Was Watch Dogs Graphically Downgraded? E3 2012 vs PC Ultra Comparison

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[@ElAndru23]

E3 explosion: BOOOOOOOM Final Game explosoon: bum

[@MasterOfKnowledge.]

Büm

[@GONEDARK-po7xy]

Stop farting

[@Agent47real]

bum

[@unkillable14]

@@GONEDARK-po7xy puff

[@spy2859]

@@unkillable14 pong

[@deltazebes7326]

That sad ass explosion for the final product at the end...

[@kristons6010]

Anal Fixation Yeah have to admit that was pretty pathetic

[@JMartinJ]

I actually laughed so hard xD So pathetic it seemed like they were joking

[@qoki2244]

+Squidzilian at first i thought people were trolling because i couldn't find the explosion LMFAO

[@Dungappy]

LMFAOOO

[@robyk3556]

+FurryAmongUs :))

[@mardiment0]

lmfao at the explosion difference

[@Carlisho]

Im dead lol

[@Ieokk]

LMFAO

[@batu3581]

Lol

[@Tijjain]

I bet Michael Bay was disappointed.

[@WH250398]

+The Joker WHERE ARE THEY!!!!!

[@LazyBoyA1]

This game got Ubisoftened.

[@jonjones1068]

you right brother

[@Interestingworld4567]

This game was going to be awesome

[@To-mos]

"Ubisoft Montreal’s Dominic Guay, senior producer on Watch Dogs pointed out that Watch Dogs was revealed in summer 2012, before the capabilities of eighth generation console hardware were known, clearly suggesting that PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are the reason why the game didn’t look as impressive as it was actually supposed to." Basically it was the console users fault...

[@rubinraj3365]

@@To-mos true. If it was only on PC, it would've been even better than the demo.

[@GamingBoy0422]

Tomos Halsey so explain watch dogs 2

[@LALFAST]

The wind effects of the E3-demo were pretty sweet. Sad it didn't make it to the final game.

[@closingdealz]

reason behind that I think was optimization,.

[@zachb1706]

Not even the pc release features it, which made people think it’s a script just for the trailer. Watchdogs looks terrible.

[@strohhuttv8848]

@@zachb1706 Not really it was one of the best looking games we are talking about the year 2014 and Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 time. But I agree that the Ubisoft trailer have nothing to do with the end product what is still one of the best looking games in 2014 but still a huge downgrade compared to what it actual should be.

[@ABraptor12]

@@strohhuttv8848 there are many mods that you can download that add alot of the effects not present in the released game. But as for wind/partical effects. The wind effects we see in the demo are scripted, as is most of the npc interactions and the news cast playing in the background. So nothing can recreate these scripted events. As for the physics engine used. It is called physX. It is an Nvidia engine and at the time of release (2012-2014) no graphics card could run it smoothly above 20-30 fps. Even still, the base game is verry GPU heavy, no matter what your opinions on the visuals are. Along with being poorly optimized. This engine is also why car crashes look so heavy and beefy in the E3 demo compaired to the base release along with seeing cans and cups blow realistically across the ground Many of the NPC scripts still exist deep in the game files, such as, NPC reacting to crashes and collisions. And reacting to the players reputation as the vigilante. But in the base game these encounters are minimal, though I assume there are mods out there to solve this problem or if you have the know-how you could do it yourself. But for non programmers I recommend mods Such as the "living city mod" that adds alot more random encounters and variation that the base game lacked. Most mods like the "worsemod" increase the npc density which also allows for more variation with npc interactions. Graphic speaking, the games lighting had been re-done alongside rain and particle effects, reflections, and the way ambient occlusion interacts with the geometry. I've also noticed that the "windy fall/winter tone and coloring" got replaced with a more warm and summer tones, which could possibly be fixed by reshade but I'm not sure. There is also a great mod team lead by a guy named KAOS who is attempting to add pretty much all of the original E3 effects, even the ones that havent been added in other mods, and I look forward to when it gets released. But I wouldn't hold your breath. Modding watch dogs is verry hard and time expensive. They have been in development for over 3 years or so. All in all, I think watch dogs is a good game. Just sadly got overhyped. I like to call it the Halo 2 syndrome. The dev's push so hard to make a fantastic looking game, with a brand new engine, physics, and game play. Only to find out that hardware wasn't progressed enough to run it outside of the " dev super computers" and "dev console's". Though I can see why people felt upset and felt like they where lied too, and I think ubisoft should have been more transparent with these changes, but I Cannot fault a game developer for trying to push the boundaries on game engines and system barriers.

[@ricoco7891]

@@zachb1706 Honestly Watch Dogs looks pretty good on its own. But when we show it next to the E3 version, it's laughable how bad retail is in comparison.

[@peterbarclay5028]

So, basically: 0:32 Cloth physics downgrade 0:38 SweetFX shader removed and ambient occlusion downgraded (look at the floor) 0:44 Smoke effects on the streets removed 0:59 Textures less detailed (look at the floor) 1:14 Steam and smoke particles removed (again) 1:34 Jagged edges (No AA) 1:42 Way less NPCs 1:56 NPC behavior less advanced, looking robotic 2:11 Rain splash removed 2:24 rain no longer affects car lights 2:36 Cloth physics and NPC behavior again 3:04 Amazing depth of field effects - removed on the final version 3:10 Compare both of the explosion effects - Nothing to say about that So, no downgrade after all, right, Ubisoft?

[@Dakobra_]

The lights at 0:58 are actual geometric bulbs in the 2012 build, but are just a flat texture in the final release.

[@sheikhrayan9538]

Can anyone do these for a mod, I wanna play this game when there's a mod for this, I really need it

[@SirNoobWulf]

try the worse mod.

[@StarfireRebirthCM]

@@SirNoobWulf The worse mod can't fix the entire game.

[@craiynel8219]

While this is just a small part of the game, for me the 2012 build seem cinematic and blurry and the final build more gameplay friendly. I agree that the 2012 looks better but I would rather play the final build because it's more clear.

[@razor8352]

in 1:01 the roof lights were just textures in final game

[@Fosten12]

Ceiling

[@TheSlicingSword]

Lmaoo

[@xcidgaf]

dang that is some shady sh*t

[@alextitu1377]

Bruh

[@bwillsskates2638]

Lol ubisoft is fucking annoying. Idk why I've even given them 300+ in the last 2 months with all these damn assassin creed games and watch dog games. They often disappoint me but WD2 was fire. And most of the AC's are fire.

[@marekvrbka]

Plot twist: Game was downgraded on all platforms to make Wii U version look the best

[@Beerlover2007]

I would actually laugh... Really would!

[@236problems]

Dun dun DUUUUN

[@Aadibass]

I really like Wii...to be honest it has the titles I want to play the most (except for The Last of Us)

[@test_0198]

Looks like shit on all platforms

[@marekvrbka]

Test _01 I disagree, the game doesnt look bad, it looks good, but not as good as we were led to believe.

[@VynErso]

This I why I have trusts issues...

[@MrMike9898]

or maybe if people wouldn't be so stupid and buy every shit they see, and make game companies rich as fuck

[@deltazebes7326]

+Ps4MasterRace69 yoloswag Do you know why people pirate games? This video is proof of why.

[@Charles-hy6gp]

ubisoft makes bads pc ports thats why

[@bigchungus8116]

@@ebekoudijs9714 but if it's shitty why do they even try to pirate it in the first place?

[@XxImStarvingxX]

@@bigchungus8116 to experience the game for themselves and evaluate it without having the regret of spending money behind it.

[@TheUniformGreen]

E3 2012: So realistic. Final Version: "The most cinematic 30 fps game ever." #Ubisoft.

[@table255]

+RetardedSoldier Im just waiting for Watch Dogs 2, I'm pretty sure Ubisoft just couldn't optimize Watch Dogs properly

[@TheUniformGreen]

One123 :P

[@ihavepraise]

+One123 Im pretty sure that they had to downgrade due to the consoles

[@ihavepraise]

+One123 Im pretty sure that they had to downgrade due to the consoles

[@table255]

Abyss How come game nowadays look better and run better?

[@HIG5HUniversum]

You can see the proof of a downgrade at 0:59 . While the bulbs on the roof where real objects in 2012, now there is only a fuzzy texture left. This is just one example for a clear downgrade. I don't understand why ubisoft did not simply add another preset called "extreme", where even a GTX Titan Black with an Intel 6 Core CPU just gets 15 FPS. Just for future PC configurations. To prevent gamers to complain that they are not able to play with highest settings ubisoft could hide this option in a .ini file.

[@rahul-qm9fi]

whoa

[@JaseHDX]

lmao i guess 6 cores was a lot a decade ago

[@admkukuh]

how to unlock it?

[@xorlux]

For real it couldve been ran with nowadays technology

[@lkfayz]

⁠@@JaseHDXmost pc’s are 4 cores dumbo

[@ExposingLames]

Infamous second son was open world and took a shit on this games graphics

[@ACdeyz]

that's because infamous concentrate only one platform

[@HenryTheBoilermaker3rdYear]

ACdeyz hahaha and watch dogs on pc not?

[@TAMPIM]

Henry Adda Chaisritha watch dogs - xbox one\ps4\ ps3 \xbox 360\pc idiot

[@HenryTheBoilermaker3rdYear]

***** idiot I already know that

[@AlphaDwg]

to be fair infamous' city is damn near empty and doesn't have nearly as much NPCs walking around at any given time as this game. Also the weather in this game is better. A lot more stuff going on in watch dogs which is actually trying to mimic a living breathing city (they did an OK job but not as good as GTA) than infamous which is just a sandbox game. It's apples to oranges really even though they are both open world games.

[@MarkTheCat]

It’s 2020 and it still pisses me off

[@thealien_ali3382]

Some say the rtx 3080 still can't do these graphics 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@waw1537]

@@thealien_ali3382 what graphics? looks like trash

[@Deeeeeestroy]

@@waw1537 the e3 graphics

[@martinarguello3014]

@retr0 same :(

[@mlnz2991]

@@waw1537 use graphics mod for wd

[@club4ghz]

Say thank you to shitty consoles

[@granpepito]

More to PS3 and 360 not to new gen

[@baggern]

Gran PEPITO to both

[@iceboy151]

No... The PS3/360 is what held this game back. It's not that hard to understand.

[@baggern]

iceboy15 but a new Gaming Pc for 500€ is 1.5 times better than a Ps4 / Xbone

[@granpepito]

In comparison the PS4=GTX 760 and XOne don't remember

[@Ian24089]

The explosion in the original looked incredible in the original. And that was from 2012. Sad how much it got downgraded. I remember this being one of the most impressive E3 demos I had ever seen at the time. It's a shame it was downgraded so much.

[@Ahmed-qi7hf]

Nobody knows the reason explicitly, but I remember Ubisoft stating that the main reason was that the hardware that was around at the time wasn't good enough to support Watch Dogs and there are some saying they got some money from Sony and Xbox in order to reduce the game's graphics It even works fine on devices

[@waitisthatcobalt]

funny cuz a ps4 can run this, they just couldnt optimize it in time. Look at Horzion Forbidden West. I know that game came way later but it was still possible. Zero Dawn looked great too, and so many titles like Killzone, Uncharted, just look insane.

[@DailySwapnil]

@@waitisthatcobalt bro it came on ps3 lol

[@waitisthatcobalt]

what?@@DailySwapnil

[@jjfajen]

E3 gas station explosion: KRAKATOA!!!! Retail gas station explosion: *poof*

[@zanniia7279]

Honestly, I would have gotten the 2012 game, broken or not, over the actual game

[@EnT3R]

+Aaron Shields It would be even better than the default Ubisoft "24fps cinematic experience".

[@Jaxv3r]

Can their pc run club penguin at solid 2 fps ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@zanniia7279]

Honestly, my pc would probably crash upon start up

[@amy-295]

They should release watch dogs on ps4/xbox one/pc without downgrade graphics And not for ps3 and Xbox 360

[@SonGoku-ep4wj]

@@massimogiorgini6193 well we got better looking stuff on consoles today i guess watch dogs came out at the wrong time

[@talizenberg2680]

Watch Dogs is a fun game, the missions are cool and the graphics are OK but it would've been a hell lot better with the graphics from the E3 2012 gameplay.

[@Nuvendil]

@Stix N' Stones Well the bigger issue no one seems to bring up is they waited way past when they had to know thise visuals wouldn't work to show the final build in action. Crap happens, stuff gets changed in development all the time. The problem is that unlike, say, Nintendo or CD Projekt who show trailers of the actual, current version and thus allow you to see the downgrades, upgrades, or changes as they happen, Ubisoft and Ea and Activision like to delay as long as they can, showing bullshots and dolled up video long after they know it'simpossible. It's a matter of transparency.

[@GoofySaturn9339]

All of the E3 2012 high quality textures are actually in the games files, and there's now a mod to unlock them on PC, which is great :)

[@Whaterman1]

@Source Dasher people still had xbox 360 and ps3 at the time

[@Whaterman1]

@Source Dasheryea they should have given some upgrades to pc, ps4 and xbox one

[@GoofySaturn9339]

@@Whaterman1 E3 hd textures can be unlocked in the files via a mod

[@frank.____.9186]

in the final version i dont think that just the graphics is downgraded but the physics/animation and lighting are changed

[@jackbarrett3599]

+The Gaming Station not sure if joking or dumb

[@user-mo8rx1tj2z]

npcs look terrible in final version

[@bletrick3352]

김백호 Yeah 8 years ago the graphics in this game blew my mind! Looking at it today it looks like garbage! Especially the NPC faces.

[@darknightmike10yearsago]

lighting is a part of graphics, but I agree.

[@shineinouzen7412]

Lighting is part of graphics

[@ashwinsanthosh9154]

That explosion was comparing a Minecraft TnT to a nuke lmfao

[@lylon9218]

the E3 reveal actually made people believe that it will be better than GTA 5 back then

[@gun8586]

Graphics not make a good game. Ubisoft never good in graphics and physics(ragdoll)

[@mrreddead]

I cant believe this video is on my recomended section. This is already 2019.

[@Nahan_Boker94]

KZbin keeps reminding us to this sinful ubisoft downgrade...

[@Legion849]

2020 and in the middle of the pandemic. KZbin loves to remind us of haunting images like this one.

[@TicTacZac12]

E3 2012=Realistic and what it should be Final PC Game on Ultra=Looks like a damn cartoon

[@Pharaoh_01]

It's really because they had the game made for PS3 and 360. Imagine what that game would look like if it was a current gen and PC exclusive. We all got ports of a last gen game. That's the way it worked. But you would have expected them to at least upgrade the graphics for current gen and PC with that 9 month delay that they had

[@MCGamerBoomer]

Arkham Knight That's not exactly the best reasoning, I do agree with the upgrading graphics thing. But they could have done it like rockstar, delayed the PC release so it can perform well and not have issues. But you know this and AC Unity were their big failures

[@hola_chelo]

+Arkham Knight Yes, actually ubisoft is one of the companies that go for the money, they get waaay more money from console than from PC, they just want more people playing on consoles...

[@Charles-hy6gp]

lol cartoonish should been on PS3 and 360

[@ricoco7891]

@@Pharaoh_01 That is really the dumbest thing ever. I mean, if they had to make a new build for 360/PS3, why not make the new build... but ALSO release the 2012/2013 build for PS4/Xbox One? I doubt it would have been much harder. Just release 2 different versions. Voila, everyone's happy.

[@thephenomenalone3798]

not only the graphics even the AI and the animation downgraded

[@communist_pride]

Do you have the mod for ai animation?

[@billyrigney4455]

I remember seeing the E3 demo and was excited to see a nice big jump between current/next gen. Maybe it was done to push next gen sales as well as the actual game. This is why I take all demo's with a pinch of salt now.

[@jputraaa158]

e3 watch dogs = latest ps4 aaa games

[@tahmidislam7652]

​@@jputraaa158 Batman Arkham Knight did what Watch dogs couldn’t done

[@ola_ola._.]

​@@tahmidislam7652nobody believes that. not even yourself

[@Happydentsmile]

Sooooo was it downgraded ? Short Answer - YUP !!

[@shipuddenshaq]

Less people... that's the only difference I see...

[@Happydentsmile]

No smoke in the club... :'(

[@AlphieDood]

***** You must be pretty fucking blind then.

[@MrKerozinn]

***** then you better go see a doc to chek your eyes cause there is far more than that.

[@OverGuyver]

Kunal Bhatt less smoke, more lighting effects.

[@hunteroftheredplains1334]

I would rather buy this demo than the final version

[@gtmddn]

I truly believe this game was cut back on what it could do because of the xbone. I think Microsoft was and has been getting the shit kicked out of them on not being able to run games as good as the ps4 and of course the pc will be even better than both the consoles. but Microsoft couldn't afford to look like the final release while the ps4 an pc was looking more like the e3 2013 trailer. so I think Microsoft threw a fuck ton of money at watchdogs to get them to dumb the game down so that all platforms look the same...why else would a pc version not look better than the console version. and why else would the ps4 version be playing at the same level as the xbone when we all know that it can run games better.

[@gtmddn]

and this is why a game like infamous looks better. Microsoft cant stop a dev from making the game look and run better if it is not on a system they have any control over.

[@gtmddn]

titanfall felli into the same deal. it doesn't look or run any better on pc as it does on xbone. if I was a pc gamer. id not be pissed at sony at least they are trying to build better looking games that run at higher fps. id be pissed at xbone for holding back the new games that are coming out.

[@bliglum]

I pretty much hate the Xbox, but i don't think that was it.. I think it was Ubisoft's process of making it work on ALL the consoles, particularly last gen, that made it look as much worse as it does.. So what was a next gen looking game, got downgraded to a last gen game, for the sake of profit.. And it payed off, as I heard the sales were very strong.

[@gtmddn]

I hear you. but that doesn't explain why the pc cant play the game any better... we all know who is the big dog in the pc world...Microsoft...Im telling you. if I was Microsoft and I wanted the xbone to start selling why wouldn't I try to get the devs to dumb down all versions so ppl cant say one system looks better than the other...cause with this game and with titanfall both the console and pc version were the same...that never happens in gaming.

[@LordGodKing]

That's the dumbest theory I have ever heard. If you want to blame someone then you should be pointing at Ubisoft for putting WD on last-gen consoles.

[@Piterixos]

3:15 This was the saddest gas station explosion I've ever seen.

[@MisterDoge]

Aidan pierce reminds me of christain slater from Mr. Robot

[@thefreshstraw5928]

1:00 the e3 version had vents

[@d.w.hoerak954]

I don't give a shit about the graphics as long as there are dynamic coat physics.

[@d.w.hoerak954]

***** It has, i know. I was also joking.

[@lewisjones1182]

***** Rip cloth simulation :(.

[@d.w.hoerak954]

Lewis Jones It's still in the final version of the game. Just not as good as in the E3 demo.

[@aestheticluis5637]

Damn that explosion was so unsatisfying

[@bosschanceforoncelarpon5051]

I agree, explosions aren't good in watch dogs 2 but that shows that the next game isn't perfect but can improve even before release. I hope that is the case because I'm like you, I love a good explosion. ;)

[@aestheticluis5637]

+Bosschanceforonce Larpon I agree with you

[@mostsanestoneyplaysfan7931]

"Artistic choices" more like "Autistic choices"

[@brianeduardo4809]

You tried, and failed

[@mostsanestoneyplaysfan7931]

+Ken Rodbender Saltiness detected.

[@kenrodbender9603]

+norem43 lol yeah!!

[@JoshKosh08]

+Lance Chang correct

[@Eysc]

the hype is real, why people never learn, wait for the games to come out be reviewed before saying things like GOTY!, preordered!, best game ever!.

[@RCmies]

I played it and really like it

[@mariotaz]

That's my thoughts too. I don't agree with the 'fact' it was downgraded but it's the consumers fault for getting pissy about it, giving into the hype and buying it on launch on day. People are too impatient and will then justify their actions for why they couldn't wait even 2 days after launch.

[@yungtux8770]

Unless it's Doom Eternal

[@andysze1]

I actually might not hate this game so much, if Ubisoft was just a lot more honest with us.

[@GeorgeMillerUSA]

+Andy Sze Not only Watch Dogs, Far Cry 3 and Far Cry 4 were also downgrade terribly.

[@Spaxecowboy]

+Frag Wall What do you mean? Far cry 3 wasn't downgraded, the graphics were upgraded

[@pastordonkoh7692]

This is why I always tell people Never pre order games. Wait till they come out, reviews are done and you make an informed decision

[@bladefier1954]

Andy Sze dude it's because of consoles Only

[@SoraSummer]

@@pastordonkoh7692 Especially if its Ubisoft, EA and Activision. Now, Insomniac Games and Naughty Dog they are companies you can trust. Even if Naughty Dog wont make anymore of our favourite game series's.

I hope some day soon they announce a remaster with the graphics of E3's demo.

[@redfoofan4618]

If they will ever do a remastered version, which we totally deserve, I am eager to see glass reflections!

[@Ms123kill]

Man its all due to sthupid consoles .......they should have made improvements in consoles ...I remember how ps3 was a big thing over ps2 but ps4 and xbx 1 are no innovation .....they should have made better consoles

[@recktroaim]

Dude that is wayyy easy for you to say. Now tell me what major innovations can they add available with the technology we have now? We already have online and other things, just wait as technology progresses in the next 6 years. You act like we have floating cars and holographic/virtual reality(ik oculus rift but that isnt shit right now)

[@Ms123kill]

***** dude -_- we have sooooo nice graphic cards that could have been used but they didn't use it......the manufacturing cost is cheap of any gpu but I dont know why the fuck they didn't use those gpus instead they added sthupid gpus .....

[@recktroaim]

Ahmad Tariq yea they did. Maybe they are just leaving money for other innovation maybe? And if gpus are a problem for all of you people why not just go to pc gaming?

[@Ms123kill]

I have a gaming laptop already .....but the problem is watch dogs could have better graphics only if this console monoply wasn't there ....but still consoles are more fun ...

[@Ultimagicarus]

you mean a 1000$ console?

[@naruto78961]

Look at all the butthurt PC fanboys blaming consoles for something Ubisoft did. Its quite sad.

[@AlexGarcia-qc3cj]

Yes you are right, Current gen is capable of graphics like the e3 2012 demo but I believe ubisoft downgraded the graphics for last gen.

[@joeshickler4524]

I wouldn't say their capable of E3 status... Ubisoft downgraded it for the consoles standards because they just wanted to port the game over instead of making a different version for each platform. PC definitely got screwed this time around (just like most games) and they blame consoles, when it's mostly the developers fault for being lazy.

[@ratzlp0li]

Ubisoft only did it because consoles are fucking terrible. Console players should apologize for killing gaming.

[@naruto78961]

Jacky Tran PC gamers should apologize for being incredibly stupid. Do you honestly think the PS4 and Xbox One are holding the games back? They aren't, Ubisofts laziness is.

[@adrian946xd25]

Yea, what's with all the hate on console users? The fuck do we have to do with anything, it's ubisoft's fault not ours you dumbfucks

[@user-rd6uc2sf6i]

The amount of shaders and particles used in the E3 demo is simply impossible to achieve on current gen consoles especially OG xbox one. I believe if this game was built with ps5/xsx in mind it would've looked as good as the demo

[@NoVanity_]

You telling me the E3 version can’t run on current gen? Are you good?

[@OmgEsManolo]

Even better

[@ivorza]

@@NoVanity_ By current gen he meant PS4/XB1, I guess

[@NoVanity_]

@@ivorza yeah but why the fuck would you release a game on Xbox one and ps4 just to be played on ps5 and Xbox one series x where the fuck is he’s logic?

[@ivorza]

@@NoVanity_ I dunno 😂

[@isaaciktaile1118]

This game's demo showed ray tracing in gameplay before it was even a thing

[@aleksaleks8342]

ray tracing was used in movie-making (or animations from pixar/disney) for years before RTX 20x0 series was even announced

[@isaaciktaile1118]

@@aleksaleks8342 I meant in video games forgot to mention that

[@juanme555]

This demo did not have ray tracing anywhere.

[@kuruption21000]

How in the world they did they get away with false advertising

[@uum6]

The hate for this game is largely overblown. Like, yeah, the lighting and effects suffered, corporations are bad, yadda yadda. By and large, the graphics still hold up today, even on consoles. I just got the game for PS4 after enjoying Legion, and must say: I resent the community for putting me off trying it all these years far more than I ever resented Ubisoft's devs. It's an astoundingly great game.

[@mandrews6282]

This comment is accurate. My first Watchdogs game was Legion on PS5. Went back and played 2 when it got FPS Boosted on Series X. Avoided 1 because of all the hate and claims of downgraded and ‘shit graphics’. Bought it today as it’s also now FPS Boosted on Series X, and honestly I am amazed at how well this game holds up in nearly 2022. It’s kind of insane. I don’t know how people were not used to devs putting out mocked up trailers, it happens all the time and was nothing new back then, and this isn’t even the most egregious. I think people just had way higher expectations of what the One and PS4 were capable of as this game released going into a new gen. But overall the game still looks phenomenal for the time, and I think it looks better than 2 in many aspects. I stopped trusting critics and other players’ opinions a long time ago though, and glad I am finally getting around to this one.

[@Rbsa123]

The games still look great, even if they're not exactly how they were in trailers. First game I played was watchdogs 2, then got watchdogs on sale. Only game I was disappointed about was Legion because I pre-ordered it and it had a ton of performance issues at launch. Other than that, mostly solid entries. My ranking is 2, 1, legions.

[@NamesZKP]

The graphics look great by todays standards because they haven't ever been able to reach the E3 2012 standards of graphics and animiation quality. Leading me to believe everything from the "gameplay showcase" was likely pre-rendered and made to just look like someone was playing it in real-time.

[@jamesmiles3341]

@@mandrews6282 got it randomly because on sale, have no clue what it is got it really cheap only to test what my xbox series s is capable of and holy shit this game is guudd and it has fps boost too on this tiny machine

[@jamesmiles3341]

@@NamesZKP you clearly joking look at horizon forbidden west on ps5 that e3 trailer is nothing compared to that

[@lmunky]

Ubisoft's gameplay demos keep looking better, but the final products are always the same shit lmao.

[@PewDicate]

I really don't understand why to downgrade the graphic on PC...

[@ZachBrannigan]

Because PC versions nowadays are pure ports. There's no graphical difference other than the ability to spice the engine slightly compared to the original console version. It's made for consoles because they are all the same and easy to optimize for, and the developers will make compromises graphically to meet the necessity of the "target devices", or consoles if acting corporate doesn't help. In other words, they give zero shits about PC gamers because console gamers are more abundant.

[@PewDicate]

Zach Webb In E3 it was a gameplay not a cinimatic cutscene; altough the gameplay shown on PS4 the graphics can be in the PC version.

[@SaddySkull]

they fucking made the code e3 graphics go down if u saw some people found that e3 graphics where in the game but only for e3

[@HeySlickThatsMe]

FalloutFuture e3 settings were in the files but not everything was there

[@CommanderTato]

Because Miscrosoft and Sony pay developers to gimp the PC version so they dont look better.

[@ashcrimp]

While most things look worse on the final version. There are actually some improvements. The biggest I noticed was the projected light in the club scene that's not on the e3 version.

[@nekku19]

For all that we know the E3 clip could have been (and I really believe it was) fully scripted, happening in a small demo area. This would use much less resources (when the "random factor" is taken out). And of course they have a killer rig when they're shooting these demos.

[@karagdagangimpormasyon4736]

That Graphics during E3 2012 was way ahead of its time! Then the downgrade happened! 😂😂

[@murkymischief3811]

pretty sure it was a pre rendered cgi , the graphics never existed back then

[@snowiblind]

@@murkymischief3811 they did, and you can unlock it for yourself (google it)

[@cr3d294]

Gotta understand, back then they thought the next gen consoles where gonna be much more powerful. When they finally received the final kits they realized the demo wasn't doable on such weak hardware. PC could have done it but not the consoles. CPU limits were current gens biggest downfall.

[@TheyWantMeGone69]

But but...maybe PS5 can

[@zork219]

Some devs said that dev-kits were much more powerful than final consoles. I doubt that, I think they made a deal and tricked people into believing they were powerful. Also it's a cross gen title also released on PS3

[@mHANIF-xl3rx]

​@@TheyWantMeGone69 that's like 7 years after.

[@mHANIF-xl3rx]

​@@TheyWantMeGone69can't even cath up to wd2

[@TheLastLineLive]

The original version definitely looks more gritty, the new version looks more clean, but otherwise the original looks way better, only thing I prefer the new version to the old in is that the new version isn't as excessive with the depth of field in some effects, it is utilized somewhat more intelligently, but other than that, the E3 2012 version looked amazing.

[@eliancastellano8466]

if the pc version looks good but the gloss version of e3 is very good in effects such as the effect of smoke on the streets of Chicago or the effect of car headlights, rain sun people without envargo version e3 as pc have their good things

[@aterikasedi]

It's been 10 years...

[@TehBlackNinjaProductions]

I REALLY hope they don't do this for The Division.

[@Dw207114]

oh they will lol.. and when it comes out im only renting it...

[@binary1123]

they will, why do u think they delayed the game??

[@Dw207114]

ubisoft is on a mission to disappoint gamers lol

[@FiredUpPhoenix]

No they said in a recent article that they aren't changing any aesthetics, they are going to have the next gen consoles at a frame lock of 30 Fps but the game will never change how it looks. Here's the link to the article: www.totalxbox.com/78262/the-division-is-30fps-because-graphical-fidelity-is-more-important-to-us-than-frame-rate/

[@Dw207114]

well as long as the game look great and plays well im 100% fine with that..

[@Superdank0]

lol, that last explosion.

[@TAYDEON23]

yup it was so sad

[@FaZzy4K]

Sadly, The Division will get a massive downgrade like Watch Dogs in order for it to be on consoles.

[@XxScorpionxX1901]

Bullshit. If companies stop showing us random shit that they can't make then it will be downgraded for both PC and Next-Gen.

[@FaZzy4K]

Adolf Hitler Come on this is Ubisoft we are talking about.

[@XxScorpionxX1901]

***** Ya I know they also pulled this crap on Far Cry 3 and other games so don't expect future games to look like the game which was shown at E3 or something.

[@silencer122]

you should be happy that they are releasing it on PC since it was planned as a console exclusiv.

[@XxScorpionxX1901]

silencer122 I smell Bullshit.

[@__area.52__]

Bro i didnt even notice the explosion on the retail version at first. That was dissapointing

[@FittieVEVO]

I remember this😂 so excited for these next gen graphics and all we got was another 360 mop up

[@tallll70]

I did like those solid water streams going off roof at 2:05 in E3 demo and i surely can't find them nowhere in my game. They may mean they didn't downgrade much, because certainly things are missing.

[@carnage5958]

Explosion on E3 = 😨😰😍👍💪 Explosion on retail = 😒👎

[@tek87]

That tiny explosion made me lol!

[@danielkasprzyk2947]

+tek87 Your profile pic annoys me :D

[@Pissicist2394]

Yeah

[@sophiephillips7961]

Y’know , I heard about this but didn’t take much stock into it; however, I see it now and damn - what the hell happened to the LIGHTING. The graphics are somewhat similar, but omg it’s 1000% the lighting that’s completely altered the mood like who approved this

[@leonr1985]

This is why people got trust issues.

[@clasifi1]

Infamous second son looks better than both versions anyway..

[@MrRagingMammoth]

top kek

[@clasifi1]

AMD FANBOY yep...Looks way better than watch dogs...even the e3 version. Fact i.imgur.com/oTxfBki.jpg i.imgur.com/MeMrVDq.jpg Better textures , better particle effects , better animation , better graphics...Sure it runs at 1080p...But resolution has nothing to do with poly counts... In a perfect world , Infamous SS would run at 4K....

[@anurgaprasad123]

clasifi1 thats the trailer version -_____- go type in "infamous second son graphic downgrade" and then talk about the real game and not about the trailer

[@clasifi1]

AMD FANBOY Reality check this is in-game i.imgur.com/W4f1V8y.jpg And so is this i.imgur.com/zFtClan.jpg or this imgur.com/gallery/U7agc Watch dogs doesn't look this good. Not on PS nor on the E3 demo. As a matter of fact , the PC version looks as shitty as the PS4 version. Only it can run at 4K.

[@toxiic9954]

AMD FANBOY The final game looked better than the E3 trailer by much

[@romesfrancojr2914]

The npc reaction after the crash opening the car's door to the other one, really cool detail that were lost in the final product. They should release a remastered version of the game of the e3 code.

[@radu19d]

What i see that is missing, is the fog/smoke, and depth of field... And these are two cool things and very important for the final atmosphere...

[@Pollo83Loco]

It is a huge difference... What the hell happened to this game?

[@XxScorpionxX1901]

UbiCrap

[@ambis99]

The Xbox 360 version looks like an atari game. The graphics really really suck!

[@ambis99]

***** LOL

[@Whaterman1]

How the heck would xbox 360 handle pc or e3 graphics?

[@Agent47real]

@@Whaterman1 Exactly

[@jeffbelfi]

Great video. E3 version looks much more immersive. I have a pretty good PC and can't run it at 1080p/60. I had too many problems on my PC that I played through on the Xbox One (mostly a controller reason for not playing on PS4).

[@NORTON-wk4ru]

whats the name of this song on this clip

[@rizzo-films]

The only improvement in the final version is the lights in the nightclub. It actually makes that scene more energetic, dynamic, and colorful, vs the E3 version which is basically just people hanging out in a lot of fog. Everything else looks like a downgrade though.

[@DarkPhychic]

Looks Like Ray Tracing On vs Off, It is possible with GPU's Like 4090 to have these kind of graphics now

[@MrStrangermoon]

no. the ray tracing even on games like 1998 quake 2 or 2007 portal which coridor games kill the even 4090 with best cpu 64gb ram. so basicly watch dogd e3 like game with ray tracing on 4k resolation now imposible unless you spend on air more like spiderman and prototaype stlye game. the matrix demo not look better than watch dogs normal version forget about e3. there is e3 mods for watch dogs on pc you can try that.

[@alanzyoutube]

What was the spec of the PC unit that was used for the E3 demo ?

[@KevinKuo]

If PC gamers can find the config file in the installation folder, they might be able to tweak the values and get graphic effects similar to E3. Higher shadow resolution, more bloom, better reflections...etc. I don't know if you can turn on or add more fog and smoke.

[@staticbuilds7613]

A lot of people seem to get offended by this game. To me this was a great game, mostly because I never watch trailers of games before they release, Marketing mostly lie to make sales and it should be expected at this point. This is still one of the best games I played during 2014. I also noticed how someone compared this to GTA 4. I Played both three weeks ago and felt offended for the first time by a comment. GTA 4 Ai textures and vehicles felt below watchdogs. People need to learn to adapt and accept that the E3 trailer was a cinematic fake. Watchdogs was great except the fact they did not have many particle effects or smooth/ ambient lighting. I also hear people complain about the characters but compared to most game plots, they were actually good.

[@Radozdam]

It wasn't a Cinematic fake, it's called pre alpha gameplay, don't make assumptions, this isn't the first Ubisoft game that got downgraded

[@staticbuilds7613]

@@Radozdam Gta 5 also did a pre alpha gameplay but had to remove a lot of the tree's and props because the game only rendered at 9fps in real time. People don't get upset at this however which is why I don't understand it when people get upset at other games for doing the same thing.

[@czarnakoza9697]

​@@staticbuilds7613people hated watch dogs because youtubers told people to do that i know im 2 years late

[@SS-hp2nx]

E3 2012: OMG LOOK AT THE GRAPHICS SOO REALISTIC. Final: WTF IS THIS SHIT?!

[@losterminatoredire4077]

Stessa reazione xd

[@unactive9104]

ikr

[@LonelyGamr]

so, anyone know the song that is been played?

[@detsimba7146]

The explosion E3: Shaquille O’Neal Final game: Kevin Hart

[@micknamer]

consoles fault?? they sure are shitty, but lets keep in mind that they are the ones deciding to release it for 360 and ps3............... Lets be real ps4..xbone..not all that but enough to handle complex mechanics. I would can't see those 2 consoles hold back gaming in any way.

[@Cuzinits]

In a few years they will be just as bad as the 360 and ps3.

[@AssassinoOSTLegendary]

You know that watch dogs was in developement since 2009 and they didn't know about ps4 or xbone until late 2012

[@iucidium1982]

AssassinoZockt *ahem* bollocks. This was an attempt by ubi to con folks for preorder and sales records. I'd love refunds and trade-ins by individual outlets on this game.

[@micknamer]

***** If you think consoles are holding back gaming I got one title for you...crysis.

[@DerrickRG]

***** You'd be surprised how much more they can handle if you get rid of antialiasing. Sure, they'd be a bit more edgy looking, but most of the other things could have stayed in some capacity. The did a lot with what little the PS3 and 360 had, no reason they can't do the same for the PS4 and XB1.

[@ahmedp800]

The 2012 is more "Cinematic", the final looks like a "Game" Downgraded for sure... By the way, I like the music :)

[@GinoBrand5]

I have tried many versions, from ps3 to wiiU to ps4 and PC(ultra) all in the pursuit one of these versions would be closer to the 2012 E3 showing... I think the main thing that killed the atmosphere is the final versions weather system, supposed to be modeled after Chicago (the windy city) right- the 2012 E3 shows that, final versions do not.

[@intrepidis1]

Alternative scenario: the final game's graphics assets (i.e. 3D models and textures) we're given to a CGI film studio, who then added extra detail and rendered it with a ray-tracing server farm.

[@intrepidis1]

Come to think of it, they've been doing that sort of thing for years. Back before cutscenes were rendered with in-game graphics (as they are nowadays), games used to use full-motion video for cutscenes, which were produced much like I mentioned above. So they definitely have that ability in their arsenal.

[@meriiwl]

What bothers me the most is that they really could make it look like the e3 one, but they simply decided not to

[@IanTheBuizel]

This makes me wonder if the 2012 "gameplay" was actually a pre rendered cinematic. Deceptive tactics.

[@freezenexusblogspot]

I'm not very concerned about graphics but i'm very curious about that removed mission from trailer.

[@mistamental11]

Which gpu was running the watch dogs e3 demo?

[@jellybean358]

its been downgraded to fit the consoles, but modders are already busy reworking the hidden files back into the game, they literally found the E3 graphics in the game files, it was just locked away

[@takiktos1265]

Where is this e3 graphics?

[@GuillinCorp]

how did that go?

[@lastonmars3566]

And i remember my dumb ass searching everywhere why those E3 stuff dont work for me... Also a nice thing was when Aiden is caught by police, he could hands up and do a really black out...

[@Sir-Prizse]

I do like the ambient music, really nice choice... i think the final version has more vibrant colors and less smoke and wind, but at night the final version do match the trailer pretty close.

[@eastern2687]

Not really. In fact it doesn't at all. No reflections in that form it was showcased in the trailer, no depth of field (when closer objects are in focus and everything on the background gets blurry, light takes the form of circles), no physics of crashes comparing to the original, no explosion with particles as it was in original. It is almost different game to be honest. This is why I do not buy ubisoft games for more than 4 years. They are just off, all of them. Probably Watch Dogs 2 redeems the UbiSoft failures, but 1 game is just not enough. Gaming Community notices everything, and already states, that U. games are one of the worst on the market. Though kids, whose parents still buy them UbiSoft products are huge part of the audience, which spoils overall bad statistics making UbiSoft keeping up their shitty work. Nevertheless they will remain in gaming history as the company who released average and bad games on the regular basis. Money is not everything. But for them it is.

[@ttenor12]

8 years later, this still hurts

[@TheAlienGangster]

So much of what was visually promised this generation didn’t happen. Announcements like Watchdogs, Witcher 3 (the original graphics), Anthem, and so on.

[@fgnnl4204]

Honestly the version that came out was still pretty good just not as great as we were expecting.

[@DyoKasparov]

To this day, modders have still not been able to unlock/enhance wd1 to the point that it would look like in the E3

[@dotcom1196]

Its with all their games instead of just bringin the E3 grphics as a dlc

[@ishaanb]

holy shit man that's huge difference

[@lewsee5562]

"The PC version does indeed contain some old, unused render settings that were deactivated for a variety of reasons, including possible impacts on visual fidelity, stability, performance and overall gameplay quality. Modders are usually creative and passionate players, and while we appreciate their enthusiasm, the mod in question (which uses those old settings) subjectively enhances the game's visual fidelity in certain situations but also can have various negative impacts. Those could range from performance issues, to difficulty in reading the environment in order to appreciate the gameplay, to potentially making the game less enjoyable or even unstable." Performance issues?? Ubisoft, stop this BS. PCs can now run those graphics perfectly.

[@19EJ91]

isn't that the exact point of having multiple quality options on the first place I wonder...

[@themightybagle99]

While Watch Dogs still looks pretty good, the E3 build was definitely better but it was most likely running on a super computer of some sorts cause if that version was on the Xbox one and PS4 at the time, the console couldn’t handle it and would dip In framerate frequently. But thankfully there’s a mod to get all the stuff that was removed back In… As long as your PC can handle it lol.

[@shafidos6012]

where?

[@satellite964]

Perhaps the most start difference is the canned animation of the NPC vs the totally dynamic and natural activities of the NPCs in the E3 demo.

[@cdubbz5923]

God damn that explosion is so disappointing😂

[@MichaelJohnson-nj6pc]

The graphics are certainty different but I was more impressed with the Ai's and the physics

[@MsPaulieboy]

Could someone explain if they could show the game like that at e3 than why can’t they release it like that?

[@khannooniensingh2021]

Because they can run it on 15k config, and push graphics easily at max settings, meaning that no console can properly run this...

[@AstralExtend]

I wish publishers would hold back a bit when releasing trailers before the optimization stage of development. It would make for much less disappointments in the future.