Returnal for PC | Review Thread

[Remij]

The antiquated pc architecture really gets in the way. It may all be super fast at a component level, but bringing it all together and moving assets around in modern more demanding games is just going to get worse.

No... PC architecture isn't antiquated... it's a simple matter that games are primarily designed around console architecture contraints and thus aren't coded to properly take advantage of the far more capable PC architecture and hardware.

This is literally consoles holding PC back.. and suffering from it.. because you can take the best console games and port them to PC, and they'll work by and large... but you can't do the same the other way around.

That's why it is currently the way it is.

 

[Remij]

Game by game basis, but usually they will be completely fixed

*edit* looks like the stuttering is due to RT reflections and there's no stuttering without it. Not sure but my guess is they just slapped the RT implementation in and this might take a bit longer to fix but the base game should run and look fine without them.

No. The issue with UE4 is that you can't precompile RT shaders because it's currently not possible to capture the PSO data for those shader types. UE5.1 has fixed this, and now all shader types can be pre-compiled.

The only way around it currently is by actually creating a small level and spawing all the materials and RT shaders and actually drawing them, and doing this in the background while on the title screen.

 

[Muddasar]

What is your problem with others enjoying other console games day 1? you gonna be sad of not being special anymore? Lol.

It's only a matter time before Sony puts out their "exclusives" on PC Day 1 with PS5.

The past couple of years says otherwise.

Sony first party PC sales have been average at best.

Pocket change more than anything for Sony.

 

[Shmunter]

No... PC architecture isn't antiquated... it's a simple matter that games are primarily designed around console architecture contraints and thus aren't coded to properly take advantage of the far more capable PC architecture and hardware.

This is literally consoles holding PC back.. and suffering from it.. because you can take the best console games and port them to PC, and they'll work by and large... but you can't do the same the other way around.

That's why it is currently the way it is.

Hard disagree. Pc memory setup require multiple stages of memory management to put results onto the screen. Consoles with unified ram together with this Gen’s secondary storage dma and on the fly hardware decompression eliminates all complexity and latency.

Pc architecture at the wholistic level has not changed since the 1st gfx card.

The Direct storage initiative is the correct move, but seemingly it’s not all singing and dancing as have hoped, still hamstrung by legacy architecture based on recent results.

 

[Remij]

Hard disagree. Pc memory setup require multiple stages of memory management to put results onto the screen. Consoles with unified ram together with this Gen’s secondary storage dma and on the fly hardware decompression eliminates all complexity and latency.

Pc architecture at the wholistic level has not changed since the 1st gfx card.

The Direct storage initiative is the correct move, but seemingly it’s not all singing and dancing as have hoped, still hamstrung by legacy architecture based on recent results.

Of course... but that's only an issue.. because games are designed primarily for console UMAs... like I said.

IF games were built differently.... An entire Returnal biome could be loaded into 32GB of RAM so that it didn't have to stream in anything, or nearly as much....

PC's architectural inefficiencies are more than overcome by the sheer brute force of the components and system bus bandwidth. Games just don't take advantage of it because of the consoles. Porting from console to PC is much easier than taking a game designed specifically around PC architecture and then porting it to console.

 

[KiryuRealty]

No... PC architecture isn't antiquated... it's a simple matter that games are primarily designed around console architecture contraints and thus aren't coded to properly take advantage of the far more capable PC architecture and hardware.

This is literally consoles holding PC back.. and suffering from it.. because you can take the best console games and port them to PC, and they'll work by and large... but you can't do the same the other way around.

That's why it is currently the way it is.

Man, there are elements of PC architecture that date back to 1981 and the first IBM PC, so drop the bullshit.

 

[Remij]

Man, there are elements of PC architecture that date back to 1981 and the first IBM PC, so drop the bullshit.

Doesn't change what I said in the slightest.. a lot of that same shit applies to your shiny PS5 and XSeries consoles..

 

[anonpuffs]

And how exactly does this hurt you in particular or hurts the gamers? That's their problem to deal with, not yours or the gamers. Bottom line is more people get to play a really good game whether sales are average or not lol. Why do you care how much money is making of this? That's not going to your pocket lol. So we are hating PS "exclusives" because its on available on a different platform? KEKW.

Day 1 releases hurt because you have to devote a lot of resources to porting the game instead of making it as good as it can be.

 

[Shmunter]

Of course... but that's only an issue.. because games are designed primarily for console UMAs... like I said.

IF games were built differently.... An entire Returnal biome could be loaded into 32GB of RAM so that it didn't have to stream in anything, or nearly as much....

PC's architectural inefficiencies are more than overcome by the sheer brute force of the components and system bus bandwidth. Games just don't take advantage of it because of the consoles. Porting from console to PC is much easier than taking a game designed specifically around PC architecture and then porting it to console.

Sure, loading everything into ram can overcome secondary storage streaming issues, but you are still stuck moving and decompressing assets on the fly to the GPU. If they were to be uncompressed in ram you’d probably need to multiply that ram reserve by several magnitudes.

Not to mention waiting for not insignificant startup times to load so much into ram.

As Games get more dense environments and gfx fidelity, more and more reliance is placed on just in time assets being brought in and out of ram. Pc architecture just isn’t cut out for this. Hence my prognosis that things will get worse before they get better.

 

[Bodycount611]

What is your problem with others enjoying other console games day 1? you gonna be sad of not being special anymore? Lol.

It's only a matter time before Sony puts out their "exclusives" on PC Day 1 with PS5.

this is the most absurd,annoying and disingenuous bait that's ever been birthed in the gaming space. I don't care if PC gamers are enjoying anything, there's no blood pact required to earn the right to buy a PS5 (or any other console/platform). Everyone is free to do so. There is no such thing as gatekeeping.

I paid several hundred dollars for my PS5 and I am entitled to exclusive software for it.

PC gamers should be so lucky to even get the games 2 or 3 or 10 years later, if at all. We all know losing exclusives devalues a platform, no need to play along with PC gamers thinly-veiled begging.

 

[anonpuffs]

You do realize this is why Sony bought Nixxes right? Nixxes is part of their 1st party studios now specifically made for PC porting - https://www.polygon.com/22558968/playstation-studios-acquires-nixxes-software-pc-ports

If Sony wasn't getting enough sales on PC they most likely would not have invested the money to a PC porting studio in the first place. And no, it doesn't hurt the gamer - the game got great scores on PC. The thing about PC is that you have a very wide range of hardware, but honestly speaking PC gaming is a lot more affordable now and easier to get into than it was in the early 2000s. There are a ton of money to make from PC users and they are very smart for doing so. Why would a company not want more money? And no, it doesn't hurt gamers in any shape or form. Sony doesn't release their products until they believe the game has reached the quality and polish it needs regardless of the amount of platforms.

Nixxes is a single studio

 

[Muddasar]

And how exactly does this hurt you in particular or hurts the gamers? That's their problem to deal with, not yours or the gamers. Bottom line is more people get to play a really good game whether sales are average or not lol. Why do you care how much money is making of this? That's not going to your pocket lol. So we are hating PS "exclusives" because its on available on a different platform? KEKW.

Who said it hurts me or other gamers?

Couldn’t care less what Sony does.

I am just giving an opinion.

PC sales have been shite and only a deluded PCMR gamer would believe Sony will somehow put them on the same priority as Sony Playstation gamers by releasing Day 1 on PC.

You honestly believe they will do that when they can delay the releases and get people to buy a Playstation console to play it first?