These Foolish Things
QSSR MAY BE PLAYSTATION’S FPS BOOST AND AUTO HDR EQUIVALENT
Having being saddled with the burden of ownership of both current generation consoles, at times one has to contend with the unbearable weight of choice especially for cross-platform third party titles. First party titles tend to be best optimised on native hardware even when offered across the various platforms. However, third party titles are often better optimised on one system over the other. The prospect of purchasing new software can thus be daunting as one would like to have the best possible gaming experience unencumbered by the gremlins of poor performance and a lack of proper optimisation on the target hardware. However, optimisation goes beyond bugs and performance. As video games tend to be an immersive form of art there are often other factors to consider. The sound design and accurate reproduction of said sound help baptise many players unknown into these virtual battlegrounds. Controller feedback helps instigate the digital handshake that draws players into these worlds and aids in the immersion. When all these aspects work well in tandem they can provide a transcendent gaming experience that helps elevate the medium. Sadly, one of these things is not like the other and each new release often has one waiting for the relevant Digital Foundry video before making any purchase.
The sound design and accurate reproduction of said sound help baptise many players unknown into these virtual battlegrounds.
The tragedy of Microsoft’s Xbox is that the console manufacturer seems to have been shackled to poor leadership. In spite of making better hardware, they have been handedly defeated in the current generation. Weighed down by the shame of losing the last console war, it seems the executives chose to openly embrace failure making her their preferred mistress. Opting to cheerlead those in pole position from the tail end of defeat by proclaiming everything to be an Xbox. The corporate equivalent of the playground mantra “my dad is more powerful than yours multiplied by a thousand thus I win.” A leadership style that chose to dwell in the shadow of defeat rather than seek out a new sunrise over the fabled horizon.
Aesthetically, the Xbox Series X looks like a piece of architecture akin to Apple’s HomePod. Packaged in a non-utilitarian functional form that blends into its surroundings in any home setup. The PlayStation 5’s awkward form factor screams for attention especially in its native colours. As a a key touchpoint, the Xbox controller is a marvel of industrial engineering with the beauty of its industrial design highlighted by the various design lab offerings over the years. While it lacks the PlayStation 5’s haptic feedback and inbuilt speakers it makes up for it with wonderful rumble feedback that often telegraphs much more through the players’ palms especially across third party cross platform titles. Native support for Dolby Atmos also ensures that most titles sound great regardless of how they ship. On PlayStation, titles that don’t take advantage of the Tempest Audio Engine on the console often suffer from a poorer sound experience limited to stereo formats.
In terms of software, Xbox has had a competitive edge from launch due to sweeping support for older titles especially due to their backwards compatibility program. In addition, Microsoft-Xbox’s FPS boost and Auto-HDR features have proven transformative for older titles. As an example, objectively speaking, Alien Isolation is best experienced on the Xbox Series X and Series S out of the box. This includes the same version on PC hardware which may be able to achieve higher frame rates but has no native HDR support. The game supports both auto-HDR and FPS boost on the Xbox units which not only ensure a smoother gaming experience but one that looks brilliant visually. Dolby Atmos on the console also helps elevate the auditory landscape leading to a more immersive experience compared to its counterparts. Often when purchasing older titles, support of either feature tends to be a deciding factor. This past week, Sony may have levelled the playing field somewhat with the launch of Quick Spectral Super Resolution upscaling technology on base PlayStation 5.
Former Xbox leadership opting to cheerlead those in pole position from the tail end of defeat by proclaiming everything to be an Xbox.
Built in collaboration with AMD, the technology uses AI upscaling to improve image resolution on titles where it has been enabled. Out of the gate, ‘Marvel’s Wolverine’ and ‘Ghost Of Yotei’ have received support for the technology with the results being immediately apparent. On the former, especially when gaming in the fidelity mode, the image is noticeably sharper with the technology being enabled by default. It is worth noting that this can be toggled on and off in-game. However, Xbox’s FPS Boost and Auto-HDR features have to be toggled on or off outside the games. It is also worth noting that the technology has very little noise if any compared to AMD’s own upscaling technology. This is a much welcome addition and may help tip the scales of choice in favour of Sony’s unit on titles that support the technology. Upscaling technology can help uplift dull visuals and bring them into the current generation as well as elevate acceptable visuals to the mountain tops of 4k glory. However, it has to be done right with acceptable/sustainable drops in performance. If the visual upgrades come at too high a performance cost it can render the technology worthless. One can’t help but wonder if the same technology or some version of it will make its way across the Xbox consoles as both run on the same chipset as their PlayStation counterpart. However, the Series S may be the limiting factor here as the technology would have to work across the family.
While not a direct equivalent to Xbox’s FPS Boost and Auto-HDR feature, QSSR is nevertheless a welcome addition. It may be a small feature but one with a significant effect on the player experience especially for gamers who value great visuals over higher performance. While a small step in the broader morass of the console war, now comfortably won by Sony, it helps differentiate the two units and give the PlayStation a competitive edge. It may not be enough to sway people over, not that they needed to, it is however a great value addition to both existing and future owners. One of these foolish things that remind us of either console.
Video companion piece here.
Image credits in order of appearance: Image par OpenClipart-Vectors de Pixabay; Image par Raquel Candia de Pixabay