Crimson Desert PS5 Pro Upgrade Shows Major Performance Gains
▼ Summary
– Crimson Desert is an open-world game praised for its detailed, systems-driven world and extensive ray tracing, though this feature is not available on Xbox Series S.
– The game has notable gameplay issues, including convoluted controls, input lag, and a lengthy loading sequence when entering caves.
– On base PS5, the game offers three graphics modes, with the 30fps Quality mode providing the best image quality at a native 1440p resolution upscaled with FSR3.
– The PS5 Pro version provides significant visual and performance upgrades, primarily using PSSR for better image quality, with its 40fps Balanced mode being the most stable recommendation.
– Performance can suffer dramatically in CPU-intensive scenarios, such as the “Bug Hill” area, where frame rates on all base PS5 modes can drop below 30fps.
The Crimson Desert PS5 Pro upgrade delivers substantial performance and visual improvements over the base console, making it the definitive way to experience Pearl Abyss’s ambitious open-world title. While the game itself captivates with its deep, systems-driven world powered by the BlackSpace engine, its technical execution on standard hardware involves notable compromises. The PS5 Pro, leveraging its more powerful GPU and the superior PSSR upscaling technology, provides a clearer path to a stable and visually impressive experience.
Players should prepare for some initial friction with the game’s control scheme, which features a steep learning curve and noticeable input lag, a consequence of its animation priority. This is particularly evident during combat and puzzle segments. Another oddity is a lengthy loading sequence that forces the protagonist, Kliff, to walk a considerable distance after a screen transition before reaching a selected save point.
On the presentation front, both consoles offer three primary graphics modes: Performance (60fps), Balanced (40fps), and Quality (30fps), with additional toggles for 120Hz and V-Sync to better accommodate VRR. A post-launch update introduced a crucial fixed 4K output toggle that uses FSR3 to upscale the image, specifically addressing the blurriness that plagued the base PS5’s performance mode at launch.
Examining the base PS5, the performance mode originally rendered at a blurry native 1080p without intelligent upscaling. The new FSR3 fix improves image quality but introduces a trade-off, as performance can drop into the mid-40s, falling outside the optimal VRR window. The balanced mode uses a native 1280p resolution, while the quality mode runs at native 1440p, both employing FSR3 to reconstruct a 4K image. The quality mode is the visual champion, applying settings akin to the PC version’s high preset. It features enhanced model quality with improved displacement mapping, better lighting, and extra ray-traced bounce lighting. However, elements like foliage density and water quality are locked to medium PC equivalents, leading to visible shimmering and ghosting artifacts from the upscale. For a stable experience, the balanced mode is often the best recommendation on base hardware.
Performance is not solely GPU-bound. In CPU-intensive scenarios, like the massive battle at the “Bug Hill” area near Demeniss, all base PS5 modes can plummet to sub-30fps, shattering any hope of a locked 60fps experience.
The PS5 Pro enhancement is significant across the board. The key differentiator is the use of PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution), which provides a radical leap in image clarity over FSR3. The 60fps performance mode now targets visual settings closer to the base PS5’s quality mode. The 30fps quality mode goes even further, boasting ultra-quality ray tracing and lighting while rendering at a true native 4K resolution. A curious side effect is that the balanced and quality modes can appear slightly softened, likely due to an ultra-quality post-processing effect, which is a minor disappointment given the clarity of PSSR.
In terms of smoothness, the Pro’s extra graphical power makes its 40fps balanced mode the overall best pick, maintaining a much tighter lock on its target frame rate. The 30fps quality mode can be inconsistent and is harder to recommend. When not CPU-limited, the Pro’s performance mode typically holds a 10fps advantage over the base PS5, making it a viable choice for VRR users. In these GPU-bound scenarios, disabling V-Sync on a 120Hz display can unlock frame rates up to 105fps in performance mode and into the mid-50s in balanced mode. However, at CPU-heavy locations like Bug Hill, frame rates will still dive to around 30fps, where VRR offers no salvation.
Ultimately, the PS5 Pro delivers the stable and visually spectacular experience that Crimson Desert’s fascinating world deserves. The base PS5, with its array of modes and toggles, always seems to involve a tangible compromise, whether in image quality, performance, or both. While the game’s underlying technology is impressive, its execution on the standard console feels mixed, making the Pro upgrade a highly valuable proposition for players seeking the optimal adventure.
(Source: Digitalfoundry.net)
