox series X running on its 30 frames per second quality mode for example though PS5 gets much the same experience visually frankly no matter where you look there's a new visual highlight Pandora lush jungle environments are the star of the show of course and emerging from the claustrophobic indoor tutorial bit you get free range to go just about anywhere the dense thickets of plant life are a proud feature of its design complete with a volumetric fog that fills the Horizon plus insects flying through the space elsewhere we get pre- tessellated terrain meaning ground debris renders as full high quality geometry while materials like moss buildup on bark present at a high resolution we get interactive foliage as well plants that react to player movement and also procedurally break up on gunfire we get a rolling time of day and lastly we get weather States something of a specialty for mass of entertainment it seems rain void magic fog and even wind are simulated causing tree branches and grass to [Music] sway all around it's a stunning package the game snow drop technology combines beautifully with Avatar's world the Flora the forer of the films to create a game that feels somehow cohesive to create the illusion of a living breathing space and the cherry on the cake is that rate tracing is included on Console this includes R traced Reflections and R traced Global illumination scaling from PS5 and series X right down to Series S now it seems there are many variables to get raid tracing running well on all three and of course series s has the greater GPU and memory limit to work around factors like the number of rays their resolution the length of rays and much more help the team at massive to optimize the console limits and again much more so on Series S but it does make the grade on each and it still looks superb R traced Reflections for example are deployed across big water bodies the lakes with screen space Reflections running over the top to add in extra scene detail and likewise rtgi has a powerful impact on the game's presentation of shadowed areas and bounce lighting the result being that brightly colored plants bounce their specific Hue their color onto nearby scenery to the comparisons and let's first take a look at the two modes on Console PS5 and series X get a 60 FPS performance mode and a 30 FPS quality mode while sadly Series S only runs at 30 FPS so using the series X release as a test case this is what it takes to get to 60 FPS the main point is the resolution drop on the performance mode series X runs at between 864p and 1260p dynamic resolution scaling combines with MD's FSR 2 reconstruction to create a likeness of a 4K image but with so much movement on screen the illusion does inevitably break to reveal Jagged edges at times it still looks impressive and for my money the trade to get to 60 FPS is well worth it the 30 FPS quality mode meanwhile on the right side minimizes the instances of jagged edges by simply rendering more pixels on average at between 1296p and 1800p and yes in comparing the modes on series X it's clear the quality mode gets to a much cleaner more defined image on a 4K display easily image Clarity is the biggest trade-off if you're after FPS and all of this applies to PS5 as well as a side note the quality mode unlocks an additional motion blur option on Console which does in a small way help smooth over the 30fps camera movement if enabled the 30 FPS quality mode is ideal for the visual purist then and it gets a few other visual extras Foliage lods for example are improved on the quality mode which in essence lessens the Popin especially to the screen's edges shadows and ambient shading also benefit at range with a brightening to distant shade behind trees and more defined Shadow detail around them switching between the modes foliage is rendered farther a field across the ground too and we see the addition of lily pads on the water here they're simply more plant life rended at range in other words though both modes do eventually settle to the same detail level when viewing these points up close beyond that screen space Reflections SSR run at a higher quality setting at 30 FPS while Alpha transparency effects get a quality increase causing less pixelation so flame effects or waterfalls for example intersect with geometry with less Sawtooth artifacting and lastly volumetric fog is improved for the quality mode so overall there is a clear benefit to running at 30 FPS but the focus on platforming really does make 60 FPS hard to give [Music] up all of which brings us to the console comparisons themselves Series S is in the spotlight here obviously and we're of course expecting a drop in settings next to the premium consoles it's just a matter of by how much and does it really affect the experience so I'm using the 30 FPS quality mode on series X as a comparison Point given it's the nearest equivalent to series s's default 30 FPS output and I've got to say it does hold up surprisingly well in terms of resolution Series S runs natively at between 72p to 1080p as the maximum bounds with amd's FSR 2 reconstructing that to a higher res image already then it's running at a lower Bas pixel output than PS5 and series X's performance modes but Against All Odds it still looks respectable massive entertainment has done a decent job with this release and I think the drop in image quality is is in line with expectation that said there are quite a few changes elsewhere one of the biggest being material quality texture resolution across cloth the ground The Mulch the mud and Moss it's all dropped a level and so up close scrutiny of any of these points isn't terribly flattering on Series S next to series X and even introducing PS5 into the mix it's a visible step down at least in this one area in a three-way split it's worth stressing that time of day and weather conditions are a factor in comparing the open world thankfully ubisoft's Cloud safe system helps get time accurate shots across all three consoles in summary PS5 and series X use much the same settings while Series S loses out in a few areas even beyond the materials there's a visibly lower quality volumetric fog effect streaking through interior is for example on Series S it's not a terrible result but a clear step back in terms of presenting actual rays of light streaking through where it instead appears diffused also SSR takes a hit across this stream in our opening run across Pandora we get a lower quality mirror image on Series S while again PS5 and series X run at the same setting on quality mode the upside is that R trist Reflections are still active beneath it even on Series S as a kind of fullback if the scenery is isn't being reflected from the screen space technique and even R traced GI works on all systems so check out the red Hue of the light bounds from the plant against The Rock up ahead it's present even on Series S even if actual plant density is reduced overall on that machine in this [Music] shot in summary then Series S runs only at 30 FPS with a lowered native resolution range dropped material quality vo metric effects SSI and lessens plant density across the jungle it's also clear that adjustments are made to the ray traced GI for example on this Escape Route up the tunnel the tweaks on Series S result in a big difference in lighting it's missing the blue hue of the premium machines here it's darker almost as if missing a light bounce from the daylight ahead with so many variables at an engine level though it's difficult to pin down the exact setting change to the RTG ion Series S it could be the number of rays there quality the bounces or it could be something else entirely but it's clear in certain moments notably Interiors Series S does produce a very different result in ambient lighting still looking at the game in isolation on Series S honestly it holds up pretty well Avatar scales to the four terlop machine with all its limits and it's only by comparison to PS5 and series X that you realize where the nips and Tucks are truly being made a final word on the PS5 and series X versions again the core visual feature set is mostly the same between the two the biggest difference between them though is in image quality zooming in at times PS5 runs at lower figures within their shared Dynamic 1296p to 800p range relative to series X in matching moments it'll pick a lower figure in order to sustain a stable 30 FPS line and the image loses a little clarity with the pixel counts adjusting so rapidly though and the FSR reconstruction in Play It's usually difficult to pick the two apart though also geometry and Shadow LED show minor differences in spots but more often than not they push identical images now as I've mentioned all consoles use FSR 2 but it appears the implementation on Xbox series X and especially Series S has an issue with image breakup so check this out even stood completely still there are reconstruction artifacts on visually busy elements like grass or mesh work you'll see bits of the floor separate into these unresolved chunks it's very odd and bizarrely it doesn't seem to affect PS5 to the same extent the fact PS5 gets away without the artifact does suggest it's perhaps fixable for the Xbox machines and I do hope it's addressed eventually switching over to Performance testing let's check out the 60 FPS modes on PS5 and series X first honestly this is my preferred way to play even knowing all the trade-offs in folage draw volumetric effects and SSR though I will say this 60 FPS mode is not perfect on either machine the fact is anyone using a vrr enabled display will get a lot out of this mode in terms of smoothness In Motion we're talking a range of 45 to 60 FPS with 45 FPS really accounting for the rarer most extreme cases for anyone with a TV without VR our support you will see frame rate drops and you will see the accompanying screen tear right at the top of the display to start at the beginning then as a baseline both PS5 and series X run at 60 FPS that's the typical refresh while traveling across the world by foot and emerging to Pandora just setting foot into daylight for the first time cues a hit to 58 FPS on our series X pushing on through the jungle it then stabilizes a little for the rest of the route with frequent one or two frame drops plus cases of single torn frames and then switching to PS5 you get a similar drop to 56 FPS right in the same spot and again with similar Behavior to hitting 60 FPS beyond [Music] that overall there is an issue to locking at a clean 60 FPS then even in typical play and the primary cause it seems is the dynamic resolution scaling system the resolution on PS5 and series X adjusts to GPU load but often it gets caught out by sudden movements to the camera or simply running towards a more complex area or battles even if it's a single lost frame there just isn't enough of a performance overhead above 60 fps to disguise a brief drop under it or put another way Avatar is always attempting to hit the highest resolution possible at every point at a cost to Performance it doesn't give the engine enough time to adjust if there's a sudden GPU Spike and there result is you get frequent singleframe drops with occasional tearing check this out as an extreme case looking up and then down suddenly on PS5 to raise and lower the GPU load we're seeing the full gamut of performance from 45 to 60 FPS it's an exaggerated example of what's Happening generally on PS5 and series X in that there's a limited time window for the resolution to adjust to the situation and sadly that's exactly what we're confronted with in battle with rain enemies explosions you'll often see drops into the 50s and sometimes the 40s based on the first 3 to four hours of play at least then neither PS5 or series X get away unscathed from these drops and it's worth stressing that later on we do get access to flying mounts which potentially adds an extra bit of stress to the engine there are a few points in terms of comparison in terms of how the frame rates play out on both machines though because at times there's a constant GPU load with the DRS system bottoming out at 864p and in this matching position in the rain we're seeing PS5 rest at the 50 FPS line and likewise switching to series X we're seeing the Xbox machine stabilize at the same level point being it's difficult to pass any actual Advantage either side in performance likewise in cutcenes they run at a near matching level during the scene outside the HQ now there is one further issue just on series X relating to traversal hitching it is rare but there are sudden frame time spikes Hang-Ups that suspend the frame rate entirely for a second it happens on this route to the resistance HQ on series X and around this tree base as well but switching to PS5 neither of these areas have any hitching issues whatsoever it's not a common problem on series X but it is One Less grievance to worry about on Sony's machine one solution to Avatar frame rate issues at 60 FPS is to use the alternative 30 FPS quality mode this isn't the ideal workaround I realized but this 30 FPS mode is much tighter in its optimization it's evenly frame paced for a start and there's also barely a drop on PS5 or series X in general play you might catch the very odd dropped frame and tear while looking up and down quickly or in battle but try as I might there just isn't much to complain about here the one catch is for Xbox series X the Travers IAL hitching in major Hub areas remains an issue and it happens at the exact same points as the performance mode but in general I've got to say the quality mode has several benefits if you're able to adjust to it PS5 and series X run consistently at 30 FPS even in the most taxing areas and the improved visuals are of course a big plus all of which leaves us with the series s version stuck as it is at 30 frames per second through all the cutbacks in foliage density materials volumetric effects and SSR the net benefit is at least a mostly stable 30 FPS experience it will drop frames and tear more often than PS5 or series X on their equivalent quality modes admittedly battles are interrupted by the semi-frequent onef frame dips at times but these moments are outliers to the general flow of play 30 FPS is the standard rate of performance which is great news now in terms of exceptional moments the run towards the resistance research station in the storms drops us into the high 20s for a brief spell also looking up and then down puts Series S at a greater risk than the other machines in dropping frames then again that's really forcing the situation and stressing the GPU in a pretty artificial way so I came away genuinely impressed by the state of the series S release overall In fairness I've not seen the entire breadth of what Avatar has to offer with a fairly sizable campaign to test on every plat but if you're absolutely fine with 30 FPS and the visual cutbacks all signs point to this version being a very decent [Music] option it's to massive Entertainment Credit that it's managed to build such a visually standout game in Avatar frontiers of Pandora and not only that but to be able to scale its visual features the dense jungle the raate tracing to console in such a seamless way is impressive with it set to 30 FPS it looks and plays well on every console here be it PS5 series X or S the only real blemish on the package is the less than polished 60 FPS performance level on the premium machines the frequent one-frame dips are a nuisance and there's more besides in battles that take us into the 40s with a VR supporting display this is truly the mod to pick though and it makes a big difference the heavy focus on platforming the navigation of often vertically scaling environments the rapid crisis style action there's so much motion that simply feels better at 60 FPS addressing the state of the 60 FPS performance mode on Console would be high on my wish list from a future patch update because otherwise Avatar frontiers of Pandora in its Tech and its gameplay Loop is up there among the most pleasant surprises of 2023 but that's all for me today if you did find this video useful or insightful in anyway feel free to like or subscribe and don't forget to hit that Bell for instant notifications as any new lands to get a high quality version of this video check out our Patron at digital fund.net and to get in touch directly you know where to find me but from me for now thanks for [Music] watching

Channel: Digital Foundry

Views: 223,250

Keywords:

Id: OCY_kzgkbcc

Length: 20min 19sec (1219 seconds)

Published: Thu Dec 14 2023