Digital Foundry: Stellar Blade Demo - PS5 First Impressions - Every Mode Tested!

[Gamernyc78]

Coming from South Korean developer Shift Up, Stellar Blade is the team's very first effort in the AAA console space and an excellent one at that. As a PS5 exclusive the comparisons boil down to three graphics modes today, where the demo build reveals the balanced mode offers up the best trade between 60fps performance and image quality.

00:00 Intro
01:30 Tech Overview
06:34 Mode Comparisons
09:12 Balanced mode frame-rate test
10:11 Performance mode frame-rate test
11:24 Resolution mode frame-rate test
12:41 Verdict

All cut-scenes in the demo are rendered in-engine
- Game is running on Unreal Engine 4

- 3 graphics mode. Performance, Balance, Resolution
- Light sources, high quality bokeh and filmic presentation praised
- Physics praised on for debree etc in the game

- Occasional last-gen textures with low resolution texture maps
- Reflections are SSR only, no RT even on the Resolution mode

- Besides resolution, visual features are a match between all 3 modes

Balanced Mode:
- Aims for 60 FPS with reconstruction, DRS between 1080p~1440p reconstructed to 4K
- Balance mode can add some artifacts to finer things like fence meshes, rare to see but it is there
- FPS drops to mid 50s in areas in the demo, but it is within the VRR window
- Cut-scenes also run at 60 FPS

Performance Mode:
- Native 1440p with no up-scaling
- Produces a coarser image with the most visual noise
- Anti aliasing is adequate but pales compared to Balanced in terms of IQ
- Perf mode avoids the artifacts in Balanced mode on fine details
- Locked 60 FPS with no drops seen during the demo

Resolution:
- 2160p with minor DRS at 30 FPS
- 30 FPS is 'quite a sacrifice for this type of game'
- Aside resolution, no other visual settings are tweaked for this mode
- 30 FPS is evenly frame-paced

Verdict:
- Balanced mode is DF's recommend way to play the game

 

[John Elden Ring]

All cut-scenes in the demo are rendered in-engine
- Game is running on Unreal Engine 4

- 3 graphics mode. Performance, Balance, Resolution
- Light sources, high quality bokeh and filmic presentation praised
- Physics praised on for debree etc in the game

- Occasional last-gen textures with low resolution texture maps
- Reflections are SSR only, no RT even on the Resolution mode

- Besides resolution, visual features are a match between all 3 modes

Balanced Mode:
- Aims for 60 FPS with reconstruction, DRS between 1080p~1440p reconstructed to 4K
- Balance mode can add some artifacts to finer things like fence meshes, rare to see but it is there
- FPS drops to mid 50s in areas in the demo, but it is within the VRR window
- Cut-scenes also run at 60 FPS

Performance Mode:
- Native 1440p with no up-scaling
- Produces a coarser image with the most visual noise
- Anti aliasing is adequate but pales compared to Balanced in terms of IQ
- Perf mode avoids the artifacts in Balanced mode on fine details
- Locked 60 FPS with no drops seen during the demo

Resolution:
- 2160p with minor DRS at 30 FPS
- 30 FPS is 'quite a sacrifice for this type of game'
- Aside resolution, no other visual settings are tweaked for this mode
- 30 FPS is evenly frame-paced

Verdict:
- Balanced mode is DF's recommend way to play the game

 

[peter42O]

Sounds great. Played the demo on performance mode and that's where I will play the main game. Three weeks to go!! Can't wait!!

 

[Gamernyc78]

Sounds great. Played the demo on performance mode and that's where I will play the main game. Three weeks to go!! Can't wait!!

We in there!

 

[Sircaw]

Fs, I so wanted Alex to do this review.

 

[rofif]

I finished the demo at 4k30 and it played great. Very low input lag and small deadzones. It's responsive.
Then I switched to balanced and tbh... of course 60fps is way better but it even kinda... looks better? res mode is a bit more aliased. Maybe the 1800p or whatever the balanced mode is softens the image a bit.
I am undecided but I will probably play the full game in balanced mode. Seems very good.

If it was only performance vs res mode, I would play in res mode. Performance is too aliased.

Lol btw Tom describes everything about physics... hair, clothes and so on. he never mentions jiggle physics lol.

 

[Gamernyc78]

Fs, I so wanted Alex to do this review.

What outfit you wanted him to have on? 

 

[Sircaw]

What outfit you wanted him to have on? 

The same one that @JAHGamer uses at his workplace.

 

[Gamernyc78]

The same one that @JAHGamer uses at his workplace.

 

[Shmunter]

Her ass has got an entire levels worth of geometry. A technical triumph not seen since the protags jawline in Control.

 

[Gamernyc78]

Performance all the way with Stellar

 

[JAHGamer]

The same one that @JAHGamer uses at his workplace.

Cmon man, I come to this site to take my mind off work, not to be reminded of it

 

[TubzGaming]

Cmon man, I come to this site to take my mind off work, not to be reminded of it

 

[anonpuffs]

Btw it's "debris" not "debree"

It's triggering me that multiple people have made the same typo in this thread

 

[TubzGaming]

Btw it's "debris" not "debree"

It's triggering me that multiple people have made the same typo in this thread

American English pronunciation - Daybree

British English pronunciation - Daybree or Debree

"Debree" is a misspelling of "debris," which is a noun that means scattered pieces or fragments of waste, rubbish, or remains that result from the destruction, decay, or disintegration of something larger. It can encompass various types of discarded materials or broken objects.

"Debris" is challenging to spell because it is pronounced differently from how it is spelled; "debris" has a silent "s" you would not pronounce, and the last "i" is pronounced like "ee" instead of like a single soft "i." "Debris" is borrowed from the French "débris," and because words in French are pronounced differently than in English, when the word is adopted into English, the French-based pronunciation can make the word confusing to spell.

A lot of people spell words by how they sound so depending on what you know or version of English you speak its an easy mistake to make

 

[anonpuffs]

American English pronunciation - Daybree

British English pronunciation - Daybree or Debree

A lot of people spell words by how they sound so depending on what you know or version of English you speak its an easy mistake to make

 

[ToTTenTranz]

Verdict:
- Balanced mode is DF's recommend way to play the game Wait for PS5 Pro and play 60FPS VRR on Resolution mode.

Fixed that for them.

 

[ethomaz]

Fixed that for them.

The Resolution Mode has locked 30fps… unless the developer patch it to unlock it PS5 Pro won’t runt at 60fps.

Basically the Resolution Mode will have near no gain with PS5 Pro because the DRS is already near locked at 4k and the framerate is locked at 30fps.

Performance mode the same because it has locked resolution and framerate.

Balanced will be the only mode taking advantage (without patch) from PS5 Pro… the resolution won’t drop anymore becoming locked 1440p and the framreate wont drop to 50fps become locked at 60fps.

Now if the developer works in a PS5 Pro mode via patch then it can use the power how they wish include using the PS DLSS alternative together with better settings, textures and why not RT.