Digital Foundry: Diablo 4 - Digital Foundry Tech Review - PS5 vs Xbox Series X/S vs PS4

[John Elden Ring]

Blizzard's latest triple-A release has finally landed... and it's looking to be in great shape on PlayStation 5 and both Xbox Series consoles. Oliver Mackenzie runs the rule over image quality and performance and takes a look at how the last-gen versions shape up with a look at the base PlayStation 4 version of the game. And yes, of course, there's a bunch of Diablo 3 to Diablo 4 comparisons to reveal how Diablo has dramatically improved in the latest series entry.

00:00 Overview
00:49 Visual features
05:24 Diablo 3 comparison
07:41 Image quality and performance
10:54 Last-gen consoles
12:18 Analysis and conclusion

- Visual enhancements over D3 commented and praised
- Praise at the abundance of real time cut-scenes
- Praise of shaders, physics, environmental detail / destruction
- Very polished game, at the same time not really seeing a lot of next-gen features
- No day/night cycle.

- Character models in D4 are far more complex with much higher material qualities than D3
- The game world is also much more complex with much more normal maps and higher fidelity
- D3 had fully baked in lighting, D4's lighting is much better and spells also project light / shadows

- PS5 | SX: Internal 1260p using FSR 2 to reconstruc to 4K. Very clean final resolve.
- Spotting reconstruction is a challenge.
- Series S: 864p reconstructed to 1440p. Looks softer than SX|PS5, but looks fine in itself.
- PS5 | SX are visual matches while Series S can have lower shadow maps, AO and some assets
- But it's very hard to spot owing to the games camera

- All consoles target 60 FPS
- SX | SS can have one off drops but stay at to 60 FPS practically all the time.
- PS5 has one off frame drops a bit more often, but again it's 60 FPS almost all the time.

- The games real time cut-scenes run at 30 FPS on all consoles.

- Last gen: (DF only tested PS4)
- PS4: Targets 30 FPS instead of 60 with severe frame drops.
- Environmental fidelity, textures and shadows drop in quality
- Internally at 720p with reconstruction to 1080p.

 

[ghostz]

Another PS L. Shocker…

 

[SLB1904]

Another PS L. Shocker…

Looks exactly the same to me. And it's 9tf vs 12tf so seems like it's series console L to me

 

[ghostz]

Looks exactly the same to me. And it's 9tf vs 12tf so seems like it's series console L to me

It says there are more frequent drops on PS5.

 

[SLB1904]

It says there are more frequent drops on PS5.

Still drops on series console. That fact that ps5 keeps up with 12tf machine seems like a good trade off.

 

[Old Gamer]

Why did they leave Xbox One out, I wonder...

 

[Bryank75]

Doesn't effect me high or low but it's good to see that Activisions relationship hasn't been damaged to the degree where Xbox fanboys were pushing the idea PS versions would suffer and Xbox would get full exclusives.

 

[ghostz]

Still drops on series console. That fact that ps5 keeps up with 12tf machine seems like a good trade off.

Regardless, worst on PS5.

 

[Nhomnhom]

864p on Diablo. Pure next gen.

 

[Red2Radio]

Why did they leave Xbox One out, I wonder...

They wouldn't anger the people who write their paychecks, i.e. MSFT.

@ghostz "PS5 has one off frame drops a bit more often, but again it's 60 FPS almost all the time." = worst
lol , okay.

 

[flaccidsnake]

This is the rare game I'm playing in the trifecta: TV+gamepad, Laptop+mouse, handheld. It's equally suited to all 3 modes*, which is crazy.

*other than lacking same-screen coop

 

[SLB1904]

Regardless, worst on PS5.

Are you really flexing 1 frame? What happened to shame

 

[ghostz]

Are you really flexing 1 frame? What happened to shame

Not flexing anything. Just stating a fact. Calm down….

 

[SLB1904]

Not flexing anything. Just stating a fact. Calm down….

Nah bud. You just being petty. I get that that's the best w you got after ps5 wiping the floor with series consoles for the past years. But one frame? Lmfao

 

[ghostz]

Nah bud. You just being petty. I get that that's the best w you got after ps5 wiping the floor with series consoles for the past years. But one frame? Lmfao

most multiplat games are better on series x this year (and this gen). Not sure what you’re referencing.

 

[Gamernyc78]

Diablo 4 tested: a great experience on all current-gen consoles

Some eleven years after Diablo 3, Blizzard is back with another barnstorming hack and slash adventure. Diablo 4 is a re…

www.eurogamer.net

 

[SLB1904]

most multiplat games are better on series x this year (and this gen). Not sure what you’re referencing.

Yeah sure

 

[Systemshock2023]

RX 580 matches Series S so it seems to be a pretty well optimized game across all platforms which is a rarity in 2023.

 

[Gamernyc78]

most multiplat games are better on series x this year (and this gen). Not sure what you’re referencing.

You must be living in a bizzaro world. Something like more than half the games have been performing better on PS5 I mean in all these forums for over a year ppl have been making fun of the X and it's uber duper power and "waiting for the tools" because PS5 has been beating it out almost everytime lol smh.

 

[Sircaw]

Another PS L. Shocker…

Are you really trying to fabricate a win over a few frames on a game that has already received two patches since its early release,

The game is fantastic on all platforms, stop being so fucking petty about a few drops you can't notice or see, it's a win for all Diablo fans out there.