Have there been any really amazing looking PS5 games yet?

[madhair60]

that is an unbelievably stupid thing to say and you should be embarrassed, but you're not going to be embarrassed because you're too stupid to understand why it's embarrassing, you stupid, embarrassing, stupid, cunt.

[Mister Six]

Stop pissing about on CaB and go optimise your game, lazy.

[VelourSpirit]

can't they just make a game where you can do anything?

[Pink Gregory]

I don't know, I can see the appeal.  It's extending a certain amount of PC-like customisability to console titles; people have picked up preferences.

[Timothy]

I played the Forspoken demo on a mate's PS5 last night and it just looked like a very hi-res PS4 game.

Also, I hate this business of being told to select between graphics and FPS. Part of the point of consoles is that I don't have to worry about this shit!

To be fair Forspoken might be the ugliest title available on PS5 yet. More early PS4 then PS5.

Agreed about the latter though. Very annoying.

[Mister Six]

Seriously, though, I think that when it comes to consoles, studios should basically figure out for themselves how to best present their games, and do their best to get the frame rate to an acceptable level. If that means they turn off ray tracing or locking it at 30fps then so be it.

Maybe a partial exception for games with an online multiplayer mode, where a high fps is essential.

Thinking about this a little more, I reckon this kind of thinking could even hold game development back. If the trend is to always make ray tracing optional, there's no incentive to work it into the gameplay itself.

[Noodle Lizard]

I've watched some PS4 vs PS5 comparisons and can't see much difference but also it makes sense since I think most games are being developed for both still. I'm guessing PS5 exclusives look better? I mean, they both look amazing anyway.

Yeah, it's not something you really notice until you're actually playing them. For instance, the Demon's Souls PS5 remake looks a lot more advanced than Elden Ring, despite coming out two years prior. There's obviously a lot of capability in there, but most games are still being optimized for both generations. I expect we'll start to see that change now that PS5s are actually purchasable again.

[Kelvin]

Seriously, though, I think that when it comes to consoles, studios should basically figure out for themselves how to best present their games, and do their best to get the frame rate to an acceptable level. If that means they turn off ray tracing or locking it at 30fps then so be it.

Surely this thread is a perfect encapsulation of why they don't do that though. Players have an expectation of games constantly pushing graphics forward, and yet those expectations have long been outstripping the technical abilities of home consoles. Games can look incredible, sure, but this usually comes at the expense of loading times and frame rates. If you improve those, the graphics dip and people complain that games/consoles aren't pushing graphics forward enough. And because of this graphical focus, console-makers and publishers rarely try to push other, more interesting technical aspects like AI.

It's similar to the issue with open-worlds, actually. People constantly moan that open-worlds are too big and empty, filled with repetitive content... and yet they're easily the most popular single-player games available and people still drool at the scale of a world in each trailer. There's a vast gulf between what is still realistically possible, even from AAA Sony studios, and the unlimited potential of games that players imagine in their heads. 

[Mister Six]

It's a vicious circle, though. Graphics are about the only way that major games can distinguish themselves in console tech leaps, as the more interesting game design tends to come from indie devs. So until there are some notable games doing groundbreaking stuff with the tech, "Is there anything pretty out there?" is about the only way to get a sense of whether an upgrade is even slightly worthwhile.

And regardless, I don't think going "Yeah, we can't really get this to work as good as you'd like, so you figure it out" is a big improvement.

[Timothy]

For me its more about the quality of life updates when I buy a new console. The fast loading times and playing in 60 or 120 fps made a huge difference while raytracing feels more like a gimmick to me.

The games I enjoyed most so far aren't the most beautiful games (Deathloop, Returnal) but games that push the button when it comes to gameplay improvements that weren't possible on PS4, like making use of the Dualsense.

That said my PS5 collects a bit of dust due to the XSX with Gamepass the last few months.