Horizon Forbidden West - PS5 vs PS4 vs PS4 Pro - Can Cross-Gen Deliver For All Gamers?

Concluding our Horizon Forbidden West coverage - for now, at least - John and Rich share their thoughts on how the latest Guerrilla Games masterpiece scales between PlayStation 4, PS4 Pro and PlayStation 5.
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[@wendellsilva682]

The fact that PS4's 9 year old hardware can even handle this game without imploding is impressive enough.. Kudos to Guerrilla.

[@MaNameizJeff]

And that just goes to show you that in the last erra we really were at a points where it was the games that were the bottleneck, not the hardware. World size, density, gameplay, npc interactions, everything is limited by the programmers, not the hardware. Next gen pushed a new raytracing feature and sealed in the ability for some higher framerates (something pc has been doing for ages now) and bump the resolutions, but over all we wont see any difference in world sizes, npc activities, story, gameplay, ect.

[@SuperHns]

Well dont forget the 1st game is also still really pretty on base ps4

[@SuperHns]

@@MaNameizJeff it was the hardware bro, the PS4 and Xbox1 were already outdated when they released in 2013....

[@mrn234]

​@@MaNameizJeff Its Always like that but the PS4 still has rubbish hardware from a time AMD just had very bad CPUs

[@hotbananawater9710]

Then you have games like Halo Infinite that's much much smaller than Horizon and can't even run or look good on the base Xbox One or Xbox One S.

[@Randy28CR]

To be honest, the true magic Guerrilla has done is optimizing their engine in such an incredible way.

[@xyfghter99]

It's mainly because they use a lot of static lighting and make smart use of cheaper techniques going for a more cinematic look instead of realistic realtime everthing that doesn't look as impressive even though it is technically more accurate.

[@MaNameizJeff]

Dat decima engine yo

[@jrm956]

Killzone shadowfall was ahead of its time what do mean

[@colinkennedy7115]

Shit game

[@bradbeck2601]

Jealousy is such an interesting human emotion. Most of the time, those experiencing it aren't aware of it. It usually shows itself as hatred or denial.

[@KarlRock]

I’m so surprised by how well the PS4 still runs! I played God of War and Last of Us 2 on PS4 and was really impressed. Now Horizon Forbidden West looks even better on PS4. The lower quality things like moss or draw distance I won’t really notice while running around and playing. Pretty cool 👍

[@rawd1876]

PlayStation franchise always been gem in terms optimization

[@conformistbastard9842]

I still haven't found a reason to upgrade, even to the pro. The difference is not worth the price. I'm not that picky about framerates though, I grew up playing super Nintendo and playstation so it never really has bothered me.

[@darkdiablo1601]

You are wrong, GOW and TLOU 2 and GOT are made specifically for PS4/Pro, this game is just a half baked product for that system, just play HZD again and you can see the fidelity of it compared to this HFW (I just replayed it again and I was shocked at how low res this new game is on PS4 Pro). I'd rather wait to play it on PS5 than play it on PS4, Sony is just wanna juice out more money from their 120m PS4...

[@doubleg100]

Nahi chaiye jii 🤣🤣

[@Mizuno11LoL]

@@conformistbastard9842 I'd say the ps4 pro is worth if u don't own a ps4 already.

[@kresimirmandic3807]

PS4 / PS4 PRO versions of the game are impressive considering targeted hardware. It is great to see how much effort went into the PS5 version as well, Guerilla did an amazing job overall. I love first game and gonna have a blast playing Forbidden West on my PS5.

[@AVerySillySausage]

It's down to diminishing returns in improvements to visual fidelity. These type of cross then games weren't possible even coming from 7th to 8th gen. The different between ps3 and ps4 version of the same game would just be immediately visible without needing any kind of comparison. Then another gen back and "cross gen" games were practically different versions of the game. You simply could not run ps3 games on a ps2.

[@jamezxh]

@@AVerySillySausage that’s because the HW in a PS2 and PS3 are radically different . It’s really simple to scale graphics between the PS4 and 5 because there basically off the shelf PC’s .

[@adamprestidge4775]

The Decima engine is bonkers for how well it scales

[@hauntedhotdog]

The work they've done to squeeze those visuals out of the base PS4 is remarkable. Can't wait to play this.

[@JudeTheYoutubePoopersubscribe]

The visuals are good but the game is a Snoozefest.

[@thxextream]

@@JudeTheKZbinPoopersubscribe Awful opinion

[@JudeTheYoutubePoopersubscribe]

@@thxextream people are saying it's just more of the horizon zero dawn formula. And I played that on pc and got bored about 20 hours in. Maybe it's just not for me idk.

[@champ6436]

@@JudeTheKZbinPoopersubscribe yeah i had the same feeling, i really had to forced myself to finish zero dawn, i like the main story but everything else bored me to death and after 20hour i just wanted to speedrun the game and finish the story. there is such a beautiful world but not so much to do in it, majority of the quest are not that great, the progression and rpg aspect too. once you reach medirian after 20h or so of gameplay, you already have some of the best gear in the game and so for the remaining 20hour, i didn't feel any character progression.

[@JudeTheYoutubePoopersubscribe]

@@champ6436 yeah so im probably gonna give this game a miss. maybe ill consider it when its half price or something. if a game can keep me entertained for 20 hours and i pay 30 for it then i would be happy with that. anyways i recently bought dying light 2 and will be getting elden ring as well so plenty to keep me occupied.

[@KillSchwill]

We're kind of in the generation where even the inferior versions of games still look amazing. I'd be interested to see a side by side of HZD vs HFW on PS4.

[@paigelove2666]

Bad comparison (and old comment) but I played H:ZD on PC with maxed settings, and then I played H:FW on an og ps4 and aside from the framerate, the visuals of H:FW are so much stunningly better it's not even close. It's not just the asset quality, it's the art direction and modeling work. Characters feel a lot more like People, there's a lot more use of contrast in environmental visuals, and the camera work in setpieces is even better. H:ZD is great but it feels like just a proof of concept compared to FW.

[@The1Overmind]

The fact that Digital Foundry can point out so many reductions and differences on the old consoles and it still looks as good as it does is a testament to the devs and their technical prowess.

[@FEWGEE1]

Or a testament to how much developing it for PS4 held back the PS5 version. It can't even manage 4K 60 fps.

[@originalityisdead.9513]

@@FEWGEE1 Native 4k 60FPS is very demanding even on a high end PC. The 9th gen consoles are 1440P 60FPS capable for the most part, there's no way the PS5 is running this game at 4k 60FPS.

[@FEWGEE1]

@@originalityisdead.9513 games like Vanguard can manage 4K 120 fps. 4K 60 fps should be standard this generation.

[@katakouzinos]

@@FEWGEE1 you compare a 5 hour long linear shooter Which looks much worde btw to this good job troll

[@originalityisdead.9513]

@@FEWGEE1 COD vanguard uses DRS and hits lows of 1920x2160 the 9th gen consoles aren't powerful enough to run AAA titles at native 4k 60FPS and for the price that should be expected. If you want native 4k 60FPS then you need a PC and the GPU alone will cost you around 3-4 times the price of a 9th gen console and even then games at 4k are very demanding. HZD on PC at 4k pushes my RTX 3090 to it's limits and it wipes the floor with any of the 9th gen consoles. What you get with the 9th gen consoles is incredible value for money and a huge step up over the shit show that was the 8th generation of consoles.

[@synak1538]

Love how you guys break everything down in such a detailed way!

[@voidvoidvoid7274]

They're legends in the image analysis field, absolute legends.

[@draculathevampire934]

Thanks 😊

[@lordmaster2562]

Lol fail

[@uncleurda8101]

@@lordmaster2562 bro that's so lol out loud i'm rofling on the the floor omg my god

[@Powwpoww]

Every game developer should subscribe to these guys. They even point out flaws in poorly optimised games (mainly for PC of course).

[@griffgames9538]

*The art direction helps the PS4/Pro versions look pretty great* helped by good world design, but the raw density and coverage is so much better on PS5. Really fills out the environments for exploration.

[@dapperfan44]

That's why I keep telling people stop complaining that PS5 is "being held back." No, the _PS4_ version is held back. It's clearly the inferior version and that's OK. Let our PS brothers be able to seamlessly transition in.

[@barioneaccidioso3804]

@@dapperfan44 idk man, you can't really deny it. Can you imagine an Horizon Forbidden West or a God of War Ragnarök developed exclusively for PS5? Really hope GoW will be the last cross-gen first-party title

[@BigmanDogs]

@@dapperfan44 no thats not how it works. The game does at the end of the day have to run at a ps4 which will impact the ps5 version in multiple ways.

[@dapperfan44]

@@barioneaccidioso3804 Yes I can. It'll be the relative graphical equivalent to the following launch titles: Summoner - PS2 Resistance: Fall of Man - PS3 Killzone 4: Shadow Fall - PS4 All three of the above titles I named paled in comparison to the later games the system would see. E.G. the following: God of War 2 - PS2 Last of Us - PS3 Ghosts of Tsushima - PS4 And why is that? Because no one, and I mean no one, can truly fully take advantage of hardware at launch. It's not humanly possible. When you've spent more time with a system and you've learned it's ins and outs, you can pull off some truly amazing feats on the system. Some other late console cycle games I admire are games like Ristar on Genesis (just look at all the colors and unique animations), the Spyro series on PS1 (awesome draw distance technique), and this is more mid cycle but Jak 2 on PS2. We'll start seeing the true power of PS5 within the last two to three years of the console.

[@dapperfan44]

@@BigmanDogs I see a PS5 version running at a solid 60 FPS, and no pop in issues like on PS4. So how was the PS5 version affected?

[@MiamiSunrise]

Guerilla is in an elite class of game development. The talent and quality they bring to these projects is astonishing, especially in regards to having a game be so well made on three prespective Sony consoles and be a pleasure on each one to play. Playstations 1st party is amazing at what they do.

[@GameslordXY]

Naughty Dog are the Grandmasters of PlayStation family in regards to graphics. If anyone can make a truly Next Gen graphics that truly demonstrates PS5 capabilities,it's them. ...or they would be if not for internal problems that caused most of the staff leave the studio apparently.

[@SIPEROTH]

@@GameslordXY "internal problems" is the freaking idiot in chief they appointed that created TLU2. It seems many of the good old developers couldn't get along with him after he got a high position and air got in his head.

[@StuartHinckley]

​@@GameslordXY Yup. I gotta agree with Ching Vang. HFW stole the throne. I've beat them all. This game was on an ENTIRE new level graphically

[@TruTrae]

@@SIPEROTH Do people that say stuff like this realize that Neil was a creative director during the development of the first game?

[@Rafaellk07]

Many people are reporting that the graphics got worse after the last update, leaving the graphics blurry and with artifacts, could you check?

[@peterGchaves]

Massive respect for Guerrilla Games. This is such a masterpiece. Only God knows what will they achieve with a PS5 exclusive. I'm really loving this generation so far! 😊

[@GMOTP5738]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@cathalorourke1]

@@GMOTP5738 Halo looks like a last gen game, cringe 😂

[@ZackSNetwork]

Dude really bringing religion into this lol. This generation is currently disappointing due to new console unavailability and increased cross generation support.

[@Mr16emmanuel]

@@GMOTP5738 wrong emoji you should be using the 😢

[@Nerm176]

@@cathalorourke1 your fanboy comment is cringe. In this day and age, how can someone limit themselves to one platform? It’s silly

[@UserInterface00]

Devs that work on PlayStation platform preforms some sort of magic voodoo. A lot of the single player games are world class in graphics, mechanics, and are award winning games.

[@ThibautMahringer]

It's called optimization and dedication

[@theanimerapper6351]

@@ThibautMahringer I'm sure he knows that and is only calling it voodoo as a form of hyperbole

[@RepublicofODLUM]

They do play it aweful safe as well though, nothing new or groundbreaking in any of them. Which is fine, they make amazing games that are very polished and complete.

[@thewicked1862]

That’s where Sony has Xbox is the Studios Microsoft has very talented people working for them but let me tell you Sony is blessed with Demigods Microsoft will get there one day but never on the caliber this Sony does and this is not a fan boy speaking because I love video games it’s just cold hard facts But Sony made it their main focus for a long time now to deliver nothing but Bangerz that’s why we have what we have and will always that’s the one thing that will keep them on top if anything

[@Dr.Strangelewd]

Graphics, sure. Mechanics? Lol no

[@RainOfAshes]

This game is a love letter to gamers. The whole industry should take note of the attention to detail and care put into making this -- all while the developers were working from home.

[@UmVtCg]

I'm sure they went to the studio in Amsterdam at some point. I've been stuck in enough traffic jams to conclude not everybody was working from home.

[@joshp7418]

Choosing between fidelity and performance mode was borderline heart breaking today. Have been back and forth, but have finally settled on performance. I didn't think there would be much of a difference in detail but, it really is noticeable.

[@StuartHinckley]

It's massive. You made the right decision. We'll get 4K60 on PS5 Pro. I'm patient

[@leighmorgan2959]

Exactly the same situation here lol, i also in the end went for performance, ive taken screenshots in both modes and noticed no difference at all in quality yet 60 is just to nice to pass up.

[@theryan519]

Obviously the PS5 version looks stunning but the fact that Horizon 2 looks that good on a 1.8 teraflop base PS4 is black magic if I’ve ever seen it.

[@vectoralphaAI]

The benefits of developing on a closed system like consoles. It's amazing.

[@defiscanner1927]

agree

[@defiscanner1927]

It looks almost too good for a Ps4 title

[@MegaLoquendo2000]

Kinda like battlefield 4 on PS3 and 360, both systems sport a miniscule 512mb of ram and features like levolution remained intact

[@mrn234]

@@MegaLoquendo2000 Yeah but didnt they had to cut down hard on a lot of other stuff when i remember correctly even on max player 12 vs 12 ... same already in BF3

[@MoonSarito]

It's insane what they managed to do on 2013 hardware, I'm glad to see that the PS4 still manages to deliver a good experience even though it's almost 9 years old, I don't plan on buying a PS5 anytime soon so it's great to see that it still gets some great ports.

[@SuperHns]

Guerilla is master

[@DVRKSTXR]

@@SuperHns *PlayStation Studios Granted, this is Guerrilla’s moment, and they have blatantly showcased once again, but on the largest scale ever for themselves, that they are one of the most impressive game developers with one of the best game development engines in the industry. Bar none. 💯

[@draculathevampire934]

That shows u dont need a 3090

[@damienlobb85]

@@draculathevampire934 AMDs cards are keeping up with the 3090 and even in some instances surpass it. Hence why nVidia felt the need to release even more Ti models.

[@momojafar9385]

@@damienlobb85 lol

[@pommedapi3847]

When you jump from one system to another you can clearly see a difference but the ps4 version looks so good, if you have no comparaison you will never notice the difference. Great work done here.

[@johnxiong6983]

True, when you don't have anything better to compare it to, you don't notice or care about the differences. But once you see how good the game looks on newer consoles, it kinda bugs you because you know you're not getting the best version of the game and it doesn't look as good anymore. But the ps4 version is still great looking nonetheless. I'm playing it on ps5 & I'm probably never going back to the ps4 again after experiencing what 4k & 60 fps feels like with these next-gen games. I love my ps4 and it has served me well for many years but I'm moving on now. I hope everyone can buy a ps5 soon but these ps5 shortages are crazy right now.

[@flockelocke2297]

Such high quality comparison videos like this in 60 fps make Last Gen version's 30 fps framerate always seem better and more smooth than it actually is. PS4 versions are still sick though. Now with the patched peformance mode the best way is to play the game in 60 fps on the PS5 and it's a difference to the PS4, it's way more smooth with a much cleaner look with more details and less pop in and better lighting. For others it's day and night.

[@lyttlefat3393]

You didn’t show the favor performance mode on PS5 that much.

[@soraaoixxthebluesky]

The fact that they go as far as layerin an image reconstruction with VRS just to showcase how beautiful and dense the world of Horizon 2 is on a last gen machine is just mind blowing.

[@lakisanghera9872]

a little cool thing ive read... is that the developers artificially made the load screens on ps5 longer... so you have a chance to read the 'quick tips' ... they state you can turn them off.. have have the level load in 4 to 5 secs... well done Guerrilla (for the choice, even) p.s. Great showing D.F. enjoyed this breakdown.

[@override7486]

What? They couldn't implement thing like "press X to play when you're ready", when loading really ends? You have to turn off tips entirely??

[@PerryAndrei]

@@override7486 It does already have that

[@The_Rude_French_Canadian]

I have to press x after loading on PS4 I don’t see why they wouldn’t do the same for ps5 since loading isn’t really that long on base PS4

[@MurderMondays]

Wonderful breakdown, guys. Glad to see the people on PS4 Pro and PS4 will still have a great time with a beautiful game. I have to agree that it is a really interesting "curated" trimming of detail and other settings. I'm sure it was a ton of work for the folks at Guerilla Games and it sure paid off.

[@SIPEROTH]

From this i believe a PS4 user can enjoy the game just fine without feeling his having a completely different experience. So the curating was done successfully.

[@notmedude]

I would expected the pop in to change somewhat. Guerilla provides excellent post launch support and I am sure that within the first year of the release they can optimize the engine even better.

[@Devon9698]

I'm so excited for release tomorrow. I bought a 65inch Oled a couple months ago and played HZD with HDR on it and I was blown away. I want to see this game in all its beautiful glory

[@KZeni]

Nice! The lighting and the sky system in this game (among so much else) is sure to look incredible on an OLED with HDR.

[@urekmazino6800]

I need to upgrade my tv to oled only have normal 4k 60 fps 50 inch tv

[@starmade9367]

Yeah I have a c1 it looks good

[@KZeni]

@@urekmazino6800 LG has had some nice deals on OLED TVs lately (them really being the leader with Sony then being the upgrade option.) I’ve definitely been tempted (especially with CES being the standard time to transition to the new year of TVs where deals likely won’t get better than that time for the year [last year’s model usually being rather comparable] outside of random/one-off deals.) Meanwhile, Quantum dot OLED (QD-OLED) for a better light efficient OLED and/or mini/micro-LED LCD for LCD to have dimming zones closer to per-pixel lighting (so the two are advancing towards the primary benefit of the other) is now the new carrot to wait for. Now might be a sweet spot where these new forms of tech are pricy and OLED is now reasonably established to be more affordable (also then having better burn-in protection & brighter output than before) as long as you have a space where you can control the lighting as OLED can be a fair amount dimmer than LCD (reducing the light in the room/area then makes that not matter much, if at all.)

[@urekmazino6800]

@@KZeni yeah I'll look around, definitely going to try and look for a 120hz tv and oled as well

[@fitzph33bs39]

Love your projects, DF. Thank you!

[@tetsuoshima2314]

Great job, great video comparison as always. The only thing missing from these types of vids, not just yours either, is the lack of a PS4 Pro w/ an SSD comparison. I feel like many PS4 Pro owners like myself probably have one installed and found it really helps to mitigate load times and pop-in in all games.

[@Arash_ok]

Yes

[@travistimms5054]

Massive respect to the developer. To get it to run like that on older systems is impressive. No excuses for devs brining out poorly optimised games on new consoles.

[@HugoStiglitz88]

@Transistor Jump exactly. PS4 limited what this game could've been. It still looks unbelievable but gameplay wise, PS4 held this back for sure just based on CPU limitations alone.

[@jodyboles8208]

@Transistor Jump it clearly wasnt given how amazing this game looks and performs lol

[@jodyboles8208]

@@HugoStiglitz88 how the hell do you know it held it back? you have no idea what they could have done even if it was ps5 only.

[@chrismoore4724]

@Transistor Jump The game started development on the PS4, the game was not held back. This game is cross-gen development done right

[@jodyboles8208]

@Transistor Jump I havnt had hardy any issue and the game been looking just fine. Not sure what happen to your game but I seen it running very smoothly

[@whatchahowsya8688]

It's crazy and amazing to see how well this game runs on base PS4.

[@Dill2G]

With a shit load of pop in which ruins the immersion of the game

[@originalityisdead.9513]

@@Dill2G I've watched a couple of reviews and the PS5 also has texture pop in which is very noticeable. Skill ups reviews shows it and its most definitely an issue across all machines.

[@Dill2G]

@Originality is Dead. yeah its pretty bad the 30fps mode on ps5 isn't as bad as the 60fps mode the 60fps mode has worse pop in then the 30fps mode

[@originalityisdead.9513]

@@Dill2G There shouldn't be any pop in on the 9th consoles so why they're singing it's praises is beyond me. I can't play games at 30FPS it's an eye sore and should have been left in the past where it belongs. Hopefully they can improve the games stability and they should have used upsclaing as when compared to other games that run at 1440P it looks rough.

[@Dill2G]

@Originality is Dead. true my guy this game looks amazing at 30fps but is not playable at that framerate only playable at 60fps but then the resolution takes a massive hit to dynamic 1800p checkerboard people don't realize how bad dynamic 1800p checkerboard actually is

[@xikaryo6735]

The way Guerrilla keeps optimizing this engine is simply incredible. The game looks amazing even on PS4, but it’s really not surprising considering the first game is still one of the prettiest games out there even by today’s standards. It being fully open world makes it all the more impressive. I remember playing Death Stranding and thinking wow, this engine has really come a long way since Killzone: Shadow Fall. Death Stranding’s graphics are unbelievable, and now Forbidden West is here to take the crown again. It’s a massive achievement to pull off these visuals not just for an open world game, but for an open world game that has so much going on everywhere you go in terms of huge enemies on screen, combat, NPCs, wild life, etc.

[@manuelp7472]

The first game wasn't that good in terms of graphics. But the second one definitely is.

[@xikaryo6735]

@@manuelp7472 The first game was considered the best looking open world game for years when it came out, so honestly I don’t think you were following gaming at all back then, because there was no open world game with better graphics until Red Dead 2. Everyone was calling Horizon the most photogenic game ever made. And no, open world racing games aren’t impressive, the maps are vastly empty, which obviously means they could just focus on making detailed car models and nothing else.

[@spartan_a1176]

@@xikaryo6735 thats where forza horizon 5 comes in and look how that game looks

[@xikaryo6735]

@@spartan_a1176 That game is a huge empty world with no AI besides cars, no enemies on screen, no crazy particle effects, no huge bosses on screen, no combat or real interaction with the world besides holding down a button to drive the entire time. This is why racing games never win GOTY either. They’re incredibly basic and Forza Horizon 5 is really no different than any other racing game. It looks pretty because it’s on new hardware, but it doesn’t change the fact that racing games are empty as a whole, and that developers only have to focus on two things: car models and environment. That’s all. The less things are rendered on screen, the more they can focus on one or two things.

[@TKIvanov]

Would've liked a test on the load times on PS4/Pro with an SSD

[@Arash_ok]

Me too and also if it helps with pop in

[@joshmobijohn]

One of my favorite channels on KZbin! I’m always fascinated by the tech breakdowns and love the comprehensive comparisons you guys do. The PS5 version looks incredible and I’m relieved to know that my PS4 Pro can handle one last Sony exclusive with minimal cutbacks.

[@Metaljonus]

Awesome convo guys! I am looking forward to playing this tonight!!!

[@farihinhajimohdlisa9017]

Amazing video, Props for Guerilla for making all platforms runs well, slow loading i understand for booting up the game and fast travel. for me i dont use fast travel cause im a leisure player who like to takes time side seeing, taking in the view and appreciate all the hard work of the devs. just how i did with Daysgone, Ghost of Tsushima, Last of us series and etc, especially hzd beautiful apocalypse setting , i cant wait to see the world of forbidden west . day 1 on my base ps4 :)

[@tpate123345]

This makes me appreciate both versions even more

[@JamalDolleyGames]

DF's graphics analysis is the best in the world! Hands down without a doubt!

[@duncan7961]

You mentioned a few times that there is a massive difference, and maybe it is the youtube compression, but outside of the zoom ins I really don't see it! They've done such a good job

[@brucecarter6205]

60fps vs 30fps makes a world of difference.

[@NomeIndeciso]

Ohmygosh this is such a tremendous relief. I'm still only with a PS4 and I loved Zero Dawn so much. I was so nervous there might be too drastic a drop in quality, so finding out it's good-to-go is just a gift and a weight lifted. Thank you, Digital Foundry for the detailed breakdown

[@omega2648]

Yeah it looks really nice on the base PS4. Enjoy

[@andrealorenzini5099]

You can save those 500 dollars/euro for now

[@reformeddoomer6777]

@@Cxs1a3 yea but where can I find one lol

[@resolvedfate1295]

@@Cxs1a3 Lol you say that. As if they are easy to get. I got one. But ya they will be on low production until 2023 I heard. So majority won’t upgrade until 2024

[@Scimarad]

I've got to say I started playing the PS5 version in performance mode because I didn't think I could really stand 30 FPS but on actually getting to open world I found all the shimmer you get in high detail distant environments (which is basically everywhere outside) more offputting. That said, after about 2 minutes in the resolution mode I found I'd got used to the framerate and didn't even notice it anymore. I'll probably give other games a go on the resolution mode now.

[@MrKreisKlinge]

I feel the same. This is the first game on PS5 where I actually prefer fidelity mode. The 60fps mode looks grainy and unrefined in comparison.

[@cangri1788]

@@MrKreisKlinge yup. Same here

[@TrigunV4S]

Coming from playing PC god of war 4K 80+ fps I picked up forbidden west I can’t play on high fidelity 30 fps just feels terrible get nausea 😔 performance mode only way I can play it on a PS5

[@iceman00behave]

@@TrigunV4S Interesting how an additional 30 fps completely cures nausea. Does it also give you energy, and lower cholesterol?

[@frozenduck74]

@@MrKreisKlinge to me it look’s pretty much the same

[@Rjwubs]

When this game was first announced I didn't think it would be coming to ps4, so when I saw a review upon release, I was super excited to learn they developed it for ps4 as well. Been playing it on the ps4 with a 4k hdr tv and in the first hour I'm just blown away with the beauty this game delivers. I haven't yet gotten into the open world, but the less sharp and detailed textures look pretty great and the pop in isn't very noticeable. I'm super impressed with this game so far. Will edit if that opinion changes

[@HelloMyNameIsZON3]

The native 4k mode looks incredible even up close 🤯 This generation is going to see some absolutely stunning visuals

[@robosergTV]

at 30 fps lol what a joke. Even 60 is too laggy in today's gaming world of 165 HZ monitors and 120 Hz OLED TVs

[@dom4591]

@@robosergTV to me 60fps is the bare minimum today. I can't even play a game in 30fps anymore.

[@MrMrTravman]

@@dom4591 Yeah same, I know DF is recommending 4k30 mode but I just... can't. I wouldnt enjoy it at all.

[@dom4591]

@@MrMrTravman 4K30 modes only look better when you're standing completely still lol. In a game where you move around a lot 60fps is way more beneficial

[@annoyingasshole3324]

@@robosergTV PC port beggars always trying justify how much they spend on gaming.... by trying to crap on consoles lol.

[@Reanimatedself]

It’s incredible to me that the real time ps5 cinematic shots actually LOOK better than the prerecorded clips on the last gen consoles

[@micnguyen0]

That's to be expected. The PS4 pre-recorded footage is of the PS5 render and then undergone compression so there will be some minor artefacting, as opposed to a real time crisp tender on PS5.

[@zestygeist11]

@@micnguyen0 They might have rendered the ps4 cutscenes using ps4 graphics settings to make trasitions between cutscene and gameplay less jarring.

[@zippy2538]

It's the SSD and io throughput on PS5 it loads the assets and helps the cpu. Hence why the PS5 fast travel is 3 seconds.

[@darinherrick9224]

I love that they have to show at half speed with everything insanely zoomed in to show you the difference. For me at home on my projector the difference will be zero between versions. Except maybe that the overly-crisp stop-motion looking effect I've seen on PS5 will be absent on the PS4 version, which is the version I'll be playing. It's nice to know that the version that's most visually appealing (to me) will be the one that I get to play. I don't like overly crisp over-sharpened picture. I prefer my image a little softer. I also don't really like how these extreme frame-rates look (when I notice them at all) so I hope when all TVs and consoles are running at 120fps there will be a way to dial it back down to 60fps for people like me who don't like the way 120fps looks.

[@ChesterMan-qd3xj]

PS5 is obviously the superior experience, but isn’t it pretty amazing what a base PS4 can still do? I think it is safe to say we are beyond the huge graphical jumps we enjoyed from the 16-bit era, to PS One, to PS2, to PS3. Even the jump from PS3 to PS4 wasn’t the jump we were used to. Glad I got to experience that progression as a kid.

[@rannarharmaste9857]

True. While DF geeps saying difference is night and day or order of magnitude. Its not so. They look very similar. You have to paus and take pictures to notice some of those "night and day" differences. We are reaching good enough territory in game graphics

[@ChesterMan-qd3xj]

@@rannarharmaste9857 well said. Their analysis, while interesting, is splitting hairs. It’s not the leaps forward I grew up with like seeing individual fingers rendered instead of a big block for a hand. Now that was night and day.

[@markandisobel]

@@rannarharmaste9857 you hit the nail on the head with your perfect statement

[@GameslordXY]

@@ChesterMan-qd3xj Such jumps shall never again happen. Maybe in a few games yes,but fir the most part,never again.

[@MrKreisKlinge]

You are right and I generally agree, but the jump is more significant than KZbin compression would have you believe. You really have to play it on a 4K screen to appreciate the insane texture quality on PS5. Not to mention the difference in load times is massive.

[@EJD339]

If anything it makes me excited for the next guerrilla game that will be for ps5 only. Kudos to the developers for this.

[@ThePokestopPapi]

Horizon 3 in 2027 gonna go crazy 🙃

[@SavantGardeEX]

@@ThePokestopPapi Nah probably a new ip

[@JayzBeerz]

You guys do an amazing job.

[@seydaneen8970]

also I love the comparison parts where you switch back and forth between PS5 and PS4. great job highlighting the differences

[@12max44]

Have you guys come across the shimmering/brightness issues? I am playing on PS5. Everytime I move the camera the environment changes brightness and shimmers. The game is beautiful but the shimmering/brightness issue is really distracting. When I turn off all sharpening settings on my sony 4k projector it is a little better but it is still there and noticable, especially on a 120inch screen. 30fps mode seems to suffer more from this issue then performance mode. Hope they patch this issue quickly.

[@94fleetwood49]

They're not wanting to talk about that. It's clearly there

[@hunterking572]

Thanks for this. I tend to play my PS4 games on a 1080p screen that's already further away than ideal, and aside from loading times this actually looks like a worthwhile experience.

[@furtalance_x]

I agree. I really didnt think the PS4 version would be that good but i gotta admit. It looks playable.

[@mr.penguin4614]

hats off to guerilla for making such a beautiful title. really incredible to see this game broken down. thanks for the video!

[@briengakaplan-b1550]

Playing this on PS5 right now and it is gorgeous- but if I’d never seen this comparison I’d have no problem playing this on PS4 - they did an excellent job. It’s about 90 percent close to the PS5 version - the things they cut the average gamer would likely not notice.

[@Crashed131963]

Load time , Fast Travel and respawn times are the Ps5s advantages. Also 60 fps rather than 30 fps . 120 fps on a 120hz TV.

[@akisey1]

Another fantastic video by DF. You guys realy are the standard.

[@guily6669]

I wish you had tested PS4 Pro with a SSD. In The Division 2 for example makes a massive difference even in visual quality since a lot of stuff in that game can sometimes even take like a minute to load and sometimes a few textures never load and the SSD in my case made most problems go away. I have a 1TB Samsung 870.

[@lutherheggs451]

Why would anyone WASTE money on putting an SSD into a PS4 or a PS4pro? A device actually has to be designed to take advantage of an SSD to really do anthing with an SSD. You don't just get performance boosts with an SSD unless something is designed to take advantage of it and, neither the PS4 or the Pro were designed to take advantage of an SSD

[@guily6669]

@@lutherheggs451 then try it by your self on the division 2... Also it's not a waste since I bought it in promotion for around 90eur and later it will either go to my PC or for my external case to be used for PS5. I don't own a PS5 yet, but as soon as I get my hands on 1 I will put the original HDD on the PS4 Pro and maybe even sell it...

[@DasTechGuy]

@@lutherheggs451 I would REALLY have to disagree with you there. Even a PC that didn’t ship with an SSD back in the benefit from it even though it “wasn’t designed for it”. I added an internal SSD to my Xbox One X and it improves everything from startup, menu transitions, game loading, smoother playback, all of that due to not being held back by a slow mechanical hard drive.

[@alexandregiaccheri]

@@lutherheggs451 you are so wrong lol

[@Arash_ok]

I upgraded my ps4 pro with a 2tb ssd a year ago to get more storage as well as faster speed. The sata port on the pro is twice as fast as base ps4. I think it’s totally worthwhile to put a ssd in a ps4 pro to get more life out of the system while Ps5 comes down in price/gets more storage/pro version/more exclusive games. As far as loading times zero dawn loads really quick on my ssd. I imagine the same is true for forbidden west. But I really wish they did an ssd ps4 pro comparison to see if any of those details they say the ps4 try’s to load actually do with an ssd

[@AlmostLikeHuman]

This looks way better on the PS4 than I thought it would, I might actually buy it now

[@IIISentorIII]

The I *might maybe do it* people are the worst and completely useless in any case!

[@MetalAnimeGames]

Thank for another great video! Amazing work as always! Based on the games you have reviewed on the new consoles so far and the hardware specs... Do you think it's possible to achieve 4k resolution at consistent 60FPS within this generation of consoles? Having similar visual fidelity as this game for example... Having to choose between modes kind of puts me off from spending the money for a new console (if I can find one anyway)

[@selafors]

11:01 that's the tree-planting-trophy popping right there

[@godsson7779]

Definitely glad PS4 owners get to experience this without really really missing out.

[@asvphios9996]

I’ve been refreshing KZbin for hours…waiting for this video!

[@fscottfitzgerald115]

Fantastic analysis, as per usual. Bravo.

[@ReGo001]

Lots of pop in and weird visual glitches from time to time in the PS5 version. They can be mildly distracting at times

[@devonmarr9872]

It honestly looks amazing. Especially comparing it in other videos to the pro version of the first game.

[@mattjudy6780]

Guerilla games never disappoint. Amazing looking game. That decima engine 👌

[@xOogieBoogie3x]

I have a SATA III SSD in my PS4 Pro and the asset loading isn't a problem in-game. There's no texture pop-in whatsoever beyond the in-engine geometry adjustment which is fixed. Loading is very fast too. I've been abusing fast travel. But there are slower loading textures on the menus, which would have to be a software based bottleneck.

[@907CoolBoy]

The most important question for me: Do the icons on the map load in faster on the PS5 version? It feels like it takes forever on the PS4 Pro.

[@Taijifufu]

Good on Guerrilla Games for accommodating everyone. The game looks stunning.

[@TheMcFather]

We gonna need that cyberpunk next gen analysis 🙏🙏

[@jollygood25]

It looks awesome in my PS4 Pro and I didn't know such differences existed until I saw this video of the side-by-side comparison. Well done Digital Foundry. Well done Guerilla Games.

[@jizamkizam9611]

I've noticed it still uses that weird bottom edge blurring while playing on the older hardware. Once I saw that on my ps4 on the first game it was hard to unsee.

[@RARufus]

It's really incredible this runs at 30fps without many hitches on the base PS4. Nice work GG!!

[@RasoGOVI]

I play at 60 frames.

[@NothingHereForYou]

Id actually kind of like a DF Retro or something looking back at cross gen games from last gen. Like MGS5 ps3 to ps4 and discussing how different it is from this gens cross gens

[@ESENTE]

Good idea

[@RogueDakotan]

At 22:52 I see that on PS5 the snow builds up on her outfit but not on PS4, something they didn't mention. Seems like one of the bigger differences. Amazing video. So fascinating and entertaining

[@AndreFreitas91250]

A small interesting comparison could be also added between PS5 version vs PS4 version running on PS5 vs PS4 version running on PS4 pro with a SSD just to see the differences in loading time and pop in.

[@gamenation93]

Loading times would be less for sure but without being a native ps5 app it will only do so much. As for the pop in, that is a hardware limitation so it depends if they allowed the game to scale up on ps5 with a ps4 disc or if its locked in like some games. My guess is that since its a game on both systems it is locked in to ensure stability. Games like God of War was a ps4 game that got patched. A video test of that would be cool indeed.

[@JudgeFudge57]

Or simply running the ps4 version on ps5 via back-compat. I think it would reduce the loading times by 40% like most games.

[@gamenation93]

@@JudgeFudge57 Correct, however if you insert it in a ps5 you can get the ps5 version for free so the case of ps4 ssd vs hdd males more sense in this case.

[@JudgeFudge57]

@@gamenation93 Yes but for the sake of comparaison it's simpler to use one console for both test cause the ps5 will run the ps4 pro code on the ps4 app meaning that it will have the exact same performance as running the game on ps4 pro with an sdd. Also, for ps4 games on ps5, it doesn't matter whether it's installed on the 5gb/s internal ssd or an external 530mb/s sata ssd. The game will load the same cause it's not optimized for an ssd anyway.

[@gamenation93]

@@JudgeFudge57 Thats true. However the ps5 can still provide a more stable experience that the ps4 might not have been able to do such as hitting the ps4 intended frame target more reliably. Generally yes I agree but for a true safe test for rest its better without it.

[@drunkendevil]

I’m surprised how great this runs on a Base PS4 considering the age of the hardware.

[@urekmazino6800]

Things gonna catch on fire starting this game up lol, blast off too china shortly after that.

[@Althar93]

Brilliant job on Guerilla game's part. The first one already looked amazing but I think they've outdone themselves here. I would be interested to see a video comparing the original HZD on base PS4 with Forbidden West on base hardware also. Take note CDPR, this is how you make a cross-gen title.

[@n.erdbeer]

You can't even remotely compare those games. It's much easier to render hills and vegetation and quite small number of mobs walking around.

[@dasilva2095]

@@n.erdbeer The vegetation on Horizon 2 as more AI than CP mobs 😂

[@n.erdbeer]

@@dasilva2095 that's true but I'd like them to invest more time into a well written storyline, instead of some grass and tree AI :P

[@Ptolemy336VV]

@@n.erdbeer Ehh NO, The complexity and fidelity of Horizon FW is way WAY higher than Cyberpunk. Are you kidding? A moss patch in Horizon FW has more polygons than a whole building in Cyberpunk. As buildings are straight lines and simplistic shapes. And that's only where it starts.

[@SamoyedSagas]

@@Ptolemy336VV but there aren't moss patches in the ps4 version.

[@Dribin]

Was looking forward to this vid!! :)

[@petersagi275]

Can you guys share a bit more detail on the resolution. What's the minimum and typical res for PS4 and pro?

[@petejunior7075]

Learned so much over the years watching these guys I can see things in games I never noticed before lol

[@MrJonnyHovo]

It’s both a blessing and a curse at times haha, but I agree!

[@demantim]

The difference is quite subtle when you consider the gulf in processing power. Very impressive! Did I see pop-in in the PS4 pre-rendered opening video though? That's kinda weird...

[@dorshushan6977]

This has more to do with the PS4 hardware limiting the scope of the game on PS5. Either way, this is an incredible technical feat managed here by Guerilla considering the spectacle that is shown here.

[@nlikeflynn8837]

Would love to see Guerrilla drop performance mode down to 1440p to sharpen up the image problems that John and Rich are stating, but, personally, I haven't noticed it. Haven't played a 30fps game in so long that it is really hard for me to play the resolution mode.

[@Breyzipp]

Great job both DF and Guerilla!

[@EllipseGamer]

Really shows how much closer the generation gap is between PS4/5 compared with PS3/4

[@TheRegeaton10]

@Transistor Jump you can turn off the tips.

[@Lobus_Frontalis85]

For me it doesnt look like a true next gen Ps5 game. In Performance mode the trees and gras is shimmering and the whole picture looks grainy. I am so disappointed

[@griffgames9538]

Like Halo Infinite, it's a cross-gen game. Infinite had to accommodate a lowest common denominator spec of vanilla Xbox One. HFW has to accommodate a baseline PS4. No matter how awesome your scalability is, you are anchored to the technical fact that the core experience MUST run on baseline last gen -- which inherently compromises best case complexity and performance.

[@ManhattanTheProject]

Incredible work from Guerilla. Especially by the tech and art design department but I am sure by everyone else as well. Just astonishing! Really, really well done. You can be proud of yourself and you definetily belong to the best of the best in this industry. It must have been a nightmare to deliver such a smooth experience on all platforms without disadvantaging one or the other platform. Thank you so much for all the effort you did put into this and hopefully it will all pay off for you. And last but not least - as always - a super job by DF for investigating it and pointing this all out.

[@balloonb0y677]

Goofy ahh comment 💀

[@hogman3543]

Update: The preferred way to play is now Performance mode as they updated it as said on the new video of this channel.

[@Dash101]

This should be the standard for cross gen triple A games. Guerrilla has given other game publishers a lesson in making a beautiful diverse open world game. I hope the rest are taking notes

[@Soclean07]

Absolutely

[@WH250398]

The only thing that bothers me is the pretty bad antialliasing on the Ps5's performance mode. Compared to the 4k 30 mode, and even the first game on ps4 pro, it looks very grainy.

[@griffgames9538]

A patch update is imminent. There's that CBR issue, and also a HDR issue to resolve.

[@ivandeliseo1538]

@@griffgames9538 it is a official news or just your speculation? because I'm thinking to stop temporarily the game...

[@griffgames9538]

@@ivandeliseo1538 official - the hotfix was updated earlier today: "Guerrilla Games has released a hotfix for its acclaimed role-playing game, which you can download and install now. All you need to do is restart the title a couple of times to grab the update and apply it." It won't show as a formal download/update, but you'll see the hotfix application.

[@griffgames9538]

@@ivandeliseo1538 That's the CBR shimmer resolved hotfix. Next hotfix will address the HDR bug affecting a few display types.

[@WH250398]

@@griffgames9538 Dude, thanks!! I'll try today.

[@snooppp8873]

So glad I found this channel lol. Thanks for this video

[@andrealorenzini5099]

I like how they say at some point that the difference is night and day and yet to show the differences they have to zoom in on flowers and leaves on the ground 😂

[@shawncollins5127]

I typically much prefer going for 60fps this Gen, but fir some reason when I select performance in this game there's this weird "pixels shimmering" I guess I'd call it with super fine details. Like looking at rocks up close, or rocks in the distance, or the peach fuz characters have, it turns to this weird jumble of pixels. I havnt experienced that in any other game in performance this Gen. Kinda weird.

[@shawncollins5127]

@Transistor Jump and a quick Google search because of your comment is making me debate between keeping it at resolution or swapping to performance. Even the peach fuzz on the face during cutscenes looks fine at 60fps. Obviously not as sharp but not causing a weird af visual image issue

[@shawncollins5127]

@Transistor Jump if you have 1.004 it is way better! Like im debating now between keeping it at resolution or change to performance. It's now longer that weird pixel shimmering. Just standard open world checkboarding artifacts(those I'm fine with)

[@shawncollins5127]

@Transistor Jump gotcha. Well the massive visual issue I was having seemed to be fixed and was the main issue I had with performance.

[@deepmind5318]

I wonder how much more can the sequel to breath of the wild squeeze out of the Nintendo Switch's CPU, RAM, and GPU

[@Dextro0451]

Richard: The absolution here is just absolutely absolute! John: Absolutely!

[@Burgergio]

I know you prefer the 30 fps mode, but after trying it with motion blur off it’s extremely choppy. Can’t go back to 30 fps after being accustomed to 60+.

[@alexatkin]

I seem to be having a very different experience on PS5. Moments of frame rate instability in performance mode, very annoying pop-in in some places as well as Aloy clipping through objects (particularly glaring on a particular signal tower). Also nearly got stuck on the environment once as the collision detection seems as iffy as Zero Dawn, made kinda worse by the new climbing/gliding as you transition between climbable objects and ones that cannot. Its not quite as terrible as the above makes it sound mind you, but its the fact it will be absolutely 100% in one section then these things happen that makes it feel more jarring. Seeing you once again talk about how stable it is, I think I need to find a campfire and reboot the console as something just seems off with my experience. UPDATE: Looks like its having issues with my external SSD which was possibly the issue as the background OS was seeing it disappear. Very odd timing as my Xbox external HDD also died a few days ago.

[@jon_collins]

I'm at level 20 and I've encountered at least 10 gameplay glitches... one glitch fell through the floor and had to drown myself others are mission triggers / scripts failing all over the place. Could have used more playtesting but pressure would have been on the graphics and cross gen performance I guess.

[@greggski3710]

I'm curious how much would SSD help with all the popping and textures not rendering on time in cutscenes. My PS4 Pro has SSD and loading times were never an issue really, even in the first Horizon.

[@gamenation93]

Only factual improvement is the loading times with a ssd in a ps4. The rest depends how they coded the game. Pop in has to do with them setting it manually for ps4 so dont think youll get any better without a patch. Loading times and possibly framerate jump is what Id expect if anything. ps4 ssd was a good idea.

[@Arash_ok]

Me too

[@EmeralBookwise]

Thank you so very much for this comparison video. I've only got a basic PS4 and despite my love of the previous game, I had been on the fence about getting the sequel. What really sold me was the confirmation that even on obsolete hardware it still looks and runs better than HZD.... well, for the most part. I've noticed that sometimes, especially when mounted, the game can't quite load fast enough and will have to cut to a loading screen in the middle of the open world. This could happen very rarely in HZD too, but seems al lot more frequent in HFW. It's not so bad that it ruins the experience though, and I'm still glad I made the choice to get this game, even if I can't afford the latest hardware.

[@griffgames9538]

*The Hotfix to resolve the visual shimmering bug went live mid-Friday, Feb 18* .NOTE: This is not a discrete update download, it's a hotfix - delta patch. x2 game restarts - so SAVE first. As per Guerrilla's tweet: *Restart it once for the fix to download, and a second time for the fix to activate* CBR/DRS/injection shimmer fixed - check, now they need to hotfix the HDR shenanigans affecting some display configs.

[@Omie-Wan-kenobi]

I'm amazed how good it looks on ps4 and ps4 pro, it looks way better than zero dawn and that still looks amazing too. Also, I use a WD blue internal sata Ssd on my pro and the game loads between 15-20 seconds (multiple tests) from menu, not tried fast travel yet.

[@m.f.4414]

Yeah- a SSD in a Pro is a really good investment 😉

[@krisjanneman]

During the travel scene with the credits, my ps5 was struggling to load some shots and there was severe pop-in (30 fps mode) Anyone had that problem?

[@maz12004]

Yes I had the exact same problem during that bit as well. The problem didn't happen in performance mode at all but the game looks unpleasant in perf mode IMO.

[@krisjanneman]

@@maz12004 I agree... Maybe they will fix the 30 fps intro in a patch.. crank down the resolution for just that bit, so it will be able to load instantly. It was really kind of a bummer..

[@06hilltopper]

Appreciate the coverage. I am a little let down that the "PS5 vs PS4 vs PS4 Pro" video was largely a PS5 vs PS4 Pro debate with the base model absent from all but a few comparisons. Was really looking forward to a deep dive into how the base system compared visually to the PS5 scene by scene.

[@chrisj320ac3]

If it's a video clip, does that mean we won't see our gear in cutscenes on ps4 and pro?