High standards feel disappointing.
High standards feel disappointing.
It seems someone shared this video before, but the search didn't turn up much. The main point is that high-quality settings don’t really boost overall game graphics much compared to lower settings, yet performance drops significantly. The presenter believes this is because 1080p remains the standard resolution, and developers focus on lower-end devices instead of pushing higher resolutions. I think that’s fair. For my part, I started 4K gaming feeling average—not due to performance problems, but because most games weren’t designed for it yet. 1440p was the next big thing, and after that it didn’t improve much. What are your thoughts?
At 1080P, most viewers still enjoy the experience at a lower resolution. I run Overwatch at 144Hz, and going beyond the Low setting feels wasteful because it adds unnecessary input delay. Yet, in Epic settings the visuals improve significantly even though frame rates drop roughly in half. For 4K playback, clarity is usually sufficient so the difference often goes unnoticed.
Didn't watch the video, but the marketing person for AMD mentioned similar points when they launched the Polaris RX480. Ultimately, it comes down to what the player wants. If you need everything, you should upgrade the hardware. If you're okay with a trade-off between frames per second and quality, that's fine too. On a related note, I don't see resolution and quality as the same thing. For instance, 4K at low versus ultra at 1080p are different experiences, and which is better depends on the game.
In most games, ultra quality seems excessive when compared to very high or high. For example, frame rates that don’t noticeably improve. Maximizing settings no longer matters due to diminishing returns. You usually have to look at side-by-side screenshots and zoom in to see the differences between high and ultra. Medium and low settings tell a different story...
Agreed. The advanced options in Mirror's Edge Catalyst cause problems on my PC (stuttering and slow performance), unlike Ultra where everything runs smoothly.
Normal mapping is also known as bump mapping. It doesn’t seem to function well in VR, but there’s potential for more detailed textures. I find it frustrating when objects look blurry or pixelated up close, even though distance quality scaling exists. There’s definitely room for better results.