DigitalFoundry: Monster Hunter World Analysis (PS4/Pro/Xbox One/X)

[LiK]

The reconstruction method reminds me of Odyssey in handheld mode.

Summary:
- All consoles have some
temporal reconstruction method, which results in some stippling.
- No 30FPS lock.
- Graphics mode pushes LODs a lot farther
- PS4: 1080p, frame rate hangs around 30 but can drop a lot
- XB1: 864p, frame rate averages at 26-ish FPS in the forest area
- PS4 Pro: 1800p CB in resolution mode, always above 30FPS, performance and graphics mode are both 1080p, performance averages at 45ish FPS, graphics is the same as resolution
- XB1X: 1728p (4x base XB1), roughly the same performance as Pro in resolution, 1080p in graphics and performance, graphics averages at the same frame rate as performance on Pro, performance is usually better and can even reach 50+fps in less demanding areas.
- LODs better on PS4.

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- General tech, animation (besides facial lip sync) is praised.
- Clipping is visible a bunch
- Distant enemies render at lower FPS (so they look jittery at a distance)
- Motion blur used is not very good quality
- Lighting and contrast levels are weird at times


Visuals:

- PS4 vs XB1:
PS4 is 1080p, XB1 is 864p.
Temporal reconstruction is used on base consoles too.
Noticeable loss in image quality when moving camera.
1080p on PS4 looks sharp when standing still but becomes blurry when moving. Same for XB1.

- Pro vs XB1:
Prioritize resolution mode:
Pro 1800p via CB rendering. XBX 1720p native.
Even XB1 has some kind of temporal reconstruction.
Visible stripling and DoF look worse on Pro.
When using resolution mode, additional detail found on Pro not present on XBX.
Slightly higher pixel count and more detail on Pro, more stable image on XBX.

Performance mode:
1080p on both.
Pro exhibits more detail while XBX has similar detail as base PS4.

Graphics mode:
1080p on both
Both have similar level of detail.


- Performance:

No option to cap FPS to 30
Frame time spikes all over the place.

Base consoles:
Base PS4 performance mostly same as Beta.
XB1 performance generally below 30 most of the time. Generally the worst performing version.

Pro vs XBX
Frame rate mode: Pro avg 40 FPS and below during combat. XBX avg is higher than Pro but still feels jerky due to hitches and frame time.
Some later areas run faster, XBX can reach 60 FPS in sparse areas.
No combat world exploration avg: Pro 43 FPS, XBX 46 FPS. Pro draws more detail in the world compared to XBX
Town: XBX avg is higher compared to Pro.
In prioritize resolution priority mode Pro is slightly higher avg compared to XBX but XBX has slightly less frame time spikes.
In prioritize graphics Pro performance is slightly faster or the same as resolution mode. XBX commands a significant lead on (8, 10 FPS).

Summary:
XBX runs faster in Performance and Graphics mode. Pro runs slightly faster in Resolution mode.

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Too lazy so I'll post this in OP. Thanks brahs

 

[WillySJ3]

I agree with John, Capcom need to add a lock 30fps option for Graphics and Resolution modes at least.

 

[~Fake]

Thx to you Dark1x . Always delivery a great job.

Man, Xbox One runs so terrible, actually most of consoles runs bad, but Xbox One is really bad and that resolution...jez.
Anw, Xbox X vs Ps4pro is a mix of balance. Looks sometimes the X have advantage, but is some scenes Ps4pro lead the edge. Very intrigant. Its a shame the base ps4 runs bad like that, but unless its 1920x1080 resolution, very commom for ps4. Xbox One really looks bad in all scenario.
Hope Capcom release a fix soon.

 

[Deleted member 1062]

I honestly wonder if Capcom will even bother improving the Xbox versions at all

 

[Terbinator]

Performance terrible all around and looks like a launch game going off the screenshot thread.

Capcom why??

 

[chandoog]

I honestly wonder if Capcom will even bother improving the Xbox versions at all

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Or add a 30 FPS cap to any version.

 

[cakely]

Game sounds like a mess imo on consoles. Not that its really bad but more weird decisions, bad checkerboarding on the Pro, uncapped framerate, bad frametimes, missing details on the X.
Base consoles look really really rough also.

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He just says it's "an underwhelming use of the Xbox One X and PS4 Pro for that matter".

It still sounds like he's impressed with the overall look of the game, though.

EDIT: Hey John! Nice work on the video. Super-useful, as always.

 

[melodiousmowl]

I play on x1s and x1x (different rooms) and honestly theres so much crap on screen you don't really notice the differences during gameplay. x1x is definitely sharper and the frame-rates higher, but it's always so all over the place.

One thing I think I would like to see is if your character (and maybe the monster you're engaged with) run at 60fps at all times. I ask this because sometimes when im standing still watching animations it looks super smooth while the rest of the world doesn't.

 

[Deleted member 8112]

Too lazy so I'll post this in OP. Thanks brahs

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Np breh. Also thanks for the amazing analysis and work put into this, John!

 

[test_account]

Regarding the lip sync, considering that you can choose from many different languages, do we know if they arent synced to any of those languages? Mainly thinking about japanese or "MH talk". On this topic, are there any games that have lip syncing in cut scenes that matches up to the language being chosen?

 

[arimanius]

I've been playing in resolution mode on the Pro and it looks amazing. I hope Capcom adds the option to cap FPS at 30 for it. Seems like it would help with the stuttering.

 

[Deleted member 20297]

What an embarrassing show for Xbox users.

 

[Dark1x]

I play on x1s and x1x (different rooms) and honestly theres so much crap on screen you don't really notice the differences during gameplay. x1x is definitely sharper and the frame-rates higher, but it's always so all over the place.

One thing I think I would like to see is if your character (and maybe the monster you're engaged with) run at 60fps at all times. I ask this because sometimes when im standing still watching animations it looks super smooth while the rest of the world doesn't.

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What you're likely seeing is what I mentioned in the video - distant animations playback at a lower rate. So distant enemies will appear choppy in motion compared to your character.

 

[chandoog]

Np breh. Also thanks for the amazing analysis and work put into this, John!

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Yeah, if at all possible, highly recommend everyone to watch the video even if the summaries give all the info you'd need.

Excellent work and commentary by John.

 

[blastprocessor]

No full screen motion blur (or there lack of) is a criminal offence. Looks like a last generation engine.

 

[Khrol]

Regarding the lip sync, considering that you can choose from many different languages, do we know if they arent synced to any of those languages? Mainly thinking about japanese or "MH talk". On this topic, are there any games that have lip syncing in cut scenes that matches up to the language being chosen?

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I use MH talk and couldn't even say....

It's the least distracting option for me I'll say that.

 

[Keyouta]

Not where I'd like it to be, but playable for sure. I hope they don't wait until September or later for the PC release, even though I know they've said Fall.

 

[tyfon]

I went for graphics mode for this game as the performance mode is rather unstable and I can't really see the difference between 1080p and 4k mode.
In graphics I have detail boost at least :)

 

[Relix]

Performance terrible all around and looks like a launch game going off the screenshot thread.

Capcom why??

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Spoken as someone who hasn't touched the game.

It looks really good. Not perfect, but good enough.

 

[MosquitoSmasher]

So X surprisingly doesn't have a huge advantage over Pro?

And resolution wise, I'm confused. X is lower but isn't CB, so higher than Pro or not?

 

[Irminsul]

Summary for those who can't watch:

- 1080p on base PS4, 864p on base Xbox One
- 1800cbr (checkerboard) on PS4 Pro, 1728p (exactly four times base hardware) on Xbox One X when using high resolution mode, 1080p otherwise on both
- All versions seem to use some additional temporal reconstruction method, meaning the image looks less sharp when moving (and yes, that's in addition to PS4Pro's checkerboard).
- In both performance and high-res mode, PS4 Pro has higher LoD levels, Xbox One X is closer to base hardware; graphics mode is the same on both in terms of presentation.
- No 30fps cap
- Generally inconsistent frametimes, slightly better on Xbox One X
- Performance can be sub-30fps on both base hardware for extended times, with PS4 faring better overall.
- Performance mode > high resolution mode ≈ graphics mode in terms of fps on PS4 Pro, Performance mode > graphics mode > high-res mode for Xbox One X
- Performance mode can reach 60 fps (more so on Xbox One X), but generally hovers a bit above 40fps (in first area, 43 fps for PS4 Pro, 46 fps for Xbox One X)
- High-res mode is better on PS4 Pro(!) in terms of performance, around 34-35 vs. 32-33 fps.
- Graphics mode is much better on Xbox One X, actually close to performance mode and around high-res mode for PS4 Pro.

EDIT: Okay, bit late with that ;)

 

[Deleted member 8112]

So X surprisingly doesn't have a huge advantage over Pro?

And resolution wise, I'm confused. X is lower but isn't CB, so higher than Pro or not?

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There are more unique pixels on XB1X than Pro, basically.

 

[Richietto]

Xbox one OG has a lot of bottlenecks that's not the first time. Especially lately.

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Yeah I know, but with this game it just seems like they put far less time in the Xbox version all together.

 

[LiK]

Regarding the lip sync, considering that you can choose from many different languages, do we know if they arent synced to any of those languages? Mainly thinking about japanese or "MH talk". On this topic, are there any games that have lip syncing in cut scenes that matches up to the language being chosen?

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I was curious if John played it in JPN voices too. I didn't check if it was synced to that VO which is not unusual with Japanese games where they don't bother fixing the lip sync for other languages.

 

[burgerdog]

Great job, John, fantastic as always. Anyway you can reach out to someone at capcom so they can talk to the devs about introducing an fps cap?

 

[~Fake]

Base consoles performance is... Yikes (little worse than old 3DS MH games).

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Thats a bit harsh comparison to make don't you think?

 

[Thatguy]

Performance terrible all around and looks like a launch game going off the screenshot thread.

Capcom why??

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You haven't played the game have you.

 

[Khrol]

I've put dozens of hours into the Xbox One X version of this game and performance mode is the way to go for me. The framerate drops in resolution mode got on my nerves after 15ish hours.

 

[CloseTalker]

So X surprisingly doesn't have a huge advantage over Pro?

And resolution wise, I'm confused. X is lower but isn't CB, so higher than Pro or not?

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Lower, but not CB, like you said. Resolution-wise, XBX ends up looking a bit better. The difference is almost nonexistent, and being a native res makes it a bit clearer.

It's all in the video :P

 

[space_nut]

My goodness X delivering nearly double the native pixel output over pro. Just shows how blurry and aliased pro is compared to X when using reconstruction. Also loving the significant fps gains the X provides :)

 

[Mifec]

Hopefully whatever reconstruction tech they are using is kept far away from the PC versions when they release.

 

[Imitation Of Life]

Using SSD with PS4 Pro gives it faster loading times than other versions not sure if this is common knowledge. Now I need a SSD but these prices.........

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I have SSD in mine. Loading time is minimal.

 

[Ridley327]

No full screen motion blur (or there lack of) is a criminal offence. Looks like a last generation engine.

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I mean, it is literally a last generation engine that the game is based on, so there's that.

Anyway, it seems like this made my decision to wait for the PC version much easier, since the performance in the final game sounds unchanged from the beta, which I wasn't too happy with.

 

[Deleted member 36767]

I mean Im sure a lot impresses him. Its not a stretch to say this game is far from the nicest looking game on the market. What impresses me about the game isn't its visual fidelity at all, but its art style. Coral Highlands is probably one of the most beautifully crafted areas in a game ever in my opinion. Also Monster animations are fantastic. Probably the best in any game ever.

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That was my point but didn't state it because I was awaiting a response. The monster designs/animations/graphics on the monsters themselves are truly remarkable. I can think of no games that do it better.

 

[Odrion]

no option that locks to 30fps whhhhhhhhhhhhhy

 

[Deleted member 1062]

My goodness X delivering nearly double the native pixel output over pro. Just shows how blurry and aliased pro is compared to X when using reconstruction. Also loving the significant fps gains the X provides :)

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I don't think you watched the video

 

[Derrick01]

They really need a 30fps cap option on the Pro and X. Resolution mode is already close enough to 30fps so it wouldn't make a huge difference there but it should get rid of any juddering and have the most optimal performance possible on consoles. Other than that I'm pretty pleased with the performance and visuals on Pro.

 

[melodiousmowl]

What you're likely seeing is what I mentioned in the video - distant animations playback at a lower rate. So distant enemies will appear choppy in motion compared to your character.

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I'll have to pay more attention next time I notice it - it was framerate during camera pans that it looked inconsistent (the flying monsters in the distance I noticed, but not what I was using for a reference)

 

[Sherbert]

What a technical mess.

 

[tyfon]

So X surprisingly doesn't have a huge advantage over Pro?

And resolution wise, I'm confused. X is lower but isn't CB, so higher than Pro or not?

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CB is just a rendering method that lightens the load by using previous frames as references, and in the case of the ps4 pro it also has silicon in the gpu to track objects and predict where they will be in the next frame making it more accurate.
The resolution specified is the actual resolution it renders to.

 

[Schrade]

Everything seems washed out in the video.

Reminds me of washed out captures seen in other Japanese dev games. Is there some thing that Japanese devs set their systems to that involves color space or black levels that are different than the industry standard? Or is this a HDR -> non HDR conversion error?

 

[Thoraxes]

The video basically reinforced that I'm better off waiting for the PC version by far, which I hope will support all the bells and whistles expected of it with such a massive delay in release compared to the console versions. PC color settings should help with the washed out IQ as well.

I guess it's nice that there's an option to get that version this time around, even if it is over 9 months later. When given the option for stuff only available on stationary platforms, I always go PC first whenever possible.

Kinda surprised how bad the framerate is on base systems though. Thought they'd at least try to hit a locked 30 regardless of resolution.

 

[The_Land]

So I guess we can safely assume that in addition to not testing multiplayer on the Xbox version of the game the X version is half assed as well. Shame on you Capcom

 

[Tyaren]

Summary for those who can't watch:

- 1080p on base PS4, 864p on base Xbox One
- 1800cbr (checkerboard) on PS4 Pro, 1728p (exactly four times base hardware) on Xbox One X when using high resolution mode, 1080p otherwise on both
- All versions seem to use some additional temporal reconstruction method, meaning the image looks less sharp when moving (and yes, that's in addition to PS4Pro's checkerboard).
- In both performance and high-res mode, PS4 Pro has higher LoD levels, Xbox One X is closer to base hardware; graphics mode is the same on both in terms of presentation.
- No 30fps cap
- Generally inconsistent frametimes, slightly better on Xbox One X
- Performance can be sub-30fps on both base hardware for extended times, with PS4 faring better overall.
- Performance mode > high resolution mode ≈ graphics mode in terms of fps on PS4 Pro, Performance mode > graphics mode > high-res mode for Xbox One X
- Performance mode can reach 60 fps (more so on Xbox One X), but generally hovers a bit above 40fps (in first area, 43 fps for PS4 Pro, 46 fps for Xbox One X)
- High-res mode is better on PS4 Pro(!) in terms of performance, around 34-35 vs. 32-33 fps.
- Graphics mode is much better on Xbox One X, actually close to performance mode and around high-res mode for PS4 Pro.

I think that's it, if I missed something, I'll add it to this post.

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In high resolution mode the PS4 Pro has improved LOD over the high resolution mode on Xbox One X for some reason.

 

[ghibli99]

Hopefully whatever reconstruction tech they are using is kept far away from the PC versions when they release.

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Agreed... I can't imagine they'll leave it, but you never know.

So don't play on 1X in prioritize resolution mode... looks like prioritize graphics on 1X and prioritize resolution on Pro are the best ways overall, but that could be personal bias... and none of the modes seem all that great.

 

[Deleted member 8112]

I don't think you watched the video

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Yeah, please watch the video guys. 23min for such a deep analysis isn't that bad. We all post summaries for those who can't watch but if all you do is shit post don't even bother.

 

[Lat]

Oh good lord, I knew it was bad, but it takes a special amount of no fucks given to Male the Xbox one x version WORSE than the pro version... that's some AAA fuck up right there...

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All capcom really did was scale everything up 4x, let the machine brute force and get it out the door. It goes to show that they really didn't give any thought to the XB1 at all. Which is not surprising.

 

[LiK]

What you're likely seeing is what I mentioned in the video - distant animations playback at a lower rate. So distant enemies will appear choppy in motion compared to your character.

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Hi John, thank you so much for the comparison.

 

[Deleted member 36767]

The game artstyle is amazing but its not crazy to say its not "technically" impressive. Some of the textures I can see just simply not that great but its monster hunter in HD so it still looks amazing

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Got ya, I still think the monsters/animations on the monsters are awesome and appear technically amazing (to me)

 

[Trago]

For the love of god, cap the frame rate!