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HGhaleon

PS3 vs PS4 GGXrd Graphics/Sound Quality Comparison?

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Hello. I just recently played GGXrd yesterday at a friend's house and while the portrait artwork, interface, and story mode/pre battle models looked stupid good (it looked like 1080P quality), the character models themselves seemed very low resolution. I dunno if it was just me but it looked a bit lackluster in some ways. We were playing on PS3 with quality mode on (which my friend says is compatibility mode, which I think he is totally misinformed) a 60 inch 1080P LG Plasma (the movement fluidity is amazing on plasma, <3) but the sprites/characters themselves seemed a lot lower res. My friend states the character models are 480P on PS3 while everything else is 720P. I also played GGXrd at Anime Expo from the PS4 demo and it seemed a shit ton better on PS4 (like no comparison). I wanted to see if anyone had some screenshots or videos of side by side footage of both PS3 and PS4 running on optimal settings (PS3 quality mode 720P vs PS4 1080P) to see how much of a difference the graphics makes. Personal experiences are welcome as well. Again, maybe it's just me. I'll be honest, if the graphics are that big a difference, I might fork over for a PS4. This game and Silent Hills (god that game looks gorgeous) are worthy purchases. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

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I've mentioned this in another thread, but the difference is immediately apparent. The PS3 version doesn't handle transparencies well at all, nor does it have any anti-aliasing. Textures seem to be lower res as well, and a lot of backgrounds have stuff missing (Sol's stage is an obvious example).

 

Currently a subject of speculation is the conditions which cause the PS3 version to drop in framerate, though so far the worst reported case of such has happened only in Challenge mode.

 

If you can justify it, I say go for the PS4 version. If you can't, then the PS3 version is definitely good enough to play on, but man... you're missing out on just how sharp this game looks.

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Also, another question. Anyone know how different the sound quality is? I know the PS3 version uses very low quality MP3s (surprised Arc dropped the ball on that one, I'd figured they would use very HQ audio). Is the PS4 the same as well or is the quality noticably different. I've only played the PS3 one and watched youtube videos of the PS4 but someone who has personal experience with both or a video comparison or something would be helpful.

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"My friend states the character models are 480P on PS3 while everything else is 720P."

 

Models can have different polygon count, but I'm pretty sure you can't have a different pixel density for some objects running in the engine compared to others.  You can use lower res textures on the models, and models with lower poly count, sure.  Also, if it was possible to output varying pixel density, why run the background at 720 and run the characters, the focus of the game, at 480?  Your friend was likely mistaken about this as he was about quality mode being "compatibility mode".

 

But yeah, for $10 more it's probably worth the PS4 version if you have a PS4 already.  I'd spend the money just for the built in streaming functionality if I had a PS4.

 

 

Given the file size I wouldn't get your hopes up too high for better audio quality.  If they wanted to use lossless encoding or higher bit-rate MP3 they probably would have - the file size was pretty small, so it's not like they couldn't fit the game on a disc, and as far as I know the disc size is the same between PS4 and PS3.  I don't know for sure though, so someone that's looked at the game files will have to confirm that.  A video comparison probably wont help all that much either since youtube compresses their audio, which would make it difficult to notice a difference.

 

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the game.  : )

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Yeah, I'll be honest, I wasn't wow-ed with how the characters looked upon seeing this game for the very first time on my PS3. They do look a tad bit low-res, and the linework on them feels more pixely than I'd like. But as I have never seen the PS4 version I can't say how much better it'd be.

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PS3 version has relatively low bitrate, compressed, mono channel sound files while PS4 seems to have higher quality + stereo channel. (Could upload a sample of the PS3 OST but I think that's against the rules.)

Texture quality is literally the same, but the PS3 version lacks some of the special effects (pretty sure only in performance mode) that make the models and particles look pretty. (Bloom on glowing parts/glowing effects and outlines on some effect models seem to be missing e.g. on Zato's drill)

On both versions some particle effects look medium-res, for example some smoke effects (Slayer's Pilebunker), embers and some energy particles (DI Branding Breach, Undertow). They are lowres because every frame of animation is saved on one texture which sacrifices quality for a low texture memory footprint. :eng101:

On the other hand most (partially) 3D effects look gorgeous like Gunflame and Ky's huge blue lightning sword that comes from a seal. (Forgot the name..) It really varies depending on the techniques used to compose the different particle types.

Sorry for the technical yadda yadda, I love this kinda stuff.

Source: I own both PS3 and PS4 versions and have several years of experience of working with UE3/UDK.

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Please, more technical stuff!  Also yeah the audio sampling rate for the ps3 version is unbearably low, but I was thankful for the smaller download size on release night :v

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Perhaps you can provide insight as to why Ky's seals look so horrible on PS3?

Also, are you sure about the textures? Faust's stage in particular looks much worse to me, though maybe it's just missing textures.

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Character resolution could differ from the background if they are rendered as a different layer.

The UI at least is noticeably different from the actual rendered content. I wouldn't be surprised if 3D resolution drops below 720.

 

What I find unusual is how action on screen can sometimes cause the game to appear blurred on the PS3.

It seems to be either some sort of output compression (which would strike me as odd since most of the processing would be taken up by the shaders, not the raw pixels) or a dynamic resolution change to help preserve framerate.

 

PS3 version is passable, but you can definitely see the hardware showing its age.

That and it seems like UI overlays (input history, lobby notifications, etc.) can have a negative effect on performance.

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Maybe it's just me, but doesn't the PS3 also have problems trying to render all the effects and shit when there's lots of things happening on screen? Last weekend I tried the PS3 version for the first time and I noticed the game suffers a lot when shitloads of effects appear on screen (was playing a friend who uses Ramlethal and I was using Ky). It was lol, specially because I tried the PS4 version before and none of this happened.

 

And yes, game was running on Speed mode.

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What I dont understand is how people can be surprised by the PS3 version looking rather meh compared to the PS4. I mean, the console was released 8 years ago and even by that time already used outdated hardware. Of course a game, release in 2014, will look better on a more modern system. You dont buy the PS3 because you want the game to look as good as possible. You buy it to minimize cost since it still assures stable 60 fps. People who claim otherwise think that their magical eyes see something that isnt there. The only time the frames drop is in situation were it simply doesnt matter, which are overdrives. Its a cinematic. You cant react to it anyway. So it has literally no impact on the gameplay.

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PS3 version has relatively low bitrate, compressed, mono channel sound files while PS4 seems to have higher quality + stereo channel. (Could upload a sample of the PS3 OST but I think that's against the rules.)

Texture quality is literally the same, but the PS3 version lacks some of the special effects (pretty sure only in performance mode) that make the models and particles look pretty. (Bloom on glowing parts/glowing effects and outlines on some effect models seem to be missing e.g. on Zato's drill)

On both versions some particle effects look medium-res, for example some smoke effects (Slayer's Pilebunker), embers and some energy particles (DI Branding Breach, Undertow). They are lowres because every frame of animation is saved on one texture which sacrifices quality for a low texture memory footprint. :eng101:

On the other hand most (partially) 3D effects look gorgeous like Gunflame and Ky's huge blue lightning sword that comes from a seal. (Forgot the name..) It really varies depending on the techniques used to compose the different particle types.

Sorry for the technical yadda yadda, I love this kinda stuff.

Source: I own both PS3 and PS4 versions and have several years of experience of working with UE3/UDK.

 

Can you confirm if it's true that the online feature is also better in the PS4? I don't really care about quality that much but if that's really the case I guess I'll have to buy the game again when I have a PS4 :vbang:

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Can you confirm if it's true that the online feature is also better in the PS4? I don't really care about quality that much but if that's really the case I guess I'll have to buy the game again when I have a PS4 :vbang:

 

What do you by saying "online feature"?

 

Theres some app to organize tournaments for your mobile if you run it on a PS4. Thats about it. The online experience is the exact same, no matter what console you use.

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Can you confirm if it's true that the online feature is also better in the PS4? I don't really care about quality that much but if that's really the case I guess I'll have to buy the game again when I have a PS4 :vbang:

 

I'm in the dark online-wise, since you can't really deduce what the quality of the online multiplayer modes are in a video game like you can with texture quality/render techniques and stuff, unless you specifically know what type of netcode they use, how they implemented it, what extra libraries they use to smooth the online experience and how the overall algorithm differs from PS3 to PS4 due to hardware. Unfortunately I'm not an Arcsys insider, so you'll have to go by the expert opinions of the online warriors here on the subforum who actively play online to make that judgement.

 

Perhaps you can provide insight as to why Ky's seals look so horrible on PS3?

Also, are you sure about the textures? Faust's stage in particular looks much worse to me, though maybe it's just missing textures.

 

Ky's seals also look pretty bad on PS4 iirc (low texture size for a relatively big "3D" model = blown up textures = pixelated/blurry look) and I reckon it'd look worse on PS3 performance mode if it doesn't have all the extra glow. (With vs without) Not near a PS4 so I can't compare them at the moment, so this is my best guess.

 

I am sure about the character textures, but not so sure about stage textures. I've seen some strange things involving the shadows on Villa Vampir on the PS3 version near the table behind the fenced part where the shadows are a bit low resolution and some background characters not having outlines. If you could post an image of Faust's stage on PS3 I might be able to explain what's going on. I'm guessing it looks close to this?

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Are those PS3 screen shots or PS3 vs PS4? Those blurs look really bad. Are the blurry screens with more lighting = processing mode and the sharp screens with less lighting = quality mode or other way around? Please clarify. Also some PS4 1080P screens side by side with PS3 processing and non processing would be nice :) I would like to see the difference.

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Are those PS3 screen shots or PS3 vs PS4? Those blurs look really bad. Are the blurry screens with more lighting = processing mode and the sharp screens with less lighting = quality mode or other way around? Please clarify. Also some PS4 1080P screens side by side with PS3 processing and non processing would be nice :) I would like to see the difference.

 

There are plenty of screenshots that compare PS3 quality and performance mode in here somewhere. Just put in a bit of effort by yourself. These things were discussed 2 hours after the JP version went live 2 weeks ago.

 

http://www.dustloop.com/forums/index.php?/topic/6375-xrd-news-theoretical-gameplay-discussion/

 

The difference isnt really that big. It mostly removes background objects and characters. It actually makes the game look better because the models that are removed tend have a rather low polycount. This is especially noticeable on Mays ship. It really depends on the size of your screen though. The game doesnt look bad, but it obviously look significantly worse than the PS4 version. But a 720p version will obviously look better on a 21" PC monitor than a 45" TV.

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I saw some of those videos/screenshots before but I was wondering if there was a direct PS4 to PS3 comparison. Actually nvm found it. http://imgur.com/a/1x8tX. Why does it look so damn blurry? On the PS3 is looks really blurry when I played which wasn't pleasant. Especially on a gorgeous 1080P plasma. I seriously want to write Arcsys a letter stating they need to provide us with a HQ sound pack. The sound is very disappointing. I was expecting more love in that department. Dunno why they got cheap on that end of it. No excuse of it not be able to fit on the disc.

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after playing a lot of the demo on ps4 and testing my friend´s ps3 version i can say for sure that the drop in quality is noticeable (Characters detais, effects, background elements)

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Well it looks to damn blurry because the game runs on an 8 year old console that uses hardware which is probably 10 years old. I am surprised that it runs at 60 fps at all.

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I saw some of those videos/screenshots before but I was wondering if there was a direct PS4 to PS3 comparison. Actually nvm found it. http://imgur.com/a/1x8tX. Why does it look so damn blurry? On the PS3 is looks really blurry when I played which wasn't pleasant. Especially on a gorgeous 1080P plasma. I seriously want to write Arcsys a letter stating they need to provide us with a HQ sound pack. The sound is very disappointing. I was expecting more love in that department. Dunno why they got cheap on that end of it. No excuse of it not be able to fit on the disc.

 

They're probably tired of people ripping the game files.  If they're high quality, people will do that and no one will buy CDs.  If they use low quality in-game audio, people that care will actually buy the music.  Or at least one person will have to.  :psyduck:

 

But man you're right.  My monitor speakers are ass so I can't tell unless I use my headphones, but the second I plug those in it sounds terrible.  I'd rather pay for high quality music than color packs and voice packs, so I hope they do something.  I'm still disappointed that the soundtrack that comes with the Limited Edition is just the Vocal Tracks.

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The official PS3 vs. PS4 comparison, the one in the commercial where they showcased Sol's cinematic super and compared visual fidelity, was pretty misleading by the way. Most of the really intricate special effects in cinematic supers and IKs are video overlays that are hand-animated (the fire that erupts from Sol's hand in TR, weapon glow in Branding Breach, Potemkin/Axl's whirling tornado effects in their IKs, basically I-no's entire IK, etc. etc.), so they look amazing regardless of what post-processing magic you use (or don't use) to render your game.

 

All in all I'm pretty sure they just optimized their game a tad too aggressively and in some places where you shouldn't (usually) be optimizing. Probably because they're relatively new with the engine and support for UE3 is very limited at the moment. They also had to make it run on potato hardware, as said before, so there's that. As nyyyyy said it doesn't look bad or anything, but if you want crisp graphics and a good sound you're going to want to buy the PS4 version. 

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A PC port would probably be borderline pointless anyway. Unless they make it cross platform theres no way in hell the game would have a decently sized community. If they release a patch that lets me run my PS3 controller on a PS4 then I would even buy one exclusively for Xrd. However, a cross platform PC port would be a dream come true because I despise consoles and everything they stand for.

 

If SFV had been released last year the chances for a PC port would have improved tenfold.

 

At what resolution does the PS4 version actually start to look bad? I mean, 1080p isnt that much either. Its enough for 24", but anything bigger usually will want to run at native 1440p (2,5k) or 4k. Especially considering how common PC monitors are for playing console games nowadays.

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