Assassin’s Creed Shadows: A Tale of Two PlayStations – Is the Base PS5 Experience Compromised?
Assassin’s Creed Shadows has arrived, bringing feudal Japan to life on our screens. However, for PlayStation 5 owners, the experience might not be uniform. Initial reports, spearheaded by Digital Foundry’s analysis, suggest a significant disparity in visual fidelity between the standard PlayStation 5 and the more powerful PlayStation 5 Pro, particularly when prioritizing performance. This raises serious questions about whether the base PS5 is delivering the intended Assassin’s Creed Shadows experience, and whether Ubisoft has truly optimized the game for both platforms.
The core of the issue lies in the game’s graphics options. Assassin’s Creed Shadows provides three primary modes: Performance, Balanced, and Fidelity. Each mode prioritizes different aspects of visual quality and frame rate. While the promise of a consistent 60 frames per second (FPS) in Performance mode on the base PS5 is enticing, Digital Foundry’s investigation reveals a severely compromised visual presentation. The game appears washed out, lacking the depth and richness of color seen on the PS5 Pro. This stark contrast has led some to label the Performance mode on the standard PS5 as the "worst" way to experience the game.
What causes this dramatic difference? The answer lies in ray-traced global illumination (RTGI). RTGI is a lighting technology that simulates the way light realistically bounces off surfaces in a scene. This creates more natural-looking shadows, improved depth perception, and an overall more immersive visual experience. The PS5 Pro, with its enhanced graphical capabilities, supports RTGI in Performance mode. The base PS5, however, does not.
The absence of RTGI on the standard PS5 in Performance mode results in a flat and drab visual presentation. Shadows lack definition, contrast is reduced, and the intricate lighting effects that bring the game’s world to life are noticeably absent. On the PS5 Pro, the edges of shadows are sharper, and there is greater nuance in how light interacts with the environment, enhancing the overall visual depth. Examples like light reflecting through bamboo in interior scenes showcase the considerable gap in realism between the two platforms.
The importance of these visual differences cannot be overstated. Assassin’s Creed Shadows heavily relies on its lighting for both gameplay and atmosphere. The very title of the game emphasizes the significance of shadows as a core mechanic for stealth and evasion. Without the proper lighting, these gameplay elements are diminished, and the overall ambiance of the game world suffers. The difference is not simply cosmetic; it directly impacts the player’s immersion and potentially the effectiveness of core gameplay mechanics.
This situation marks a notable shift in the console gaming landscape. While differences between console generations are expected, the disparity within the same generation – between the standard PS5 and the PS5 Pro – is significantly more pronounced than what we’ve seen in other games. While titles like Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth exhibit visual differences between the two consoles, the overall aesthetic remains largely consistent. Even in visually demanding games like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, the core visual presentation remains intact, even with subtle lighting variations. Assassin’s Creed Shadows, however, presents a much more drastic visual divergence.
The good news for standard PS5 owners is that the visual gap narrows when opting for Balanced or Fidelity modes. These modes enable more of the advanced lighting effects, including those reliant on RTGI, at the expense of a lower frame rate. However, this presents a difficult choice: sacrifice visual fidelity for the smoother gameplay experience of 60 FPS, or endure a potentially less responsive experience to appreciate the intended visual artistry of the game.
This situation highlights the growing divide in the console gaming ecosystem and the pressure of future console upgrades. For years, console gaming has been defined by its accessibility and standardization. Every player with the same console enjoyed a largely identical gaming experience. But with the introduction of mid-generation upgrades like the PS5 Pro, this paradigm is shifting. Console gamers now face a dilemma that PC gamers have long grappled with: whether to invest in more powerful hardware to unlock the full potential of their games.
The situation with Assassin’s Creed Shadows may force players to consider the benefits of owning a PS5 Pro. It is a significant investment, but one that appears to yield a vastly superior visual experience, especially for gamers who prioritize both performance and visual fidelity.
The differences in the game highlight the importance of future optimization for both consoles. While the PS5 Pro is more powerful, proper optimization of the game could allow standard PS5 owners to enjoy a better visual experience even in Performance mode. The visuals can still be improved through post-launch patches and improvements to how the engine allocates resources.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows, therefore, serves as a cautionary tale and a harbinger of things to come. It underscores the increasing complexity of console gaming and the challenges developers face in optimizing games for multiple hardware configurations within the same console generation. The game demonstrates the visual upgrades for PS5 Pro are significantly better, while the base version PS5 suffers from poor optimization. Whether future games will follow suit remains to be seen, but Assassin’s Creed Shadows has undoubtedly set a new precedent – and potentially a new source of frustration – for console gamers. The pressure to upgrade for the optimal experience, a feeling familiar to PC gamers, has officially arrived on consoles.
