PS4 vs. PC side-by-side comparison in Unreal Engine 4

[Atmos Duality]

Not a bad showing by the PS4, to be honest.
The differences in quality are small, but noticeable (the shadow quality especially). Though I'd want to see how it handles dynamic game elements rather than a pre-arranged tech demo.

 

[Yuuki]

I don't know with PS4's hardware whether they were planning to make 60 fps @ 1080p the standard or not. If they're trying to push graphics that far then 30 fps will inevitable able, with drops down to 15-20fps every now and then. I don't know about console owners but on PC such incredibly low framerates are like watching a slide show and frustrating to play due to the sheer input lag caused by the frame delays.

For e.g. Call of Duty has always been running at 60 fps because the devs believe in keeping the visuals more or less the same through all the iterations, performance comes first. But BF3 runs at 30 fps because it is pushing the visuals. Could someone who plays BOTH games on consoles testify whether the difference in framerates between the two games impacts their gameplay/experience in any way?

 

[Gatx]

We're at the end of a console cycle so it's natural that gaming PCs out-perform the 360 and PS3...

But the PS4 isn't even out yet and it's already underpowered compared to a PC? And the Wii U is even further behind, power-wise.

I'm not really seeing any reason to invest in the next generation of consoles as opposed to just upgrading my PC.

Does it matter if it's not "top of the line" tech? I mean yeah technically if you buy a console you're investing in new technology, but the real reason to buy a console isn't because you want a powerful machine, you want to play games. At this point, there are still be console exclusives so it's worth it to have one if you really want to play... I dunno, the newest Halo, Uncharted, or one of those genres that are only barely represented on the PC like JRPG, fighting, or those combo heavy hack and slashes.

 

[sneakypenguin]

I don't know with PS4's hardware whether they were planning to make 60 fps @ 1080p the standard or not. If they're trying to push graphics that far then 30 fps will inevitable able, with drops down to 15-20fps every now and then. I don't know about console owners but on PC such incredibly low framerates are like watching a slide show and frustrating to play due to the sheer input lag caused by the frame delays.

For e.g. Call of Duty has always been running at 60 fps because the devs believe in keeping the visuals more or less the same through all the iterations, performance comes first. But BF3 runs at 30 fps because it is pushing the visuals. Could someone who plays BOTH games on consoles testify whether the difference in framerates between the two games impacts their gameplay/experience in any way?

I can tell the difference big time, but then i'm one of those freaks who can tell when a game dips even a few frames below 60.

 

[V8 Ninja]

After watching that video, I have decided that I truly do not care about graphics anymore. I mean, look at that! I would be happy with either of those two demos being an actual game! I can't see many people arguing against that.

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

I'm getting pretty fucking sick of this whole TEH SPECS ZOMG TEH SPECS shit.

First, there was no serious difference. A bit of a particle here, a shadow there, nothing that would make me buy one over the other. And that's not even taking into account the compression of YouTube.

Second, I'll note graphics card they were using costs 500 dollars BY ITSELF. That's without any other parts of the computer. The current prediction for the PS4 is to be from 400ish to 500ish and that includes EVERYTHING apart from a screen.

I really don't want to start another flamewar over console vs PC, but this video really shouldn't be drawing this much attention.

 

[ResonanceSD]

Fewer particles and stunted lighting effects? Come on Sony, You're meant to be bringing out NEW hardware.

 

[carlh267]

For me, graphics have never been as important as gameplay. Sure, the PC version is obviously better, because consoles use mid-lower end tech so the average consumer can afford one. It was obvious that the PS4 was going to be less powerful than the latest and greatest pc, because it wasn't trying to compete with the latest and greatest pc, at least as far as hardware is concerned.

The games are the most important part of a console's worth and longevity, so I suggest that we focus on those instead of a tech demo comparison when the PS4 hasn't even been released. Considering most developers (including indie devs) are showering Sony with nothing but praise at the moment, I remain cautiously interested about picking one up.

 

[Something Amyss]

immersion.

Using that word wrong. It adds "realism," which is not the same thing. Which also doesn't really answer why I'd want it. It's also not describing anything that would have changed the way I perceived the screens I was talking about, so I'm guessing this wasn't the right thing to promote to me anyway.

On the PC you don't have to have it if you don't want.

So I can disable something I don't want in the first place, and that's....A plus?

I have to ask OP, did you exclude this info to rally the attack against the consoles, the info is freely out there and like I said took me less than 30 seconds to find?

This is a console wars thread. Not sure what you expected, but....

Still, the core message is the same. PCs will get shinier stuff, and we should care because reasons.

 

[Waffle_Man]

Oh look shiny. Now excuse me while I go back to playing games from last decade.

 

[NWJ94]

This is new info? Kinda figured everyone already knew this outside of blind fanboys who were convinced that Sony was packaging a super computer for $500.

Most normal gamers are interested in the exclusives not the tech.

 

[The Lugz]

What will the graphics look like as games become more optimized for the console? Is the hardware in the PS4 the kind that they can squeeze out more?

you can always* squeeze out more, just the diminishing returns are defeated by cost
it's easier to build a new code base and a new product to run it.

optimizations happen on a game level more often than the hardware / driver level but rest assured
optimized they will be, that's the name of the game for console development



*diminishing returns can be exponentially smaller with each iteration in some instances,
it does eventually get to a point where it is not logically possible to flip a switch using less code,
but most computer systems are built on layers of abstraction, and you can usually pick an area at random
and tinker with it until it runs faster, that said as far as my understanding of the ps4 architecture goes
it's essentially an opengl rendering box with a pc architecture so it should have nearly ideal performance
from the get go and improve very slowly with time, as these systems are well known by developers already.

anyone that serious about graphics quality should simply buy a pc though, you can tweak .ini files and
re-texture models with billions more polygons until the end of days if you want it perfect.
that's what i do with skyrim, anyway.

 

[Calcium]

So I watched the video. I felt some parts were better on PS4, I thought other parts looked better on PC. But a PC can have many different levels of performance, and what constitutes average varies depending on who you ask.

Looking at Steam stats (thanks to whom mentioned it earlier for the idea), over half of users have 2 cores or less, processor speeds of less than 2.7GHz* and 4GB or less of RAM. Though they also revealed that I really should consider upgrading my monitor!

*[small]Looking at the counts, they didn't add up to 100%, but ~75.[/small]

 

[xefaros]

Strangely i found lightning effects better on PC and the sharpness of the graphics more prominent on the console.
The really disappointing thing is the engine itself compared to its predecessor and we are talking about tech demos.This is as far as it goes for that engine

Unreal Engine 3 tech demo

 

[soulfire130]

This wasn't that impressive. Actually, the PS4 looked better in some scenes and even looked like it had better detail.

Regardless, The PS4 is still in developement so the graphics might be enhanced more by the time it comes out.

 

[Costia]

For some reason both videos seem to have aliasing problems. Kinda strange.

 

[Laughing Man]

This is a console wars thread.

No it really isn't even the dumbest console war threads usually have some level of legitimacy in their point. This, on the other hand, is a thread for butt hurt 'master race' uber PC owners to come forth and try and convince themselves, cause they sure ain;t convincing any one else, that the PS4 / next gen consoles don't really have the stones to give their super computers a run for the money. It is especially shocking given that after weeks of various PC; owners, reviewers and tech experts all stomping round forums saying how the PS4 spec is too weak that it won't come even close to what the PC can do. To have a video demo that in reality shows very little difference in the visual qualities between a PS4 and not just a low or mid end PC but a system running top end spec, well I guess it makes sense that the PC 'master race' would come forth to try and belittle the consoles further.

I am no console fan boy, I haven't turned my PS3 on in over 6 months and have built and spent quite a bit on my high end gaming rig but the bile and nonsense this so called 'master race' spouts is just fucking ridiculous and then you have posts that are deliberately slanted and lacking in information to try and reinforce their bias, for a so called 'master race' it is truly fucking ridiculous.