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00:00:00 – 00:23:20
The video discusses the technical and performance aspects of the game "Alan Wake 2" across various platforms, focusing on Remedy's advanced use of technology. Key points include the utilization of Nvidia's ray tracing enhancements and the differences in rendering techniques and performance between consoles (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Series S) and PC. Console versions do not support hardware-accelerated ray tracing and offer different modes that impact image quality and performance, with Series S showing more significant limitations. The GPU and shader advancements, including task and mesh shaders, are also examined, highlighting their effect on visual quality and performance. Notable graphical issues are discussed, such as instability in lighting and texture quality on the Series S.
Moreover, the video touches on memory management challenges, stuttering issues, and input latency, with the Xbox Series X generally outperforming the PS5 in dense areas. On PCs, Nvidia GPUs show better performance with ray tracing compared to AMD GPUs, which struggle due to lack of ray reconstruction. Specific GPU performances, like the RTX 2070 and RX 6800, are assessed, noting the impact of ray tracing and VRAM usage on overall performance.
The video also addresses the visual quality settings, emphasizing the impactful character models, HDR settings, and the game's atmospheric design reminiscent of "Twin Peaks." Finally, the video acknowledges the game's stability and impressive visuals despite some technical bugs and memory demands, and it praises Remedy for their innovation and technological achievements.
00:00:00
In this segment, the discussion centers on the technology and performance of the game Alan Wake 2 across various platforms. Remedy, the development team, is noted for their history of pushing technological boundaries since the days of Max Payne. Alan Wake 2 leverages advanced techniques, notably with Nvidia’s Ray tracing enhancements, but console versions, particularly the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, do not support hardware-accelerated ray tracing. Both consoles provide high-quality 30fps and reduced-quality 60fps modes. The Xbox Series S offers only a 30fps mode with reduced performance compared to its higher-end counterparts. Differences between quality and performance modes are highlighted, such as image resolution and rendering effects, with the quality mode providing better stability and clarity. The game’s high memory demands are emphasized, impacting image quality based on available memory and rendering resolution. The performance mode, while improving fluidity and input latency, affects image quality negatively.
00:03:00
In this part of the video, the focus is on the graphical performance and visual stability issues observed in different modes, particularly on the Series S console. Key points include the instability and flickering in lighting, motion blur, thin geometry, specular highlights, and depth of field, which become more pronounced in performance mode. On the Series S, the limited memory negatively impacts texture quality, making some in-game sections almost unreadable. The resolution drops to 1440p but is often rendered at a lower FSR 2 base of 1280x720p, causing severe ghosting, blurring, flicker, and noise. The discussion suggests possible optimizations, like reducing certain effects, to improve resolution closer to a 1080p target. Additionally, the video touches on the Northlight engine’s transition to a GPU-driven renderer, marking a significant shift from CPU-driven rendering.
00:06:00
In this part of the video, the discussion revolves around the advancements in GPU technology, specifically focusing on the task and mesh shaders. It explains how these shaders allow the GPU to build its own list of primitives to draw, leading to CPU and bandwidth reductions while enhancing visual quality by minimizing level of detail (LOD) popping. It also touches upon the performance impact on different systems, highlighting that PlayStation 5 has more pronounced stuttering issues in dense foliage sections due to its architecture and memory management, whereas the Xbox Series X handles these tasks more efficiently. Additionally, the comparison indicates that the series X benefits from its wider compute units for better parallel processing of tasks.
00:09:00
In this part of the video, the performance of various gaming consoles (Series X, Series S, and PS5) under different modes and scenarios is analyzed. The API and memory-related issues impact performance, especially in heavy sections where Series X shows a 10-20% improvement over others with the 1.08 patch. Input latency in quality mode is discussed, with Series S and PS5 showing slightly better figures compared to Series X. The 60 FPS refresh rate improves fluidity with both consoles handling it well, although PS5 experiences more significant frame dips in dense areas compared to Series X. Additionally, Series S maintains consistent performance at 30 FPS, although it experiences occasional frame dips and adaptive tearing. Overall, Series S displays stable performance despite minor image quality issues and the same input latency observed in quality mode.
00:12:00
In this segment of the video, the discussion focuses on the performance and features of Nvidia and AMD GPUs, particularly in relation to path tracing and ray tracing. Significant improvements over console versions are noted, especially with Nvidia GPUs. The presenter mentions that 8 GB GPUs struggle with ray tracing and that their older Nvidia 2000 series card crashes quickly. AMD GPUs lack ray reconstruction, leading to poorer performance even with FSR 2. The RTX 3080 can achieve around 30 fps, though VRAM limitations exist. Path tracing and real-time ray tracing enhance lighting, shadows, and reflections, despite some issues like light occlusion errors. Superior reflection quality and more stable images improve the gaming experience, notably at higher resolutions, with a recommendation for resolutions above 1080p for better image quality.
00:15:00
In this part of the video, the discussion revolves around the quality settings and performance of a game on different platforms, including PC and consoles. The consoles generally run the game on a medium preset for Quality mode, which combines various settings from ultra to low, excluding ray tracing. Performance mode on consoles lowers most settings to low, affecting items like wall density and foliage.
The video praises the game’s visual effects, character models, and materials that evoke a Twin Peaks vibe. It emphasizes the importance of HDR settings to enhance the game’s contrast and color range, noting that HDR provides superior blacks and whites while SDR may falter in these areas. Additionally, the video highlights the game’s excellent character models, facial animations, and well-balanced mix of action, exploration, puzzles, and conversations. The effectiveness of the team’s technology and art direction, alongside their history of innovative graphics from past games like Quantum Break, is also acknowledged.
00:18:00
In this segment of the video, several PC configurations are tested to evaluate how shader performance scales. The RTX 2070 struggles significantly, showing 40-50% lower performance compared to the PS5 in worst-case scenarios. It requires a lower upscale target to maintain 60 FPS or a 30/40 FPS cap at 120 FPS screen rate, with ray tracing not being a feasible option. The RX 6800 paired with a 5600x CPU matches the performance mode of the Series X, delivering a solid 60 FPS despite occasional stutters. It can also achieve 40 FPS with a quality matching mode. The Series X and RX 6800 offer nearly identical performance and quality, although AMD cards face higher impacts, particularly with CPU costs in some sections. The RTX 3080 can manage 30 FPS with maximum settings and ray tracing, using DLSS balanced at 1440p. It experiences dips into the mid-40s FPS in heavier sections, generally mirroring PS5 performance. PC configurations benefit from targeting DLSS balanced 1800p for near 60 FPS performance, though ray tracing significantly impacts performance, with VRAM usage being a key factor.
00:21:00
In this segment, the video discusses the demanding nature of the game “Alan Wake 2,” especially when ray tracing is enabled, adding approximately 1 GB to the overall size. Despite this, the game remains stable and impressive, although the rasterized version could use some refinement in areas like shading artifacts, shadow filtering, and post-processing flicker. The console versions offer a near-complete experience compared to the PC, retaining the game’s rich atmosphere and high-quality audio-visual elements. However, there are notable bugs including crashes to desktop, serious sound glitches, and even total sound loss, particularly on PC and Xbox Series S, although the PlayStation 5 has its own performance issues. The video concludes by acknowledging the memory demands and performance balancing challenges but praises Remedy for their technological advancements and creative prowess.