
Horizon Forbidden West, and its recently remastered predecessor Horizon Zero Dawn, is comfortably one of the best looking games you can play today. And it’s no surprise to see it already pushing the PS5 Pro to its limits, as developer Guerrilla Games have always been tech wizards.
Speaking about the upgrade in a recent Digital Foundry video, tech expert John Linneman couldn’t hold back his enthusiasm for the enhancements.
“I think they might have achieved arguably just about the best image quality I’ve seen in a console game,” he smiled. “It’s so good. When you consider the density of the visuals [and] how much detail is in them, the way it resolves it so clean and attractive that it’s honestly mind boggling. It looks really, really good. It feels like you’re playing a high-end PC game now.”
While an undeniably attractive game, Horizon Forbidden West did look a little rough at 60fps on the base PS5 at launch. The Dutch developer eventually released a patch to improve this, but there was still some shimmering and artefacting caused by the sheer density of detail on display.
Many of those problems are a thing of the past on the PS5 Pro.
Linneman explained: “There’s so much granular detail in the distance: the grass, the rocks, everything. The game is very visually busy, right? This does it justice in a way that the original modes did not – especially the original and its updated Performance modes. It’s lightyears beyond that.”
Ironically, this game isn’t using Sony’s proprietary AI-based upscaler PSSR, and has instead opted for Guerrilla’s own in-house upscaling solution. Presumably this is designed to get the most out of the Decima Engine, and is really bearing fruit here. We’re fairly confident the team at Guerrilla Games will share its technology with its parent company.
Still, if you’ve been waiting to play Horizon Forbidden West, or jump into Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, it seems like it’s the series to play on the PS5 Pro. Prepare to have your face melted by the “mind boggling” visuals on display.
[source youtube.com]
Comments 73
I'm still getting a Steam Deck (and/or a Switch 2!)
Thats really impressive! I havent played this series yet. Hmm, really tempted to sell my PS5 and get a Pro
Wasn't the PS5 version of the main game a bit under spec because there was a PS4 version? I'm playing The Burning Shores dlc currently on my regular ass PS5 and I think it looks better than the main game. Probably because it was only developed for the PS5.
I'm not sure how we got to the ps5 performance mode looked a bit rough. I guess because I've been gaming since Nintendo i feel like most games just look amazing on current gen consoles
I'd love to try it. Unfortunately, they removed it from PS Plus and I'm still waiting for a disc drive for the Pro, lol.
Neither of the Horizon games use PSSR or FSR. Guerilla invented their own rescale - reconstruction tech just for those games. Shame it couldn't be used for anything else unless, somehow, the tech can be transferred into the PSSR workflow.
HFW is already the best looking game I’ve ever played on the base PS5. Can’t imagine it looking any better (I’m playing it on a 4K OLED monitor and with HDR enabled).
@Nyne11Tyme It did. Genuinely hard to look at for the first few months until they had a substantial overhaul.
And I've been gaming longer than you.
Funny coincidence I'm replaying Forbidden West right now just doing the final story mission then I'm gonna play Burning Shores again love this game so much ^__^
@Hundred_Hand_Slap yes they don't want to tell you that part.
Which they even indicated when burning shores came out.
Of course the base game was made for the ps4 and ps5.
It is a little sleight of hand when they are comparing these titles.
There are alot of performance videos out now in which people are comparing ps5 and ps5 pro performance modes and they are identical.
It looks great on the base PS5 so it will be interesting to see the improvements.
The FPS boost on games like FF7R and FF16 are more of a draw to me though than fancy graphics.
A stable 60fps is all I ask for. Shame I have to spend more to get that because developers won’t fix their games on the base PS5 and I’m assuming new releases will be capped at 30 on the base moving forward. 😢
I literally don't care. The PS5 Pro is too much money for what it is and sets a terrible precedent in terms of gouging on price.
We have VERY different ideas of “rough” then as I thought it looked spectacular. Still one of the high bars for graphics in a game, even more impressive as it’s open world and not narrow corridors.
looks great but shame the games no where near as good as zero dawn
This website is REALLY pushing the pro isn’t it?!
Any chance we will eventually return to news about games rather than making anyone who hasn’t shelled out their entire monthly mortgage on an upgraded console feel bad?
lol I swear I think Sony paid PUSHSQUARE to keep making articles trying to convince people to buy the Pro
Ever... Until the PS6 in a few years.
@Kienda That won't happen. This is only like getting a somewhat better GPU for you PC so now you can raise the settings. The games can be on high settings instead of medium. The PS5 will continue to get medium to high settings and the Pro will get high to very high, depending on framerate choice.
These games are still coming out on PC and will still be scalable to different hardware tiers. Most modern games still run on a 970, a card from 2014. And yeah, at 60fps depending on the graphics settings. And the Pro isn't that powerful. It can't run Elden Ring at 60fps, a game that came out on PS4, and that does actually run at 60fps on a $350 graphics card.
@danzoEX I know. It feels more like Push Pro than Push Square. It feels like every article should have a paid promotion tag, like certain YT videos.
Wow, the PS5 Pro truly is for kings! People with a PS5 Amateur have a lot to think about right now!
@MrPeanutbutterz i guess to each their own. When it released i didn't have any issues with visuals other than the Halo effect in one of the modes around Aloy
@Matroska LOL at the Push Pro comment.
@danzoEX How dare PushSquare a PS based site cover the release of a new PS console
Id love a PS5 Pro. Just can't justify the price tag with a wife and 2 kids to consider too
So push square, you like the ps5 pro? Only 650 reports to go to make it one report per pound asking price for the ps5 pro!
Am I the only one who finds Push's hyperbolic extreme marketing of the Pro incredibly uncomfortable? Let alone that DF is really the main one with hyperbolic extreme marketing for pro, and then Push keeps regurgitating it, but adding even more hyperbole to it.
Whether for or against pro, I'm finding this very obvious marketing push on both parties to make me as uncomfortable around their objectivity as any Keighley presentation.
Sony just released a new console and people are mad it's being covered? Can you imagine when Switch 2 releases people on Nintendo life are like "Gosh I'm so sick of hearing about the new Switch, move on already 🙄"
Why are all the PlayStation 5 pro comparisons comparing it to performance mode at 60 frames instead of the native 4k
@Dampsponge its just because the biggest jump is how these performances modes on the pro at times have graphics settings and/or image quality that either exceeds or matches the original quality mode at 30fps.
Simply put its the best way to compare and give the wow factor between performance modes
@Dampsponge because that's the most relevant comparison. Pro is a better deal if you're a performance mode main.
Horizon FW and ZDR both look great to me on my LG C4 OLED in HDR. I would probably notice the difference if the two consoles were running on identical TVs side by side. But for now I am very satisfied with the graphics of my setup. And when I am sticking and moving in a big machine battle, don't really have time to count blades of grass anyway.
My limited edition sits unopened in a drawer to this day. Loved the first game, but just never got to it. But man, it sure sounds like that wait is about to pay off!
But it's years old, her voice is super annoying, and the sequel is much better than the original.
It always had amazing graphics, the photo mode on that game was the only one I really messed with because alloys skin was so realistic it had blemishes and spots about to break the skin on her chin etc..
Mad for a console to launch without it's own launch title. Dogging this up from what feels like 4 years ago isn't all that.
Don't get me wrong, I love my ps5, but the pro isn't worth it if you have a working launch ps5 that uses 10% less energy than even the slim. The originals were the best!
I love all the attention Horizon has been getting lately!
@Matroska well, you seem to know more than me so I will trust your judgement and hope you are correct. 😇
Can I just say that Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered crashes more than Stevie Wonder trying to drive home during rush hour? Can we fix that before we work on how pretty the grass and trees look?
@Loamy Palpatine wasn't Emperor when he said "Do it"
as a Star Wars die hard I MUST point things like this out lol
I can honestly say after playing both on PS5 Pro today, HFW and HZD remaster play and look AMAZING in performance pro mode.
Everyone be warned. I own a pro, got mine today.
Bought the remaster and honestly I'm not seeing much of a difference in this game compared to the ps4 version besides a resolution jump. Not really worth even the $10 for it. I haven't tried west. The pro has been hit and miss. Not sure it's worth the price tag yet. I'll have to see more down the road. I'll still get my moneys worth with it but now im thinking i should have just stuck with the ps5 lol
Never had any issues with HFW on my PS5 and thought it looked gorgeous enough, especially with the improved character models and animation. I’m sure it does look better, as mentioned, on PS5 Pro and so it should with the exorbitant price tag and the fact it’s a “pro” but it’s not nearly enough for me to buy a Pro, least of all as I use my PS5 as a Blu-ray player and the Pro requires the purchase of a separate disc drive (At least I believe so … correct me if I’m wrong)
But as both a gamer and a huge movie buff I’ve simply not the time let alone the expenses to keep rebuying things to make everything bigger, faster, shinier and so on. Its bad enough that so many companies feel the need to upgrade everything from endless TLoU remastered remasters to endless 4K Blu-Ray releases that come packaged with nifty art cards, posters and whatever junk the companies think will make gullible punters hand over cash for “The Same Thing Version 2.0”
Not that I’m entirely averse to such things, as I understand that with such new fangled technology can come some amazing advances in various fields. Merely that I’d much rather have new games and previously unreleased films than just “last years model” polished, tweaked and regurgitated with a suitably hefty price tag.
Oh, and this comment doesn’t look any different in 85” 8K virtual reality mindgasm so just accept it 🤫
@skydog0806 Sounds like you need to replace that 32" Toshiba CRT.
@TheKurgan 75 inch 4k oled tv should be sufficient enough? That’s what I got. I see this as hardly an upgrade so far. Sorry I don’t believe everything Sony puts out is righteous
@skydog0806 Ok. Thanks for joining to post your warning.
@Totheteeth what games?
@skydog0806 yeah, the benchmark for the ps5 pro is reportedly falling below the RX 6800... which is 4 years old, half the price, and about 1M miles beneath the 4070 (lmao) comparisons initially made by digital foundry. Personally, in light of that, I believe you would be better off building a computer.
Are we really going to have an article on every game looking better on the PS5 pro?
Third party games will benefit the most from the pro. First party games will always look fantastic even on the base. Maybe the upcoming first party games will have a major boost. I'm not buying one yet as there are to many games I want to buy and since the disc drive is sold out everywhere I won't be able to use it anyway.
Enough reason for me to start my New Game +. I loved HFW and really would like to go back to this world.
Glad I’m not the only one turned off by Push Square’s suffocating amount of articles and gushing over the Pro. I get it, it’s new hardware, but it will still sell less than 50% of the base console. Let’s not pretend it’s going to take the world by storm.
@8bitOG You can't "benchmark" a consolesystem (closed sytem) vs a PC system, when are you PC people going to understand that? Not even in the same ballpark.
@Nyne11Tyme me too! I'm lucky that my two kids are gamers also, and they roll their eyes when I start gushing over a games graphics. Being a child of the 80's, I'm blown away by how far games have come since my first introduction to gaming on a ZX81... I'd love a PS5 Pro, but can't justify the extra money...😊👍
@Zeke68 you sound so out of touch with that response lol. Of course there are benchmarks for newer consoles
@8bitOG Yes ofc it is. But you can't compare 2 completely different system architecture with a single benchmark just like that. Sony modded their chips so hard they have no resemblance with their original originparts anymore.
so you sound completely out of touch. Google it. It's all "out there".
@Zeke68 I mean, AMD technology only goes so far. I love them, but nvidia is by and far superior. It's not like they tweaked it to be some other worldly product. You're mostly grasping at marketing buzz words
No but if you "benchmark" a PS5 / PS5 Pro with a systembench made for PC architecture you get "PC architecture"-results. It says nothing about all the functions in the PS5 chip on a system level.
I worked with this stuff for almost 2 decades, It's not the same in PS5/PC... Just a fact.
@Matroska @NEStalgia @danzoEX
It's Sammy B. I've long been suspecting (ever since I started visiting NLife and Co. during the Wii U days) he's getting paid and/or working with Sony. In my observation, he do sometimes criticize Sony when things don't look good for the company but will later steer the narrative to their favor/side. Or he's just the biggest most bias fanboy that I just chuckle on most of the articles he write.
Edit:
I'll be visiting this site a lot more now that I finally caved in and got myself a PS5 30th Anniversary preorder locked in. 😅
Removed - trolling/baiting
"you're right. It's not the same. The PS5 Pro will be obsolete in 3-5 years along with it's game library (most likely). My steam account will be good until the day I die....just a fact "
So you ran out out arguments and pulled out your inner PCfanboy? What you just said has nothing to do with the topic we discussed. And no, the Pro, and the OG PS5 for that matter wont be obsolete in that timeframe. My OG PS1 is still going strong and does exactly what it was intended to do and so is my PS2.
And my PS5 gamelibrary will work just fine on the PS6 for sure, so I don't see how you think you can have a point to begin with. ??
I still have access to ALL my games on my PS3 so Sony is actually taking really good care of my games (not to be forgotten: my PS4/PS5 games) But I lost 2 games on Steam since 1996ish... So that's that.
@Zeke68 there's a PS5 library? I never run out of arguments, but you were declaring facts without any evidence or sources so it seemed pointless. There may be backwards compatibility with the PS6, but with Sony's recent obsession with remakes and remasters I would be surprised if they do. That's smart of you to keep your old game library. I still have all my games dating back to the NES as well. I'm more of a video game fanboy. I don't discriminate. I love my Switch, my PS5, and my PC. I have to admit, though, my 130-150 fps on quality with texture enhancing mods at 4k is pretty awesome...
Feel the need to point out we went from using the word "sublime" to the word "rough" in describing this game's visuals on the standard PS5.
@dschons you can always buy it?
I got the PS5 Pro yesterday, and the first game I tried was Horizon Remastered. I can easily say that yes, the image quality improves dramatically to the point I noticed right away. I can't even imagine how HFW will look!
@8bitOG when they went with more pc like hardware it made bc much easier , so its all but a given ps6 would support the same ps4/ps5 games that the ps5 supports. they aren't even really "remasters" which makes it confusing for them to name them that , but more like ps5 upgrades.
@twitchtvpat I have it on disc already. Not buying it twice.
@twitchtvpat I know that the hardware will be capable, but they will make gobs of money having the PS6 remain exclusive. That's arguably what held the PS5 back. The vast majority of game releases have been accessible for PS4 consoles. Which is fantastic for consumers, but Sony will be looking to make up ground. If they just have Nixxes tweak the work they did for PC launches and release them as PS6 remasters they'll make loads of dough. I hope I'm wrong, but they haven't given me much confidence to say otherwise the past few years
@8bitOG honestly if they have a studio like nixxes improving the older games to run better and take advantage of the new hard ware , and you only pay 10 dollars for it, i'm all for that. horizon zero dawn looks amazing on the ps5 pro ( not that looked bad in the first place). but if you showed it to some one that doesn't know much about games they would think it be a recently released game. to compare it to pc , you can still play a lot of games on lower hardware , but they'll always run and look much better on the more modern newer hardware.
@twitchtvpat More titles like Elden Ring and Baulders Gate should be the goal, not recycled content. You hit the nail on the head when you said the game looked beautiful already, because it did. If anything, I personally prefer the color palette of the original. The texture update is certainly noticeable, and they did a wonderful job. I just wish more resources were going into new content. Also a $10 upgrade fee may not be applicable once the next gen drops.
@8bitOG see this is where we actually agree with each other because they are using a studio like nixxes to do these upgrades, it actually leaves the main studios to work on games. i do feel like their goal is to aim for announcing games that don't have long from the announcement to release. which im fine with. but you also have a game like wolverine which i'm excited for which was announced years before it was ready. for me the new ghosts announcement was only a taste of what they'll be showing off of whats to come. i also said think as well my thinking was some games were pushed back to take full advantage of the ps5 pro. if they come out with a big showcase where they are like all these games are running on the ps5 pro from all their major first party studios , it could help move games and the ps5 pro.
@NEStalgia Because 100% of the articles are about PS5 Pro or because he's in full advertising mode with stuff like "lightyears beyond PS5"? 🤣
@Banjo- I think it's because the Sun, the Mirror, and National Enquirer are all carefully scrutinizing the articles to learn new ways to gain views.
I can't even come with a joke "I did X with a PS5 Pro for a week and you won't BELIEVE what happened next" headline, because none of them I can come up with as a joke are anywhere near as overstated and hyperbolic as the actual headlines have been. They hype words being thrown around in the headlines go far beyond tabloid headlines and all rational statements. It's a midrange GPU upgrade, not a generational leap, but you wouldn't know that from headlines and articles that hype the pro more than the PS4 to PS5 jump articles did.
IDK if it's just Sammy's personal enthusiasm or an organizational paid bias, but it's jarring and cringey. To be fair to Sammy, he was scathing when it was first announced, and hasn't even had one to play on prior to now (if he even has one now) and mostly just keeps echoing DF who has had such a cringey and obvious bias as one of the only outlets Sony granted a super early access machine to analyze (no conflict of interest there, and note even Push was not one of those outlets), so I'm going to guess the bizarre and uncomfortable hype is not his personal take coming through but something more.....business..?
@Banjo- @NEStalgia idk if replying to two people works or not , but at the end of the day , the ps5 pro just came out, this is a PlayStation news site , and it is what a lot of people are talking about. they would be very foolish to not write about the ps5 pro while its a hot topic. it is their jobs after all . they aren't doing this for fun. but i'm sure he has some personal excitement for it , and why not?
@antlion Any intelligent person finds obvious narrative steering either funny or cringeworthy 😅. @NEStalgia I couldn't find a better example myself either, so I used the subheading. What was the other one, it will melt your face? I would prefer the more rational tone of NL and PX. DF is not what it used to be when there was one or two guys making videos.
Most important of all, only 12% of PS4 sales were Pro and that was the same price as the base model earlier and made more sense for 4K TVs. I wonder how many PS5 sales will be Pro, 6%?
@twitchtvpat Nothing wrong with different views. I understand the excitement and that's why I'm being as restrained as I'm capable of. I usually get excited about new hardware (like @NEStalgia) and I got all consoles last generation except Vita, but in this case, it all started with overblown TFLOPS figures and was presented as a generational leap, when it's a GPU update, when there are barely PS5 games that are not cross-gen, when there is no new game to show what the upgraded hardware is capable of and when this generation has not been optimised yet, not to mention the price difference and the lack of disc drive if you want your PS4 collection to blow your mind or melt your face.
@twitchtvpat It's not the fact that they're covering a new product that's a big deal, it's the manner in which they're doing so that raises red flags. Grasping at straws for minute content, beating the drum larger and louder to drown out all other goings on (even when the Pro will account for a tiny percent of even hardcore fans), and most of all the blatant hyperbole and bait language. @Banjo- cited a few of those great examples "mind boggling", "will melt your face", "lightyears beyond" - there's quite a few other gems around in the articles that go not just beyond excitement, but beyond even ad copy, where even actual marketing departments would be cautious about so much exaggeration. It's both comical and very bizarre, to say the least.
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...