Cyberpunk 2077’s next-gen patch tested on PS5 and Xbox Series consoles • Eurogamer.net

by · February 21, 2022

Welcome again to Cyberpunk 2077, a recreation reworked for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Collection consoles. The prior ‘back-compat plus’ variations of the sport yield to a brand-new rendition based mostly on current-gen SDKs, permitting CD Projekt RED to totally faucet into the capabilities of the brand new wave of consoles. This can be a recreation with a troubled historical past and this new 1.5 improve delivers each 30fps ray tracing and an enhanced 60fps efficiency mode, mixed with different current-gen enhancements resembling improved loading occasions – however how a lot of an improve do customers truly get?

First up, it is price addressing the elephant within the room: Xbox Collection S. There isn’t any dressing this one up, the junior Xbox has no graphics toggle in any respect and is about to easily run at a dynamic 1440p, at 30 frames per second. In pixel counts that is truly a variety of between 2304×1296, as much as 2560×1440 based mostly on my testing. Purely on a floor stage right here it is a disgrace to see it miss out on a 60fps mode (CDPR says it is investigating including it) however equally, no ray tracing options are enabled both. Nonetheless, the general high quality of life enhancements on patch 1.50 do make Cyberpunk extra playable – simply do not anticipate any revolutionary boosts to its visuals on this case. For that, now we have to show again to PS5 and Collection X, the place for the primary time on console, ray traced shadows are enabled, working together with improved screen-space reflections.

An prolonged video breakdown of Cyberpunk 2077’s new 1.5 replace for the brand new wave of consoles, in comparison with each other – and the final model of the sport.

Regardless of speak of 4K, our exams strongly counsel that the RT modes on each consoles render at a local 1440p. Dynamic decision scaling could also be in impact, however all outcomes on all consoles ship the identical worth in each state of affairs – which raises the query: what does RT truly do? Outside, the influence of RT shadows is pretty muted to the purpose the place even in direct head-to-head comparisons, you will have hassle noticing the distinction between the standard and efficiency modes. Indoors, it is a completely different ball recreation, the place sharp directional lighting can actually show the improve. RT produces extra sensible shadows, following the real-world logic the place the additional an object is from the sunshine supply, the extra diffuse the define turns into. The identical goes for automobile boundaries, small objects round V’s condo and even the pillows on their mattress. The impact is usually refined. In choose spots although, shadows absolutely envelope a scene to create an clearly richer, deeper picture.

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However ray-traced shadows are the place the upgrades in ray-tracing settings finish on console. Ray traced reflections look phenomenal within the PC model of the sport, although sadly they are not current on PS5 or Collection X, whereas their ambient occlusion technique equally stays the identical. All instructed then, putting PS5 and Collection X in RT mode alongside Collection S’s customary non-RT presentation, all are providing a 1440p30 outlook and all look very related, with RT solely manifesting in an impactful manner in choose indoor areas. Elsewhere, the improve is much less obvious on Night time Metropolis’s streets. Textures, results and draw distance on geometry are all are matched between the three in driving sequences. In the meantime reflections are improved on the 2 extra highly effective machines – utilizing a higher-grade screen-space approach – however past that it is a very related presentation on every platform. Even crowd density on Collection S holds up convincingly subsequent to the opposite two.

Efficiency throughout Collection consoles and PS5 of their respective 30fps modes is pretty simple to evaluate. Barring occasional hitches and one-off tearing on the high of the display, frame-rate is a principally constant 30 frames per second. The one actual situation with this mode is basic enter latency being far too excessive, making it more durable to purpose or drive than the 60FPS mode. Finally, the RT mode does the job for those who’re actually concerned about RT shadows, however up in opposition to the 60fps efficiency mode, it is troublesome to not come to the conclusion that that is an fascinating experiment, and finally not the way in which this recreation needs to be performed.

Efficiency mode is the place it is at, promising to run at 60fps with a dynamic 4K decision on each consoles. CDPR overtly states on its spec sheet that small, uncommon frame-rate drops could be on present – which, is actually true. Patched to 1.50, PlayStation 5 now appears to function in a 1260p to 1728p dynamic decision window – a decent turn-out for a difficult recreation gunning for 60fps. It is probably not 4K, however picture high quality will get an enormous improve in comparison with the pre-patch outcomes on PS5 – which got here in between 972p and 1200p. Xbox Collection X can be dramatically improved, with a 1382p to 1782p DRS window trying sharper and cleaner in comparison with the previous model’s 1080p to 1296p vary. Collection X enjoys an total lead in decision, however finally, with CDPR’s temporal anti-aliasing answer in play, it is arduous to see a lot distinction between these two consoles. The massive takeaway is the comparability with the older variations of the sport – that is cleaner, crisper and extra spectacular total.

Precise efficiency is not at all times fairly as stable as chances are you’ll hope, nevertheless. For instance, maybe owing to its foundation on the last-gen codebase, the older PlayStation 5 rendition of Cyberpunk 2077 had crowd density points. NPCs had been sparse on PS5, resulting in an empty-looking metropolis. This has been addressed within the new 1.5 construct (on high of the massive increase to decision) but it surely additionally implies that efficiency will be decrease than the last-gen PS4 app performed on PS5. Across the promote it quantities to a considerable drop into the excessive 40fps area – with occasional screen-tearing – in comparison with a close to locked 60fps on the older model. There may be excellent news, nevertheless. Exterior of densely packed areas just like the market, efficiency is usually increased – even in our trusty alley shoot-out benchmark, which traditionally hit efficiency arduous. Finally, enhancements to decision and density together with a basic enhance to stability make this mode a winner on PS5.

Transferring over to Collection X, there’s an excellent larger stage of enchancment. Truly, Collection X had worse efficiency than PS5 total on patch 1.23 – maybe right down to increased decision and improved crowd density. Because the video on this web page demonstrates, patch 1.5 boosts the sport’s stage of efficiency in all areas, with key stress factors operating higher than ever. The alley shoot-out nonetheless causes challenges, however total, the sport runs very nicely.

Each Collection X and PS5 impress then, however which delivers probably the most sustained 60fps expertise? It is price stressing that each consoles are largely tied, locked to the 60fps line in nearly each take a look at, each scene. But when we’re to push the engine arduous to search out the divide, PS5 is the console that wins out. For instance, the taxing market run runs 5-10fps to the higher on the Sony machine. PS5 additionally runs extra fluidly within the stress level driving previous Tom’s Diner, and within the alley shoot-out take a look at that follows it. Nonetheless, this is not precisely consultant of most of play. For probably the most half you may be seeing a 60fps replace on each machines – and crucially, Xbox Collection X’s VRR assist does an outstanding job of masking the efficiency drops the console does have.

An evaluation of the state of play on Cyberpunk 2077 earlier than the arrival of the next-gen patch.

CD Projekt RED additionally mentioned loading time enhancements and the excellent news is that 1.5 is a lot better optimised to reap the benefits of its SSD bandwidth now. It drastically improves loading occasions over the past patch, in reloading your final checkpoint or save. I selected to load a save that takes us into the alley space, forward of the market. The brand new patch on PS5 will get us there in simply 13 seconds, whereas beforehand we needed to wait an entire 44 seconds to get to the identical level. This places PS5 on par with Xbox Collection consoles, the place beforehand it loaded much more slowly.

General, patch 1.50 is a dramatic enchancment for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Collection consoles – there’s an total increase to efficiency, decision and total stability however we’re nonetheless a way wanting the majesty of the fully-enabled PC expertise and the RT options are considerably underwhelming, not justifying the drop in frame-rate. Collection S missing a 60fps mode and ray-tracing can be a disappointment.

However to my thoughts, Cyberpunk’s newest patch does one good thing: it creates a extra steady base to construct on for future updates and patches. The bug fixes are plentiful and CDPR is slowly chiselling away at its work to outline it and to take away its blemishes. I’ve skilled no crashes and no smooth locks in my testing, which is a begin. Efficiency has by no means been higher, and no less than PS5 and Collection X are standardised of their choices, their ray-traced shadows, and crowd density. Past this, we’ll have to attend on additional patches. For now, Cyberpunk 2077 is arguably within the place it ought to have been at launch nicely over a yr in the past. For these tempted to replay the sport to see its next-gen options, there is not any show-stopping second – however for newcomers? There’s by no means been a greater time to expertise the sport on console.