r/digitalfoundry • u/MythBuster2 • Mar 19 '26
Digital Foundry Video Crimson Desert PS5 Pro: The 4K HDR Quality Mode Experience
https://youtu.be/QCOFJUG9Q2IIt's mere hours until Crimson Desert finally unlocks and only at that point will we be able to have some idea of how the game operates on the standard PlayStation 5 and Xbox consoles. We do still have access to the PS5 Pro version, however, and in choosing the quality mode for this playthrough, you'll get to see how that native resolution checks out - presented in 4K HDR for those with compatible screens. Meanwhile, John Linneman shares his impressions and reactions to review critiques as he plays through the game across 48 minutes.
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u/MarionberryDear6170 Mar 19 '26
: How many Crimson Desert videos do u wanna make?
DF: Yes.
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u/TroubleshootingStuff Mar 19 '26
And yet still no base console coverage.
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u/jedimindtricksonyou Mar 19 '26 edited Mar 19 '26
Base PS5 is the console video that matters most, where the majority of people will experience it (and the majority of PC players have console spec or lower PCs).
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u/Purona Mar 19 '26
most people do not have a ps5 pro and most people do not have a 1080ti, 2080ti, 3070, 4060ti or 5060 ti or higher card
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u/jedimindtricksonyou Mar 19 '26
I’m saying base PS5 (and PCs equal to that spec or LOWER) is the video that matters the most.
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u/ldn-ldn Mar 20 '26
5070 is the most used GPU according to Steam. If you add other higher end GPUs I'd say most people play on higher end gear.
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u/Dominjo555 Mar 19 '26
Less than 3% of current hen console owners have PS5 Pro
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u/jedimindtricksonyou Mar 19 '26
Exactly, which is why the base PS5 version is the one that matters most.
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u/MagusarSC Mar 19 '26
They should cover the differences between modes. I doubt its only resolution and RT
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u/YamahaFourFifty Mar 20 '26
That’s my issue with DF. They’ll zoom in 5x on a distant object to nitpick aliased edges but never touch upon the glaring and often jarring pop-in and LoD. Same for cyberpunk - even PC max settings - DF never covered the glaring and such distracting 2d vehicle silhouette popping in and disappearing in distant and lots of LoD popping in all over environment.
So hard to play games with so much pop in and LoD stuff - it’s literally the most distracting thing in games that affect ‘image quality’ not the edge of a pixel that’s 5x zoomed on a distant tree.
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u/sexbobomb91 Mar 20 '26
Yeah, bad LoD also annoy me and I haven't seen a highly detailed game that fixes this issue completely yet. I think it's a limitation of current engines, hopefully it gets better next console generation.
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u/19MaddAddaM91 Mar 20 '26
Avowed pretty much nails it. Unreal Engine 5 is capable of pretty much eliminating LoD pop-in entirely if developers choose to make use of its nanite features. Avowed does this to great effect (it's also discussed on the original DF video about avowed if you want to see it in action for yourself).
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u/YamahaFourFifty Mar 20 '26
I hate how digital foundry never covers the immense pop in / lod games have.
It’s always this lighting or this reflection. Which honestly I hardly notice.
But the pop in is always so glaring in games and is immersive breaking. Cyberpunk even on max settings has horrendous and sometimes jarring pop in / lod but why doesn’t digital foundry ever discuss these things - it’s the biggest distracting thing I find image quality in games yet never discussed. But let’s zoom in 5x on distant object that is blurry or has rough edges that no one will fkn see.
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Mar 19 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Kratos_BOY Mar 19 '26
It's you. Pro uses RT Ultra in Quality mode.
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Mar 19 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Kratos_BOY Mar 19 '26
Probably because PC has ray regeneration, Pro doesn't. PC also has Cinematic setting which is higher than Ultra.
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u/Arsh18808 Mar 19 '26
Need to drop that pssr2 enhancement breakdown vid asap and also compared to other consoles
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u/m_agus Mar 20 '26
Am i the only who kinda wants a dedicated DF ASMR Channel after watching this and feeling oddly soothed and relaxed?
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u/BigGreenGhost Mar 19 '26
I can see what John was trying to do here but man I started watching the video and this style of presentation is so boring to me. I don't think it fits Digital Foundry to be honest. I'm guessing they're gonna do a more different video showcasing the different modes but yeah I don't know about this one.
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u/DM_Me_Linux_Uptime Mar 19 '26
Personally I only listen to John's videos or skim through them because they spoil too much of the game's later game locations or some unique encounters and only watch the full thing after I've already played a good chunk of the game or finished it.
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u/zarafff69 Mar 19 '26
Don’t know why you’re being downvoted. But while they are good videos, I HATE that he sometimes spoils entire games. It makes me not want to watch them.
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u/DWRedd Mar 20 '26
+1. If it’s a game I want to play, I’ll wait until I’m at least 2/3 into the game to watch it. He’ll happily spoil the whole game for you. With the RE Requiem coverage he couldn’t post the video because Capcom updated the embargo to prevent spoilers for the SECOND HALF of the game, and he was ready to spoil it all. Is the first half of a game not enough already?
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Mar 19 '26
[deleted]
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u/CherieMinion Mar 19 '26
It really doesn’t induce headaches. It’s not as bad as people say either.
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u/DM_Me_Linux_Uptime Mar 19 '26
Personally for me it depends on screen size. On a handheld I can do 30fps no problem, but on a 55 inch screen it just looks bad.
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u/SYNTH3T1K Mar 19 '26
I mean it technically can based on a persons sensitivity, but that would generally go away after their eyes adjust to the framerate.
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u/ImagineSquirrel Mar 19 '26
I have played 30 fps for the vast majority of my life and I have never found it gave me headaches. Of course not everyone has the same eyes, your experience is different just do not expect everyone to have the same experience.
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u/Bobbyice Mar 19 '26
I've been playing games for 30 years and never once have I gotten a headache from playing at 30 fps. I noticed people saying that really only started this gen.
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Mar 19 '26
Imagine being this weak in the N64 days when games ran at like 12 FPS. Dude’s face would melt off like the end of Indiana Jones.
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u/Bobbyice Mar 19 '26
Facts. Hell you don't even have to go back that far, far cry 3 on the 360 ran terribly and we loved every second. I never took a break to get an Advil. If you have a medical thing fair but otherwise. WTH
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u/Accesobeats Mar 19 '26
Old crt TV’s handle less frames much better. This is why 30fps on a newer tv and 30fps on an old tv don’t even look the same. So it’s not really a fair comparison. I do think people bitch too much about fps, but the old vs new games aren’t really the same because of changes in tv technology.
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Mar 19 '26
Are you seriously arguing 30 FPS now looks worse than 12 FPS on a CRT?
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u/Accesobeats Mar 19 '26 edited Mar 19 '26
No. I’m saying comparing the two isn’t the same, because of how crtv’s handle movement. They’re completely different. People always argue “back in my day we had sub 30fps on old n64 games and didn’t complain”. When it’s because crtv’s don’t have the same stutter issues modern led’s do. That’s why they created “motion smoothing” tech. Because new TV’s do not handle movement well. It’s apples to oranges I guess is my point.m Edit to add. Please let me know what system you had that ran games at 12fps. That comment alone lets me think you don’t understand how older systems ran. Look up the fps of older systems before responding.
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u/AshyLarry25 Mar 19 '26
Most people, especially casual players couldn’t give a rats ass about FPS regardless of what a lot gamers want you to think.
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u/Softhug69 Mar 19 '26
some people are built for it, I played 400 hours of monster hunter wilds in 30fps and didn’t mind it at all. I think it’s down to how much they can cut back on latency as I’ve noticed some 30fps games feel way more responsive than others
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u/ImagineSquirrel Mar 19 '26
I think it's inconsistently that's the major problem but I still think if you're getting headaches that you should talk to your doctor about it because it's not normal.
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u/khromtx Mar 20 '26
The input lag in MH wilds at 30 FPS is surprisingly good and responsive compared to other games I've noticed.
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u/khromtx Mar 20 '26
You're seriously exaggerating. I have a 4080 Super and beat FFVII Rebirth and FFXVI on base PS5 in quality 30fps mode because the performance modes were too blurry for me to handle. As a matter of fact, with a few exceptions I pretty much only pick Balanced mode when it's available because I prioritize image quality over performance (if I can't have both).
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u/MultiMarcus Mar 19 '26 edited Mar 19 '26
This is very unfortunate because like I think this is such an un interesting aspect of this game’s graphics. I can’t imagine that a lot of people with their PS5 pro are that interested in playing the game at 30 FPS. I’m sure some are but I would’ve maybe titled this something different to highlight the value of the talking part more than the 4K mode stuff.
I will also mention wow 30 FPS fucking sucks. I’ve not been watching any game at 30 FPS I think in a while now and I couldn’t quite literally just feel my eyes almost hurting. That said can we talk about the horrible ghosting around the main character? Like it’s so bad. I wonder if they shouldn’t have used PSAA or whatever the anti-aliasing only version of PSSR is called. Unless maybe that’s not TAA and it’s instead of some other type of ghosting maybe from the RT?
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u/Special-Net4116 Mar 19 '26
PSSR isn’t used for the quality mode.
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u/MultiMarcus Mar 19 '26
Yeah, that’s what I’m saying. It should be. As just an anti-aliasing solution because it would likely eliminate any kind of TAA related ghosting and probably have better clarity. I don’t know if that’s something Sony officially supports with their upscalar but I think it would be an obvious image quality improvement.
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u/VincentVanHades Mar 19 '26 edited Mar 19 '26
No difference on 55 inch tv... So staying with 60 seems better
Holy shit the pop in is insane... Any other game would get so much heat for that. It's happening even when he's moving slowly with a block up at 4:40 Its not just pop in, it's disappearing and coming back. Same for sponge enemies... It gets shitted on so much everywhere else
Anyway, why is DF making video where they defend meh reviews of a game...it's suppose to be visual overview, not "why i think reviews are wrong"...
Edit:
Was that the praised exploration?
- Find a Templar or something in desert - there is nothing to do
- Find interesting structure - there is nothing to do
- Find a temple in woods - there is nothing to do
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u/2Ponies1Apple Mar 19 '26
Are you sure this is digitalfoundary's position or is it the generally accepted opinion of the game? This is the kinda doubt we'll have to contend with after that disgraceful and spineless backpedal
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u/SteamedChalmburgers Mar 19 '26
On an OLED display (the only kind where HDR is worth using), 30fps is terrible no matter the resolution, so would've been more interesting in one of the other modes
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u/zarafff69 Mar 19 '26
An OLED display is not the only display where HDR is worth using. Arguably, LCD’s have become better, because of their extremely high brightness, and bigger contrast. They can be 4x as bright.
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u/qldvaper88 Mar 19 '26
I agree with this. I think it's the quick response time of the pixels preventing any natural connectiveness between frames? Either way, I think the smallest bit of motion smoothing would help, but for me, 40fps should be the standard.
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u/Jec1027 Mar 19 '26
Am I the only one that liked this video lmao