Massive improvements across the board.
While Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has its undeniable qualities, earning it a full 10 out of 10 in our review, it did have one relatively fundamental flaw on PS5, namely image quality. Developers from Square Enix offered players three modes, none of which are ideal.
What do you think of the original PS5 version?
The first two are performance modes that target 60 frames per second. And although the output resolution is 4K, they achieve it using very primitive upscale technologies, and not more complex technologies like FSR. Performance Smooth mode, which looks very blurry, uses bilinear upscaling, while Performance Sharp mode, which is slightly sharper but noticeably pixelated, uses nearest neighbor.
That’s why even some people who mostly prefer frame rates had to use the quality mode, which renders in dynamic 4K resolution. Of course, the price for this is the frame rate, which is locked at 30 FPS, which is not very pleasant in a game full of fights.
- Performance (smooth/sharp)
- Entrance: Dynamic 1152p
- exit: 2160 RUR
- Upscaling + smoothing: Bilinear/High Scale Nearest Neighbor + TAA
- Maximum frame rate: 60fps
- Actual frame rate: 50 to 60 fps
- Loyalty
- Entrance: Dynamic 2160p
- exit: 2160 RUR
- Smoothing: TAA
- Maximum frame rate: 30 fps
- Actual frame rate: Stable 30fps
What’s new on PS5 Pro
But the solution has finally come, even if it can only be found on the new PS5 Pro console. The updated version has a completely new mode called “Versatility”. Versatility mode, as it’s best translated, truly lives up to its name. It offers 60fps with 4K output resolution, but uses PSSR upscaling technology. And, as you will soon see, the difference is often quite huge.
- Versatility
- Entrance: Dynamic 1440p
- exit: 2160 RUR
- Upscaling + smoothing: PSSR
- Maximum frame rate: 60fps
- Actual frame rate: Stable 60 frames per second
Regarding the input resolution from which the image is further scaled using PSSR, I was able to use the Pixel-Count ML tool here for the first time, thanks again to its creators for providing early access. The resolution is measured to be around 1440p.
Before I start, I’ll just note that I compared the new mode to the Performance Smooth mode, which I personally consider the “lesser evil” because the pixelation of the Performance Sharp mode is truly amazing.
Image Sharpness
The changes are most noticeable in image sharpness, although the difference is most noticeable when you see the game running in real time on your own computer. Even in this indirect way, I tried to convey the difference, at least by enlarging Cloud, who in the original Performance mode is completely blurred, mostly his face. The picture in the “University” mode, although not entirely ideal, is much sharper.
Perhaps this is even more noticeable when looking into the distance. Vegetation and building detail is completely lost in Performance mode, but remains sharp in Versatility mode.
Another comparison reflects the difference in movement itself.
The improvements are also very noticeable in cut scenes.
Image stability
Here you have sharpness, which in itself is a reason to use the versatility mode, but there are, of course, other aspects. One of them is aliasing, the amount of which is somewhat lower thanks to PSSR, although it is far from completely eliminated. It can be seen, for example, on stairs and other edges.
But when it comes to shimmering vegetation or water, the new mode is a double-edged sword. Trees in the original performance mode are very unstable and essentially fall apart, which fixes the versatility mode, but also adds a whole new graininess that’s very reminiscent of what we’ve already seen in other games using PSSR. This is most noticeable on trees or grass.
In water the situation is even more complicated, because although close to the camera the Performance mode seems a hair more stable, the further the water is from the camera, the worse the image in the Performance mode, and, strangely enough, on the contrary, in the “Versatile” mode it is better. Performance mode also creates many more aliases on the remote pier.
Frame rate
However, the new mode has another big advantage – frame rate. The original performance mode is rated at 60fps, but it doesn’t always hit that number, and in battles full of particle effects it can easily drop to somewhere around 50fps. All-in-one mode on PS5 Pro maintains a stable frame rate of 60 FPS almost all the time.
Comparison with Quality Mode
This was compared to the productivity regime, where quality improvement was expected and, in fact, mandatory. But the comparison with the “Quality” mode is also interesting. In the end, the developers only added one new mode, which they seem to think is the best way to play FF7 Rebirth. Does it beat quality mode? In a way, really.
As we have already seen in previous analyses, perhaps the main advantage of PSSR is image sharpness. This makes Versatility mode superior not only to Performance Blur mode, but also to native 4K Quality mode. And before you start asking how this is even possible, the answer probably lies in the anti-aliasing used. It’s not uncommon for TAA to cause slight blurring, and FF7 Rebirth is no exception. Especially when looking into the distance, it is so noticeable that the new mode preserves more detail.
At the same time, and this is also a big plus, the “University” mode eliminates very unpleasant ghosting, i.e. essentially duplicating objects or characters, leaving behind a trace. Again, this is a relatively well-known problem with TAA, but it’s perhaps even more pronounced in Final Fantasy than in most other games. PSSR completely eliminates this flaw, which can sometimes make the gameplay quite unpleasant.
On PS5 Pro, even aliasing may be somewhat less, but here it is really very complex and it is true that each of the modes has strengths and weaknesses.
In any case, the high-quality mode definitely wins in terms of overall image stability. There is much less shimmer in the vegetation, which is something this game actually has a lot of.
Summary
Overall, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth represents one of the biggest updates you’ll ever see on PS5 Pro. It must be said that this was helped by the fact that the original performance mode was poorly tuned, but that doesn’t change the fact that the versatility mode was a success.
It provides a very sharp image that surpasses even the native quality mode in this regard, and also largely eliminates aliasing or eliminates ghosting entirely. The problem is overall image stability, which remains better in the original quality mode. So if you miss it, you can switch to it. Otherwise, a stable 60 FPS in the new Universal mode is the obvious choice.
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Source :Indian TV
