Crimson Desert PS5 Pro Quality Mode Boosts Image Quality
▼ Summary
– A new patch for Crimson Desert on April 4th added a native anti-aliasing mode to the PS5 Pro’s 30fps quality mode, significantly improving image clarity.
– The patch fixes an unusually soft image that previously affected the PS5 Pro’s balanced and quality modes, despite their high render resolutions.
– Enabling the new PSSR feature for native anti-aliasing in quality mode causes a performance cost of roughly two frames per second.
– The PS5 Pro’s balanced mode also received a major image clarity improvement from the patch, making fine detail much sharper on 4K displays.
– The new sharpen feature can create an over-sharpened, “deep-fried” look, and a toggle to adjust it would be beneficial.
The latest Crimson Desert patch delivers a major visual upgrade for PS5 Pro users, specifically targeting the game’s previously soft image quality. Released on April 4, this update introduces a new native anti-aliasing feature for the 30fps quality mode, fundamentally changing how the game is rendered. Instead of using PSSR for upscaling, the mode now runs at a native 4K resolution and applies PSSR solely for anti-aliasing. The result is a dramatically sharper and cleaner picture that addresses a key criticism from the game’s launch state on the console.
Previously, both the balanced and quality modes on PS5 Pro suffered from an unexpectedly soft appearance, even when rendering at 1440p and native 4K respectively. This new native AA mode completely resolves that issue. The improvement in clarity is immediately noticeable, transforming the overall look of the game’s detailed environments. The patch also activates PSSR’s sharpen feature, which some may find creates an overly crisp, high-contrast aesthetic, particularly on fine details like grass. While the enhanced sharpness is a net positive for image clarity, an adjustable toggle for this effect would be a welcome addition for players seeking a more balanced look.
This visual enhancement does come with a performance cost, however. Enabling PSSR for the quality mode introduces a slight frame-rate penalty, averaging around two frames per second or three milliseconds of additional render time per frame. Fortunately, the 30fps cap often masks this overhead because the GPU typically has unused resources that can be allocated to the new PSSR process. The trade-off is that in more demanding scenes, the standard mode can now dip below 30fps, and the new native AA mode places a heavier load on the system, making performance less consistent.
The benefits extend to the balanced mode as well. This setting, which uses PSSR to upscale from a 1440p base to 4K, also receives a significant sharpness boost from the April patch. Close-up details now hold up much better on a 4K display, eliminating the prior softness. This improvement is likely due to refinements in the PSSR sharpening algorithm, making the balanced mode a more compelling choice for players who prioritize a sharper image without committing to the 30fps target of the quality setting.
Overall, this update represents a substantial step forward for visual fidelity on the PS5 Pro, prioritizing image quality for players who use the quality and balanced graphics modes. The patch successfully delivers the pin-sharp image that was missing at launch, even if it introduces minor performance considerations.
(Source: Digitalfoundry.net)
