Next Gen Graphics Hype Thread

[nelsonroyale]

I am excited for next gen!

The PS5 and XSX consoles have been revealed, and are both powerful consoles. We've finally seen next gen games and we have release dates still targetting this year. However, despite wider excitement, there seems to be a glut of threats on here expressing disappointment with everything from the visuls on display, to the design of the consoles themselves. As someone big into the graphics side of games, I thought it would be good to create a thread where people can highlight wat they like about the next gen visuals we have seen thus far. Highlight which games impressed them, which features they like, etc - a next gen graphics hype thread if you will.

I'll start things off with examples of one of my favourite things - the increase in asset density and geometric detail:

Horizon Forbidden West The increase in vegetation density impressed me here. The first game has some of the best rendered vegetation this gen, and Death Stranding augmented some of that with how it rendered ground flora, particularly mosses. The upgrades in the trailer were super obvious to me, particularly in these two scenes - the motion blur on the second when in motion also looked great.

Another thing that impressed me, is just how good looking some of the Indy games shown are. Now many have current gen versions, so I am keen to see how they stack up because these look far beyond most of what we have had this gen:

I could go on. Anyone else pretty darn impressed with what they have seen of next gen visuals and excited to see more?

 

[Xeontech]

Yep.

 

[nsilvias]

not so much the graphics but the image quality that stands out in all these games imo. everythings look clean

 

[ShutterMunster]

What is that 3rd game in the indies section?

 

[Earvin Infinity]

The future:

NVIDIA DLSS 2.0 | A Big Leap In AI Rendering

Learn how NVIDIA DLSS 2.0 provides maximum performance and image quality with the power of AI: https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/news/nvidia-dlss-2-0-a-bi...

youtu.be

Hopefully Sony and Microsoft can work with AMD on a similar DLSS solution.

 

[nelsonroyale]

What is that 3rd game in the indies section?

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The Ascent: https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/the-ascent

Seems to be a top down shooter, likely with some light rpg elements.

 

[Callibretto]

What is that 3rd game in the indies section?

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Xbox SX game, called the ascent or something

 

[Creation_Scapes]

not so much the graphics but the image quality that stands out in all these games imo. everythings look clean

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Came to post this also

 

[Fahdi]

IQ has been pretty good on Pro and XOX already to be quite honest.

 

[Milennia]

Man I'm still excited about how good CP2077 is gonna look on my machine lol.
Getting a new GPU and 4K OLED for ps5 and pc this year is gonna be insane.

 

[VanDoughnut]

That Horizon pic with the bird dinos, they know we want Aloy to mount and fly those things.

It's a nod.

 

[nelsonroyale]

IQ has been pretty good on Pro and XOX already to be quite honest.

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Agreed, although that makes it perhaps even easier to notice the loss of detail on distant objects, and particularly limitations in geometry at scale. That is why I am excited how next gen should greately increase both asset density, and the detail that can be achieved in large scale landscapes. That was obvious for me from games like Horizon and R&C.

VanDoughnut: I am hoping that. That would be a great way to demonstrate advancements in asset streaming. Not only could current gen not render those scenes at anywhere near that geometric density at scale, but streaming the assets to make them look decent while flying would kill them. Flying mounts seems to have been one of the biggest asks for Horizon 2

 

[denseWorm]

Yes, hype! Very much convinced by Ratchet and Clank, and Kena, in particular~ i think we've yet to see the best of what we'll see in the first year, despite Horizon's incredible visuals

 

[SecondNature]

That first indie game looks so promising.

I will eat my shorts if that is a real Horizon shot and not just a cutscene. If I can actually play in those lush jungles in that quality, I am going to be so amazed

Same with the swimming. I cant tell if thats supposed to be a cutscene or gameplay

 

[TechMetalRules]

I'm hyped! Little Devil Inside was one of my favorite games shown so far! Even though it has more of a simple stylized design, the image quality, effects, and lighting give it a really cool look.

There was one scene shown of the hunter walking through a swamp with a torch that made me think of "that" scene from one of the early Witcher 3 trailers... hopefully Little Devil Inside won't get the same downgraded ;)

(Sorry, I'm on my phone and always have trouble posting images)

 

[nelsonroyale]

I'm hyped! Little Devil Inside was one of my favorite games shown so far! Even though it has more of a simple stylized design, the image quality, effects, and lighting give it a really cool look.

There was one scene shown of the hunter walking through a swamp with a torch that made me think of "that" scene from one of the early Witcher 3 trailers... hopefully Little Devil Inside won't get the same downgraded ;)

(Sorry, I'm on my phone and always have trouble posting images)

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Ah yes, that game impressed me a lot as well. Indy games delivering these graphics at the beginning of the gen excite me a lot. I suspect this will be an area where we see some of the biggest advancements. Is this shot you mean?

 

[7thFloor]

That first Horizon shot reminds me of Crysis 3.

 

[Theorry]

 

[Deleted member 27315]

The most excited part imo is that Sony gave an honest presentation. No exaggerations, not target renders, no half truth tech demos etc. From now on, the next games will look only better than the ones with saw.

 

[nelsonroyale]

That first Horizon shot reminds me of Crysis 3.

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Yeah, I can see that. Obviously graphically much more advanced, but the lighting and the way vegetation is rendered does remind me of Crytek. It also has that hyper real aesthetic. The original also had some visual inspiration from Crysis games in my opinion. Wish we got a new Crysis for next gen consoles. Maybe if the remaster performs well?

Theorry: Microsoft Flight Simulator is looking awesome.

 

[Crayon]

The graphics in horizon and ratchet were definitely a step more that i expected. Im hype.

 

[TechMetalRules]

Ah yes, that game impressed me a lot as well. Indy games delivering these graphics at the beginning of the gen excite me a lot. I suspect this will be an area where we see some of the biggest advancements. Is this shot you mean?

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That's the one! Thank you so much for posting it!

The gameplay and animations they showed look so rad!

 

[Fahdi]

I understand this is an IQ/Graphics thread, but the real leap will probably be the animation of objects/people. Although I'm happy for you OP but I'll wait to see the games in RL before I decide they are going to make me pick my jaw off the floor. I wasn't too impressed so far, even with the 4K videos and screens.

 

[VanDoughnut]

That first indie game looks so promising.

I will eat my shorts if that is a real Horizon shot and not just a cutscene. If I can actually play in those lush jungles in that quality, I am going to be so amazed

Same with the swimming. I cant tell if thats supposed to be a cutscene or gameplay

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The original is often mind blowing with its jungles and vegetation. The PS5 is going to naturally take it to the next level.

I believe them. Prepare to eat shorts.
I think swimming was shown to say "yeah we're going for it bby" lol

 

[nelsonroyale]

That's the one! Thank you so much for posting it!

The gameplay and animations they showed look so rad!

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Agreed. Again, I am really hyped at the visuals we are seeing in these smaller games. I mean, they hold up and in some ways surpass some of the best looking AAA games of this gen already.

 

[Deleted member 46804]

The visual fidelity at the indie level is the most exciting thing because it means development pipelines are being streamlined. Work that needed 10 people in the past now might only need one and that is fantastic news for all developers.

 

[Ogni-XR21]

I was really impressed with what Sony has shown. While some of the indie titles did not push the graphics like the big AAA games from Sony, they looked fantastic, great image quality and lots of detail.

People crying diminishing returns really need to get their eyes checked. The whole showcase last week was amazing.

 

[Fahdi]

I take everything I said back. Flight Simulator exists. *puts jaw back with glue but it falls off everytime*

 

[Niks]

not so much the graphics but the image quality that stands out in all these games imo. everythings look clean

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This.

 

[Deleted member 19924]

edited

 

[Mahonay]

Hellblade 2 is the most impressive and photorealistic game shown so far.

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They have not shown the game yet

 

[nelsonroyale]

Hellblade 2 is the most impressive and photorealistic game shown so far.

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I was also super impressed with that. I do think in terms of environments though, other games can stand up. The landscapes in the Demon Souls trailer for instance, easily hold up. I also expect the Hellblade 2 trailer is an engine test, so out of everything shown, that is the least sure I am that it is representative. Well, NT focuses a lot on character rendering, so Senua is probably the bit I am most sure will look similar under ideal lighting. But yeah, I don't think they have really shown the game yet.

 

[Mahonay]

Stray looks incredible visually

If small teams can make something that looks this good this early on that's pretty promising

 

[flipswitch]

Was Stray cinematic running in real time, and do we know what engine it's using?

 

[nelsonroyale]

Was Stray cinematic running in real time, and do we know what engine it's using?

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It is using UE4. Apparently the person behind it has made some really awesome UE4 demos. I am pretty sure that is essentially a choreographed gameplay sequence. As in fully representative of what the game looks like from screens and also earlier footage.

 

[VanDoughnut]

I think Horizon Forbidden West will also impress with the weather.

That lightning storm in the distance of that pic looks like they're upping the ante. HZD Frozen Wild's had great snow storms and snow deformation.

 

[flipswitch]

It is using UE4. Apparently the person behind it has made some really awesome UE4 demos. I am pretty sure that is essentially a choreographed gameplay sequence. As in fully representative of what the game looks like from screens and also earlier footage.

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That's awesome. Looking forward to seeing more and playing it. Some gameplay would be ideal.

 

[Mahonay]

That's awesome. Looking forward to seeing more and playing it. Some gameplay would be ideal.

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Apparently this short clip was shared by the dev somewhere? Appears to be gameplay.

 

[Deleted member 46489]

I think there are two reasons for people being disappointed with the graphics -

1. Apart from Ratchet n Clank, Sony didn't show any behind-the-shoulder gameplay for any of its games. For the PS4, Horizon 1 was revealed with gameplay. As was God of War. Due to the prevalence of CGI trailers, we aren't good at judging graphics when it's presented in short clips with cinematic camera angles.

2. Sony happens to be in a bit of an awkward spot this launch. Some of their best studios couldn't show anything. Naughty Dog has been busy with The Last of Us 2, so obviously they had nothing to show. Sucker Punch is making Ghost of Tsushima, so again, no next gen project to reveal. Bend Studio and Sony Santa Monica are most likely too early in their projects to present anything. Kojima Productions (third party studio using first party engine) recently delivered Death Stranding.

The idea is simple. Sony needs a bit of time. Give them a couple of years, and you'll see graphics that will blow your socks off. Patience is the key here.

Microsoft's event in July should be interesting.

 

[Iztok]

Personally I'm of the opinion that new hardware gens are mostly about better visuals.
It's very rare that next gen offers actual new game concepts & genres (instant loading might actually do that this time around), usually it just means my games will look better. Could be it's the sort of games I play, but that's my experience.

So yeah, I'm super hyped. PS5 especially looks amazing right out of the gate, can't wait to see some proper stuff from Xbox as well.

 

[Izamaru]

I am so pumped for this gen. Seriously. The leap isnt as big as i thought it would be but the games looked awesome nontheless

 

[Isee]

Me still dreaming of 60fps becoming the standard instead of shinny graphics that look cool on promotional screenshots.*

*60 fps lower fidelity modes would also be fine

 

[nelsonroyale]

I think there are two reasons for people being disappointed with the graphics -

1. Apart from Ratchet n Clank, Sony didn't show any behind-the-shoulder gameplay for any of its games. For the PS4, Horizon 1 was revealed with gameplay. As was God of War. Due to the prevalence of CGI trailers, we aren't good at judging graphics when it's presented in short clips with cinematic camera angles.

2. Sony happens to be in a bit of an awkward spot this launch. Some of their best studios couldn't show anything. Naughty Dog has been busy with The Last of Us 2, so obviously they had nothing to show. Sucker Punch is making Ghost of Tsushima, so again, no next gen project to reveal. Bend Studio and Sony Santa Monica are most likely too early in their projects to present anything. Kojima Productions (third party studio using first party engine) recently delivered Death Stranding.

The idea is simple. Sony needs a bit of time. Give them a couple of years, and you'll see graphics that will blow your socks off. Patience is the key here.

Microsoft's event in July should be interesting.

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Fair enough. the point of this thread I suppose is that not everyone is disappointed, so it a place for people to express what they like and what they are hyped about. There are already several threads for those to air their disappointments. I would certainly contest that the showing was disappoint, however. I agree about the lack of explicit gameplay outside of R&C and a few other trailers though: Deathloop, Kena, Returnal, Ghostwire, etc did show what looks to be explicit gameplay though.

I also agree that it is early days. Yeah, interested to see what MS shows. I am expecting quite a bit of cross gen stuff, with some next gen only stuff glimsped that it is pretty far off. Hyped.

 

[PeakPointMatrix]

Finally a positive visuals thread! I can't believe how down some people are on the games shown off. There's no way this shit could run on a base PS4.

 

[nelsonroyale]

Finally a positive visuals thread! I can't believe how down some people are on the games shown off. There's no way this shit could run on a base PS4.

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Yes! Graphics are a massive factor in why I still play games, and I am super excited for what is ahead.

 

[Raide]

Showing Flight Sim seems almost unfair to every other game lol.

I am sure this gen will bring some super pretty games, making uses of the advancement of tech including ML, DLSS etc. With UE, even smaller teams will be able to push out some super impressive titles.

Personally I am looking forward to what Double Fine will be doing, outside of their known projects.

 

[Ushay]

Good lord, that looks incredible.
Flight SIM looking to be the GOAT for visuals next gen.

One appreciable difference here isn't just the visual improvement, we had that anyway with X1/PS4. It's the added depth and distance. We're going to get a lot more density in these worlds in terms of AI, NPC etc. Cannot wait!

 

[Mahonay]

LOOK AT THIS MOTHERFUCKING CRAB

 

[Deleted member 46804]

They have not shown the game yet

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Same could be said of Horizon. As far as real-time cinematics, Hellblade is at the top. The best looking gameplay has come from indies during the PS5 showing.

 

[nelsonroyale]

Showing Flight Sim seems almost unfair to every other game lol.

I am sure this gen will bring some super pretty games, making uses of the advancement of tech including ML, DLSS etc. With UE, even smaller teams will be able to push out some super impressive titles.

Personally I am looking forward to what Double Fine will be doing, outside of their known projects.

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I don't quite get your point. It looks excellent, but is it because you have a preference for realism? I don't see what it is doing technically as more impressive than other stuff that has been shown, but they have done an excellent job of creating a very convincing presentation at the relevant scale. And it seems to scale down pretty well. It is good to see a flight sim game that is pushing the boundaries again. I remember TFX back in the day blowing me away.

DukeNukem: I would say the best looking gameplay has probably come from R&C form the conference. In terms of cinematics, the Project Athia trailer probably impressed me most, especially if the dragon at the end was rendered in real time. Looking forward to seeing Luminous engine without the restrictions of current gen.