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[Gaiff]

- Current gen only.
- Lighting and shadows greatly improved, world physics also improved over previous iterations
- This video only covers base consoles, PS5 Pro gets its own dedicated video later



Feature Improvements:
- PS5/Series S|X get RTGI, RT Reflections only on PC and PS5 Pro. Base consoles use SSR.
- Full RTGI only happens in PS5/SX's Quality and Balanced mode
- The Hideout area gets RTGI on all platforms (even Series S) all the time, but it also always runs only at 30fps
- Otherwise in Performance and Series S in normal world play, it gets standard baked GI

- RTGI adds improved lighting, shadows, depths in both interiors and exteriors with a notable overall improvement in lighting
- The baked GI method is respectable but doesn't hold up. lacks shading, can over-saturate comparatively
- Series X and PS5 benefit greatly over Series S with RTGI possible in the entire game

- Physics, procedural weather system, wind dynamics and wide destruction in towns are noted and praised
- Each individual grass blade has physics on it as well, bends when sneaking through them individually
- Custom system similar to UE5's Nanite in the game which lets them build massive world without worrying about LoD
- PS5/SX and PC also have a new hair-strand system similar to tress FX, this is absent on Series S and on 60fps modes on PS5/SX



Visuals:
- SX and PS5
- DRS1080p/1620p in Quality
- DRS 900p/1440p in Balanced * 40hz, requires 120hz display
- DRS 810p/1440p in Performance
- All modes up-scale to 2160p using Ubi's custom TAAU system

- Series S:
- 720p to 1080p, upscaling to 1620p with same TAAU up-scaler, only has one 30fps mode

- Shadow quality drops in Performance modes but other than that the texture quality etc retains the same.
- PS5/SX are virtually identical with same visual settings, crowd density etc
- Series S has some lower quality textures, lower quality shadows but all other assets and features are matching



Performance:
- Quality: is broadly a locked 30 on PS5/SX. Sometimes high rendering load change (looking at sky to ground quickly) can cause single frame drops when DRS has to adjust.
- Balanced: 40fps, RTGI and hair physics retained, mostly locked 40 but can drop a few frames in sudden camera movements where DRS needs to adjust. However, going to the hide-out causes the game to drop to 30fps even in this mode.
- Performance: Hugely welcome option, misses out on cutting edge features, general performance profile is in the mid to high 50's. VRR owners will benefit.

- Series S has a single 30fps mode and can have more frequent small drops than PS5/SX on Quality mode. Hideout with RTGI seems to hold locked 30.

DF's recommendation: The 40fps Balanced mode on PS5/SX.

 

[Bumblebeetuna]

Damn three of you posted this

 

[Topher]

Article:

Assassin's Creed Shadows marks a series milestone as the first entry developed with a total focus on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. It's a bold transition with a clear pay-off in its technology, as last-gen PS4 and Xbox One machines are left behind to ensure the core gameplay incorporates the latest features of Ubisoft's Anvil engine. That includes ray-traced global illumination, procedural weather simulation and world destruction physics - all exciting additions that help elevate its feudal era Japan setting, in ways not possible in 2023's Assassin's Creed Mirage.

Not all of these new features are universally available though, with developer Ubisoft Quebec opting for a number of modes that trade off between fidelity and performance on each platform. We'll look at the game's higher-end features on PS5 Pro and PC in future articles, with this one focusing on the current-gen console experience on PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S.

The questions here are straightforward: how do each of these three platforms compare, especially the least powerful Series S with its single 30fps mode? And out of the multiple modes available on PS5 and Series X, which are worth considering?

Assassin's Creed Shadows marks a series milestone as the first entry developed with a total focus on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. It's a bold transition with a clear pay-off in its technology, as last-gen PS4 and Xbox One machines are left behind to ensure the core gameplay incorporates the latest features of Ubisoft's Anvil engine. That includes ray-traced global illumination, procedural weather simulation and world destruction physics - all exciting additions that help elevate its feudal era Japan setting, in ways not possible in 2023's Assassin's Creed Mirage.

Not all of these new features are universally available though, with developer Ubisoft Quebec opting for a number of modes that trade off between fidelity and performance on each platform. We'll look at the game's higher-end features on PS5 Pro and PC in future articles, with this one focusing on the current-gen console experience on PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S.

The questions here are straightforward: how do each of these three platforms compare, especially the least powerful Series S with its single 30fps mode? And out of the multiple modes available on PS5 and Series X, which are worth considering?

Ubisoft's classic baked GI method is still respectable, but has clear limitations by comparison. It over-saturates certain details of the world (vegetation especially) in an attempt to match up to the RTGI lighting, while interiors and up-close character detail lack the same richness of shading depth. It's perhaps not surprising that RTGI isn't available across the main world on Series S, given that it has a third of the compute power of Series X, but it gives a noticeable fidelity win to Series X and PS5.

Another major Anvil engine upgrade is in its physics. Ubisoft's efforts are extensive in this aspect this year, with physics-based weather simulation injecting some much-needed energy into the game's environments. Riding to your next mission, you'll spot a procedural system, called Atmos, dynamically generating clouds overhead, while the team's wind simulation uses fluid dynamics to create everything from light gusts to gales. The impact is most obviously seen around forests: fallen leaves swirl through the air, trees sway with the bluster, and even the direction of rainfall is affected.

Destruction physics are also much more widely deployed this time. Impressively, it's possible to smash your way through the contents of most items strewn across a market stall, or even slice through fabric with the tear line matching the arc of your katana. If you prefer a more stealthy approach, you'll also catch the way blades of grass flatten in the direction of travel, leaving a persistent trail as you crawl through. It makes the world feel much more tangible, and marks a sea change from the cross-gen AC titles that came before it.

Given Shadows' open world is filled with complex hills, valleys and large settlements, Ubisoft has also gone to great lengths to optimise its terrain streaming. To that end, a new virtualised geometry system is added to Anvil, similar in principle to Unreal Engine 5's Nanite, allowing geometry across a scene to gradually sub-divide into smaller polygonal meshes the further it appears in the distance. This technology helps hide hard LOD steps while ensuring the terrain is packed with detail - though foliage pop in is still visible on PS5 and Series X.

All of these technologies are included on all consoles, though there is one omission on Series S: strand-based hair. It's a beautiful addition that affects most major characters sporting tresses of some kind. Individual strands of hair - as on our shinobi heroine, Naoe - animate dynamically, with each one interacting with its neighbours as the character moves or the wind blows. This is again exclusive to the 30 and 40fps modes, with the 60fps mode falling back to a simpler card-based system outside of the hideout and cutscenes. Indeed, this is the approach taken on Series S too, which goes even further, and removes strand-based hair for the hideout area outright.

In a three-way comparison between the 60fps performance, 40fps balanced and 30fps quality modes, it's clear that RTGI and hair physics are the main factors to consider, but there are resolution differences too (as shown in the table below). Each mode upscales to a 4K output via TAAU on PS5 and Series X, while Series S scales to 1620p.

Beyond the native resolutions, shadow quality is degraded slightly on performance mode on Series X and PS5, though texture quality, draw distance and physics-based extras remain the same regardless of mode. Series S sees more significant cutbacks however: it runs with lower quality texture assets and lower quality shadows, though thankfully other areas like foliage draw distances match the higher-powered base consoles.

In terms of performance, the 30fps quality mode is well optimised and locks to its target frame-rate nearly always. Much like other recent Assassin's Creed titles though, occasional drops are possible where dynamic resolution scaling takes a moment to adjust = should the rendering load change rapidly. You can force this by looking straight up and then at some complex geometry, then back again, but in more realistic gameplay only a few combat scenarios cause drops on PS5 or Series X.

Frame-rate stability is similar in the 40fps balanced mode for 120Hz displays, with a good lock to the target frame-rate. If you want to keep the visual niceties but get a more responsive experience at the expense of a softer image, this is a solid choice. Curiously, the hideout area and cutscenes still run at 30fps, with the frame-rate switching abruptly once you pass the threshold to that region.

Rounding out the selection is the performance mode, which offers a more fluid experience that benefits combat, notably in timing ripostes, but the visual downgrades are worth considering. Frame-rates are less stable here, too, with semi-frequent drops into the 50s - though this is well within the range of VRR on both PS5 and Series X. Cutscenes and the hideout area continue to switch to 30fps in this mode, which is all the more jarring coming from a 60fps baseline. Interestingly, it's necessary for the game to fade to black in this transition for this mode, presumably to engage the otherwise disabled RT and hair physics, while it's seamless in the 40fps mode.

The Series S version presents the least stable 30fps mode. Despite its many cutbacks to RTGI, hair physics and resolution, it's not quite as watertight as you might hope. Frame-rate dips are noticeably more common than on Series X or PS5 in their equivalent 30fps options, with battles and cutscenes being the most frequent cause of disruption as resolution bottoms out at 720p. The hideout area at least locks to 30fps with RTGI enabled, but it's safe to say that the overall experience is noticeably less smooth on the junior Xbox machine and you don't truly get the generational leap that Shadows is offering elsewhere.

The outlook is a positive one overall though: Assassin's Creed Shadows is the series' most exciting new entry in years, with PS5 and Series X at last showing off their mettle via new Anvil Engine features. Simply put, the physics-based, ray-traced nature of its feudal Japan setting is the absolute star of the show. The drawback is that only the 40fps mode on PS5 and Series X really offers a satisfying blend of fidelity and responsiveness, with the 60fps mode perhaps cutting too many of its new features - while Series S suffers further cutbacks.

Still, Ubisoft deserves praise for putting out a game with such clear technical ambition, married to an undeniably compelling setting. Having reviewed a great many Assassin's Creed games for Digital Foundry over the last 14 years, Shadows is a real highlight - and above all, shows the promising direction the series is headed.

Assassin's Creed Shadows' new Anvil engine features impress on PS5 and Series X

Tom Morgan takes on Assassins Creed Shadows on PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S. Does the game live up to its promise as the first next-gen AC title?

www.eurogamer.net

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

 

[saintjules]

Oliver will do a Pro analysis in a future video.

 

[Topher]

"We'll look at the game's higher-end features on PS5 Pro and PC in future articles, with this one focusing on the current-gen console experience on PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S."

 

[Gaiff]

 

[adamsapple]

- Current gen only.
- Lighting and shadows greatly improved, world physics also improved over previous iterations
- This video only covers base consoles, PS5 Pro gets its own dedicated video later



Feature Improvements:
- PS5/Series S|X get RTGI, RT Reflections only on PC and PS5 Pro. Base consoles use SSR.
- Full RTGI only happens in PS5/SX's Quality and Balanced mode
- The Hideout area gets RTGI on all platforms (even Series S) all the time, but it also always runs only at 30fps
- Otherwise in Performance and Series S in normal world play, it gets standard baked GI

- RTGI adds improved lighting, shadows, depths in both interiors and exteriors with a notable overall improvement in lighting
- The baked GI method is respectable but doesn't hold up. lacks shading, can over-saturate comparatively
- Series X and PS5 benefit greatly over Series S with RTGI possible in the entire game

- Physics, procedural weather system, wind dynamics and wide destruction in towns are noted and praised
- Each individual grass blade has physics on it as well, bends when sneaking through them individually
- Custom system similar to UE5's Nanite in the game which lets them build massive world without worrying about LoD
- PS5/SX and PC also have a new hair-strand system similar to tress FX, this is absent on Series S and on 60fps modes on PS5/SX



Visuals:
- SX and PS5
- DRS1080p/1620p in Quality
- DRS 900p/1440p in Balanced * 40hz, requires 120hz display
- DRS 810p/1440p in Performance
- All modes up-scale to 2160p using Ubi's custom TAAU system

- Series S:
- 720p to 1080p, upscaling to 1620p with same TAAU up-scaler, only has one 30fps mode

- Shadow quality drops in Performance modes but other than that the texture quality etc retains the same.
- PS5/SX are virtually identical with same visual settings, crowd density etc
- Series S has some lower quality textures, lower quality shadows but all other assets and features are matching



Performance:
- Quality: is broadly a locked 30 on PS5/SX. Sometimes high rendering load change (looking at sky to ground quickly) can cause single frame drops when DRS has to adjust.
- Balanced: 40fps, RTGI and hair physics retained, mostly locked 40 but can drop a few frames in sudden camera movements where DRS needs to adjust. However, going to the hide-out causes the game to drop to 30fps even in this mode.
- Performance: Hugely welcome option, misses out on cutting edge features, general performance profile is in the mid to high 50's. VRR owners will benefit.

- Series S has a single 30fps mode and can have more frequent small drops than PS5/SX on Quality mode. Hideout with RTGI seems to hold locked 30.

DF's recommendation: The 40fps Balanced mode on PS5/SX.

 

[ChiefDada]

RTGI provides a generational difference and Series S simply doesn't belong.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Oliver will do a Pro analysis in a future video.

I can give you his analysis right now

“A very temporally unstable image that’s only a slight improvement over FSR2”

 

[owandeseis]

One of the biggest differences between Quality and Performance mode i've seen, almost a generational leap (considering how "small" leaps are nowadays ofc)

 

[RedC]

I hope the PS5 Pro tech review is released before the game does.

 

[ChiefDada]

I can give you his analysis right now

“A very temporally unstable image that’s only a slight improvement over FSR2”

You're not wrong to assume that based on his recent behavior, but it looks like AC Shadows is providing significant upgrades over PS5.

 

[viveks86]

Noticeable cutbacks to make the game run at 60 fps. Here's hoping the pro matches fidelity mode at 60.

 

[adamsapple]

Another W for the 40fps modes.

Every game should have one.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

You're not wrong to assume that based on his recent behavior, but it looks like AC Shadows is providing significant upgrades over PS5.

That’s encouraging

Just as expected, as time goes on, the Pro enhancements will get better

RTGI and RT reflections @ 60?

 

[Zuzu]

This is another game showing that baked lighting is old and outdated. It’s good to see RTGI being used again with effective results.

The weather system, especially the fluid dynamics of the wind, also seems pretty impressive in this game.

 

[Represent.]

Wow. Quality mode fucking WRECKS that ugly 60fps trash

 

[mansoor1980]

why does the hide out drop to 30fps in 40hz mode?
hope the pro version avoids this
polished looking game other than that

 

[viveks86]

That’s encouraging

Just as expected, as time goes on, the Pro enhancements will get better

RTGI and RT reflections @ 60?

Only RTGI at 60. Not expecting much from reflections in this game anyway, save for the occasional puddle, lake or river. But may be I'll stand corrected tomorrow.

 

[Gaiff]

One of the biggest differences between Quality and Performance mode i've seen, almost a generational leap (considering how "small" leaps are nowadays ofc)

RTGI will do that.

 

[Represent.]

The cost of 60fps.

Everything looking objectively worse.

In motion its much much worse

 

[adamsapple]

That’s encouraging

Just as expected, as time goes on, the Pro enhancements will get better

RTGI and RT reflections @ 60?

No.

They already clarified that.

Standard RT = RTGI
Extended = RTGI + Reflections

 

[Topher]

The cost of 60fps.

Everything looking objectively worse in screenshots

ftfy

 

[Nankatsu]

Curious to see what the Pro will offer to the table.

 

[jumpship]

Was it normal to have separate PS4 Pro videos last gen or am I going crazy thinking the Pro was included with the other core consoles?

Guess it proves there IS a bigger leap with the Pro this gen and there was last gen.

 

[adamsapple]

The cost of 60fps.

Everything looking objectively worse.

In motion its much much worse

Man, everything looks so washed out with their baked GI solution, kinda feels like it was an afterthought.

Previous AC games never looked this washed out with their baked solutions.

Also, good candidate for the "Is RT necessary" discussion.

 

[Darsxx82]

Performance and optimization are quite adequate. UBi does a good job on that front.

 

[Represent.]

ftfy

Stop lying to the people. Watch the video. In motion. The performance mode objectively looks considerably worse in literally every single comparison.

 

[Bojji]

The cost of 60fps.

Everything looking objectively worse.

In motion its much much worse

Not exactly cost of 60fps but weak ass amd RT hardware. Pro has RDNA4 RT and apparently RTGI is there in 60fps.

 

[ChiefDada]

James Sawyer Ford

Haven't watched yet but early access is up and here's the description

 

[Topher]

Stop lying to the people. Watch the video. In motion. The performance mode objectively looks considerably worse in literally every single comparison.

Not lying one bit. Quality modes always look better in screenshots and that is what you posted. A screenshot. But video games are meant to be played in motion. That's where 30fps is crap to me. You think different and that's fine, but stop pretending any of this is "objective'.

 

[viveks86]

Gamersyde review that covers Pro and screenshots:

https://www.gamersyde.com/news_notre_avis_sur_assassin_s_creed_shadows-23916_en.html

I think the 40 fps mode a very good alternative, provided you're prepared to sacrifice the extended ray tracing of Quality mode, which adds some of the reflections on liquid surfaces to RTGI. Image quality and draw distance is close to Quality mode (possibly identical), which is not the same if you want to play at 60 fps. Thus, I feel that the graphic loss could encourage some players to opt for the Balanced mode, especially as I can tell you that the framerate is really smooth when the game is running at 40 fps.

To take advantage of higher resolution and extended ray tracing, you'll have to make do with a 30 fps framerate, but fortunately, from what I've been able to see over my 30 hours or so playing the game, it's stable and perfectly playable. To tell you the truth, I actually played in this mode most of the time, and it was a real treat.

Quality mode looks crisp and I don't have a 40 hz capable TV yet! Ughhh... decisions!

 

[ChiefDada]

Wow PS5 Pro makes base PS5 look like Series S lol. Apparently no PSSR in use. Running at same internal resolution and using same upscaling method as base.

 

[Represent.]

Not lying one bit. Quality modes always look better in screenshots and that is what you posted. A screenshot. But video games are meant to be played in motion. That's where 30fps is crap to me. You think different and that's fine, but stop pretending any of this is "objective'.

It is objective though. The entire point of the "quality" mode is to sacrifice framerate to achieve higher resolutions and graphical features not found in the performance mode. that sacrifice makes the game look better..... This is not an opinion man. It's just facts

Thats like me saying, "in my opinion, the 30fps mode runs at a higher framerate than the 60fps mode"

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

No.

They already clarified that.

Standard RT = RTGI
Extended = RTGI + Reflections

Still nice that it has RTGI @ 60

I hope Indiana jones is the same

 

[LordCBH]

Another W for the 40fps modes.

Every game should have one.

It’s been my preferred way to play console games ever since I got my compatible tv a couple years ago

 

[Represent.]

Wow PS5 Pro makes base PS5 look like Series S lol. Apparently no PSSR in use. Running at same internal resolution and using same upscaling method as base.

Jesus CHRIST, I need a pro

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Wow PS5 Pro makes base PS5 look like Series S lol. Apparently no PSSR in use. Running at same internal resolution and using same upscaling method as base.

Where did you find these comparisons?

 

[Mibu no ookami]

"We'll look at the game's higher-end features on PS5 Pro and PC in future articles, with this one focusing on the current-gen console experience on PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S."

Let's keep pretending as if PS5 Pro isn't current gen...

I don't think DF could tell on themselves anymore. I've long criticized them for pushing a narrative that the PS5 Pro is underwhelming while they pretend that it was supposed to be a PS6... And here they are...

 

[Gaiff]

Where did you find these comparisons?

Early access.

ChiefDada Yeah, RTGI is a game changer. Much better than grainy reflections which RT has become associated with. I wish more devs added that on consoles in the RT mode instead of reflective puddles.

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

early access is up

Just to be clear, this is referring to review, there's no early access, that was scrapped when they delayed the game and removed the ultimate edition.

 

[adamsapple]

Wow PS5 Pro makes base PS5 look like Series S lol. Apparently no PSSR in use. Running at same internal resolution and using same upscaling method as base.

Seems like it's a purely RTGI on vs off comparison, like base consoles with Quality/Balanced and Performance.

 

[Bojji]

Early access.

ChiefDada Yeah, RTGI is a game changer. Much better than grainy reflections which RT has become associated with. I wish more devs added that on consoles in the RT mode instead of reflective puddles.

But you still hear from people that it's a waste of time and resorces:

 

[Denton]

The nonRT lighting looks horrible. Why not use SVOGI like KCD2, when RT is too demanding for base consoles? A shame.
Glad on PC I don't need to make compromises.

 

[Topher]

It is objective though. The entire point of the "quality" mode is to sacrifice framerate to achieve higher resolutions and graphical features not found in the performance mode. that sacrifice makes the game look better..... This is not an opinion man. It's just facts

Thats like me saying, "in my opinion, the 30fps mode runs at a higher framerate than the 60fps mode"

You can objectively say that the game runs at a higher resolution or that the game has features enabled vs performance mode. That's fine. And if we are talking about screenshots then in most cases I would agree that it is "better". But in gameplay, more frames typically make a game "look better" to me. I enjoy the visuals a hell of a lot more when the motion is fluid. So that "makes the game look better" as far as I'm concerned. So both of us are expressing opinions here.

 

[balls of snow]

Pro making its case for existing. You love to see it.

 

[ChiefDada]

Seems like it's a purely RTGI on vs off comparison, like base consoles with Quality/Balanced and Performance.

True. I was strictly speaking within the context of 60fps. Said another way, you are effectively getting ps5 quality mode at double the performance, sans rt reflections, which I think is a very good outcome for a mid gen upgrade. DF called it the most transformative Pro upgrade thus far.

 

[bender]

Also, good candidate for the "Is RT necessary" discussion.

The issue is that until everything can run one solution reasonable well, developers are going to have to pull double duty to accommodate multiple solutions. Results will vary.

 

[Hugare]

This is another game showing that baked lighting is old and outdated. It’s good to see RTGI being used again with effective results.

In open worlds? For sure. They have dynamic time of day, so RTGI is an obvious improvement. Im glad that Ubi was able to use it here.

Using RTGI in singleplayer, linear games such as Uncharted, for example, is simply idiotic. You can add the option, of course, and it will look better than baked, but not that much better as seen here. Like Alan Wake II, where it looks better, but slightly compared to the baked lighting.

Bottom line: as always, there's no such thing as one solution for all problems