610°

What does it take to run Forza Horizon 3 at 1080p60?

Digital Foundry:
Right now, the bottom line is that while a smooth 60fps is possible, the raw brute force required to get the job done on the higher presets is likely beyond the reach of most mainstream gaming PCs, and that's a shame, because the experience clearly benefits immensely. Disabling MSAA is the first step on the journey to a smoother ride, but even doing that comes with some reservations - Xbox One runs with 4x MSAA and it looks great. Even at 4K, no multi-sampling can lead to some intrusive visual artefacts - especially on pixel break-up on power lines. Obviously, these become more of an issue as you scale down resolution. Quite why MSAA is an issue at all - and why enabling it even causes performance issues at 1080p with the fastest single-chip GPU money can buy - is something of a mystery.

Read Full Story >>
eurogamer.net
2782d ago Replies(4)
maybelovehate2781d ago

The higher presets are meant to push the boundaries. Not sure what that is surprising. It is like that with every graphically intensive game.

SCW19822781d ago

I understand what your saying but when 1070 and 1080 cards are having a hard time with 60 fps and MSAA on that is a problem with optimizing.

maybelovehate2781d ago

On the high presets.. Which again is expected. You can easily get 60fps and 1080p by altering your settings. On Ultra you will need to set it to 30fps for all the bells and whistles if you want a steady frame rate unless you have hardware that can brute force the issue as the article says. This isn't unique to Forza Horizons. Ultra is not meant for the every day PC. I can make any game that is graphically intensive crawl on the highest settings. And there are no open world racing PC games that come close to the graphics of Forza Horizons 3. Not even remotely close.

2781d ago
SCW19822781d ago (Edited 2781d ago )

If you really think that the 1070 and 1080 cant handle all the bells and whistles of this game at 60 fps ultra on an i7 CPU than you are drastically underestimating the power of these cards. These two cards with that CPU are not considered the "everyday PC."

maybelovehate2781d ago

I know they can't. I know that even multiple 1080's in an SLI setup are not good enough for Ultra in some games. These settings in many cases are meant to push the boundaries of what is possible. And what is possible in PC gaming can get very ridiculous.

Kryptix2781d ago (Edited 2780d ago )

The GTX 1080 has 5+ teraflops, that's enough to put this game on Ultra at 1080p 60fps. It's not even in 4k.

Let's be honest, this game is not optimized well on PC and you know nothing about power. Even Battlefield 1 on Ultra didn't have issues like this and that game is pushing graphical boundaries and has more things happening on screen. Funniest part? That was a beta and alpha build.

EDIT: LOL Once again, you fail, miserably and that's understandable from a person that knows nothing about anything. The GPU completely renders what's mostly in front of you, not everything that's miles away from you. So it wouldn't matter how big the maps are, it's not the GPU's job to put the rest of the data in memory, that's the RAM.

And it wasn't just the desert map that was under test, and that other map ran well, too. It's ok though, ^_^ you tried your best.

EDIT 2:
"Battlefield will most likely..." Most likely, even you don't know precisely. lol
"Almost all large array based calculations will be done on the GPU if they are time sensitive"
Like I said, it "completely renders" what's mostly in front of you, (and around) not something miles away. That texture data from miles away is kept in the RAM ready to be loaded into the GPU when it needs it. Do you really think games like Minecraft and No Man's Sky huge areas get fully rendered into the GPU? The whole universe? No. Don't believe you do it for a living. People only say those words when they're trying hard to get whatever no sense point across. Being open world doesn't change anything, the CPU and RAM still have a job to do. It's not the 90s anymore, those 2 parts have become more efficient. Also, BF1 has more graphical physics going on than Horizon 3, like explosions, air and land vehicles, horses, body physics, dust, smoke, weather, buildings or landmarks being destroyed, trains...still runs smoother on Ultra and it was in alpha and beta. Polygon count also gets reduced the farther objects are, reducing the load in the GPU. Once again, you're making up explanations as you go. It's getting cute seeing you try.

maybelovehate2781d ago

As big as the maps are in Battlefield, let's be honest and realize that driving through one in Forza would take maybe 5 seconds? Battlefield is not an open world game with a lot of streaming of content. The battles take place on a single map at a time. The game is not streaming in the entire continent of Australia at one time. In the case of the beta it was a barren desert which had very little in the landscape besides sand on rocks.

maybelovehate2781d ago (Edited 2780d ago )

Actually it matters very much. This isn't the 1990's where the CPU did all the heavy lifting before render. The GPU does a lot more than just render the current frame in a game. Almost all large array based calculations will be done on the GPU if they are time sensitive. Plus if you do not have to stream textures you do not have to worry about the GPU memory constantly swapping. Battlefield will most likely be storing everything it needs for the map in memory without swapping. Most racing games are also able to do this, but not an open world game like Forza Horizons where you cannot predetermine everything in memory since you can travel to any location in the game. But what do I know, I only do this for a living.

Edit: making up explanations? If you cannot see that a single map is easier to plan memory around than a open world I am not sure what to tell you. But to each their own. Believe what you will.

Sephiroushin2781d ago

"Ultra is not meant for the every day PC"
1070 & 1080 are not everyday PCs, those cards should be able to handle this game easily, yet they don't. It's a problem of optimization even the $1000+ GPU Titan X drops in frame when msaa is turned on which is just sad...

maybelovehate2781d ago

Titan X drops frames on Witcher 3 on Ultra as well. Quite badly actually. I rarely ever run games on Ultra on the Titan X if I want a solid frame rate. Titan X and 1080 are very nice graphics cards but they are not capable of running ultra settings on most games by themselves. Ultra is just that. Meant for machines with multiple GPU's. But Titan X and 1080 can run games very nicely with reasonably high graphics settings.

Unspoken2780d ago

Do you own the game or either card?

SCW19822781d ago (Edited 2781d ago )

@maybelovehate

Sorry but you really need to do your research a little more. Your claims of knowing what those cards can and cant do are completely out of touch with reality. I do not mean you any disrespect but your flat out wrong on this one.

maybelovehate2781d ago

Is it? I game on a Titan X which is pretty comparable to 1080. I also design 3d graphics and work in 3d rendering. I am also a hobbyist game developer. I am used to running Farms of 50+ PC's for rendering because I know just how limited a single GPU is in the actual world of computing.

Sephiroushin2780d ago

Yea but its not like it has been trying to be achieved on 4k... A Titan X is way stronger than a xbox scorpio, and that has not even released, thats why the game need more optimization, if it can run on xbox one it should be able to run on a titan x without problems, heck a 1070 should have no problem... and SLI doesn't work on many games, where you turn it on and frames gets below 20fps, SLI and Crossfire is getting better as times go though

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 2780d ago
Zarock2781d ago (Edited 2781d ago )

I run the game @ 4k 60fps with a 980ti and an i5
Desert Test:
http://youtu.be/Me4ay-JXpWs
City Test:
https://youtu.be/PfboG7kNE0...

SniperControl2781d ago (Edited 2780d ago )

I call BS on that.

I have a OC 980ti and i7 and it runs like total crap at 4k@60.

@Boss

Of course they do, but according to DF, the game is very CPU bound, a i5 would cause serious bottleneck on that GPU running at that res.

@Unspoken

Oh, i've got one ok, my PC usage is well documented on here, if you want to play a game at xbox settings be my guest, but stop trying to imply everybody with problems on PC is down to user error, you sound like a arrogant master race PC gamer.

For the record, i am a 15 year IT veteran who currently works in the IT department of a luxury car manufacturer based here in the UK, i know my 5h1t when it comes to PC's.

BossBattle2781d ago

There's more to a setup than graphics card. The other components matter too.

Zarock2781d ago (Edited 2781d ago )

Somthing is wrong with your pc Here you go http://youtu.be/Me4ay-JXpWs
An i5 Is never a bottleneck on this gpu well only If you trust the idiots from digital foundry.

Unspoken2780d ago

Sniper you have no idea what you are talking about any more. Stop your BS trolling. I bet you don't even own a PC.

zb1ftw7772781d ago

If you point the camera to the road so no other objects are on the screen, im sure it does.

Zarock2781d ago

I can point the camera on your mom and still never drop frames Here you go http://youtu.be/Me4ay-JXpWs

Unspoken2780d ago

Heavy city scenes and some forests can drop it into the 50's but for 90% of the game it will stay locked at 60 FPS.

notachance2781d ago

I'm not sure if that's a troll comment or joke attempt...

Zarock2781d ago

To all people calling me a liar here you go http://youtu.be/Me4ay-JXpWs

LexHazard792781d ago

Hey, its hard to tell even on youtube..bruh. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. I mean it doing 1080p 30 on Xbox One...so maybe its possible. Seems other pc gamers dont agree with you.

Glad I have it on Xbox One..it optimized pretty well on it.

Bolts2780d ago

I'm not sure why you're getting hate but it's absolutely true. You can easily run this game at 4K 60 FPS or 1080p 60 FPS without god like hardware. You just need to disable MSSA and tone down useless details like mirrors reflection quality. I have a i5 980 GTX in a small ITX case hooked up to my TV, I get 1080p 60 FPS all day with mostly ultra settings. The Xbox One can't even come close to how incredibly smooth this game runs.

It's just week one, with patches and driver update the performance will go through the roof.

neoandrew2780d ago (Edited 2780d ago )

Cuz you are a liar, why u show the desert vid over and over, cuz this is the only place you have 60 fps.

Why u are not pasting your city vid https://youtu.be/PfboG7kNE0... it has CONSTANT BELOW 50 FPS or EVEN LESS

50 FPS or EVEN LESS

Thats the truth, only EMPTY DESERT works, everything more and you don't have 60 fps, a crowded city with cars or in woods, constant below 50 or even 40 fps...

SO stop your lies and pure BS...

FITgamer2781d ago (Edited 2781d ago )

Upload a clip in the city. You're in the middle of the empty desert where the game has fewer issues. I also got a mostly stable frame rate in the desert. In the city though I had drops as low as 20 fps.

Kryptix2781d ago (Edited 2780d ago )

Not only do I wanna clap at you for driving in the desert where it's not resource heavy... I also wanna slow clap at you for clicking "Continue Without Saving" on the settings and uploading the video at 1080p 60fps. You know, anyone can show you that it's in 4k resolution selected in the menu, then backing out without applying and saving it.

So come back with a 4k video, clicking Save & Continue with those settings selected, and you driving in the city. Then, I'll believe you. I'm not easily fooled.

EDIT: I know he clicked the settings and those Ultra settings came up, but I have edited videos before and you can literally make it look like a clean transition like you always had that. Continuing without saving instead of clicking on the first option? Let's be honest, you wouldn't do that unless you had something else in mind.

By the way, Digital Foundry aren't the only ones with the issues. IGN talked about them, too in a gameplay video,

EDIT:

Seen his city video:

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

He's not wrong, at the same time, not consistent 60fps like he mentioned. Dips into the 40s, not constant. Actually, in the city, it rarely hits 60.

DF's main point though is that the game isn't optimized having MSAA enabled, even if you put it in 1080p using the newest cards. And that's an issue a lot of people are currently having, especially interesting since the Xbox One version has MSAA 4x enabled with no hiccups.

Zarock2781d ago (Edited 2781d ago )

The settings were already saved whats the point of saving them again!? Plus Its funny how people ask me to upload a video of the city when digital foundry only shows the opening sequence of the game where Its optimised the best. People said I can't get 60fps and I proved them wrong period. PS blame youtube for not showing the 4k option.

rainslacker2781d ago (Edited 2781d ago )

So, I was watching the video, and while it looked good, the medium lines on the road, and the AA on the cars show that this is not in 4K. Sorry, this game looks better than that in 4K....and before you say it, it's not Youtube introducing those issues, because the road signs show enough pixel crawl which would not be present from a video, but most definitely is from a rendered frame buffer. This is likely due to not having MSAA turned on....so it's kind of contrary to the point of the article

On top of that, the particle effects seem less detailed than they are in 4K, and the shadows and lighting seem off from the Ultra settings I've seen in 4K demos on actual PC's without having to resort to streaming videos.

I hate to call you a liar, but this just doesn't look as good as I've seen Forza look in 4K, which I will admittedly state is quite breathtaking and impressive. Some of that may be due to only uploading a 1080 video, but not for as many things as I see that look more like 1080 with some lower settings applied. I'll give it some more analysis later.

BTW, constantly posting the same link as a reply is unnecessary. It won't make people believe you any more or less. For now, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, but I'll be sure to have some graphic gurus take a look at it over at work tomorrow, and replicate what your settings are on our work computers for which we have a decent rig for testing purposes in that configuration already....which is what I use for my work currently.

EcoSos32780d ago

Wow I can't believe that you got so much hate for proving that you're running the game at 4K 60fps, they must be jealous of your pc set up lol

steven83r2780d ago

And you still have frame rate issues or did you not see your stutter? I am running it all settings maxed out but at 3440p x 1440p and my game has frame rate issues. So no you're not getting 60fps constant.

xPhearR3dx2780d ago

You also have MSAA completely off and are driving around below 100mph. Try uploading a video of you going 200MPH or even during a race with 10 other cars and MSAA on and see if you get 60FPS. And not only that, in the city you got 60FPS for a few seconds. 99% of the video was 45-55FPS.

I don't think the game is badly optimized as some people are saying, but don't say "Oh I run the game at 4K ultra @60FPS" when in reality it's mostly below 60FPS and you have MSAA turned off.

+ Show (10) more repliesLast reply 2780d ago
FITgamer2781d ago (Edited 2781d ago )

Unfortunately I got a refund on this game. It's poorly optimized and I was cheated out of my pre-order car packs. I'll buy it in the future if they fix it.

SniperControl2781d ago (Edited 2781d ago )

Thats what i did, i'll pick it up in a couple of months once patched to run better.

FITgamer2781d ago

Sucks because it was fun as hell. It got worse though the more I played it.

SniperControl2781d ago (Edited 2780d ago )

Yeah, once i hit the city, it was even worse, was having a great time racing my NSX as well.

I could have dropped it down to 1080p@30 with msaa off and medium settings, but like i said before, i didnt drop £650 on a i7 and 980ti to play games at those settings.

@zb1ftw777

Lol, Jesus christ no.

Edit2:
Lol, you make it sound like every pc game suffers from problems. I'd rather suffer problems on pc than buy a xbox.

zb1ftw7772781d ago

I dropped £200 on an xb1 and it runs perfectly.

Youll learn your lesson to not game on a PC ever again, just like i did.

freshslicepizza2781d ago

you seem perfectly happy playing at lower settings on your console for other games, so just wait for an update in the meantime.

zb1ftw7772780d ago

Then forever put up with microstutter, varying fps and shoddy ports and forever feeling you must save money to upgrade (upgrading will never fix these issues fyi).

All for 5 x the hardware cost.

2780d ago
Show all comments (122)
260°

Forza Horizon Games Ranked from Worst to Best

BLG writes: "When the Forza Horizon games franchise launched in 2012, it was an enjoyable spin-off of the highly successful simulation racer. A decade later, the Horizon series has overtaken Forza Motorsport series as one of, if not the, premiere driving video games of all time."

Read Full Story >>
bosslevelgamer.com
SinisterMister682d ago

Don't think there's literally a "worst" Forza game man. Microsoft just makes these too damn good.

MaximusPrime_682d ago

Microsoft didn't develop (make) Forza, Playground Games did.

Microsoft simply published it.

SinisterMister682d ago

Ah okay. Thanks for the correction mate!

MadLad682d ago

I see no difference being they've only ever made games for Microsoft on Microsoft's dime for the entirety of their existence as a developer.

Godmars290682d ago

@MadLad:
The amount of MTs and repeated attempts at rivalry towards Gran Turismo.

darthv72682d ago

@god, i think you are confusing motorsport with horizon. MS is compared to GT, Horizon isnt.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 682d ago
MadLad682d ago

@godmars

Care to explain how that has anything to do with anything here?

DOMination-682d ago

lol.. pedantic much? ^ PG and the Forza IP are owned by Microsoft.

FH5 may be a technical marvel but it's been a buggy mess since launch and PG seem intent to add new content without ever bothering to fix anything. Many of which were bugs that were also in FH4.

FH3
FH1
FH4
FH5
FH2 (still good but the structure was messed up - too much emphasis on grinding "roadtrips" which was tedious)

jznrpg682d ago (Edited 682d ago )

They didn’t buy Playground until 2018 or 2019 I forget which year but it hasn’t been that long . The first Forza came out in 2005 . So most of the games were published by MS at the time but they didn’t own PlayGround. MS doesn’t make good studios in general , they buy them .

DOMination-682d ago

When Sony buys a studio after working with them for a couple of games, people on here call it an "organic purchase". MS & Playground made three very good games, based on an existing IP using an engine made by Turn 10 before purchasing them. But it is still pedantic. Shall we say that Sony didn't make The Last of Us? Or that they don't "own" the first 12 Ratchet & Clank games because they only purchase Insomniac a few years back? We all know what they meant.

Anyway, Forza Motorsport has always been developed by Turn 10. Which Microsoft built from the ground up. So when you refer to games from 2005, your point about only buying studios is completely wrong.

darthv72682d ago

You left out a FH2, there were two versions. The one made for XBO by playground and the one made for 360 by sumo digital. There are enough differences to warrant each one being on its own.

monkey602682d ago

FH3 is my favourite by a long shot. I got surprisingly bored of FH5 quick enough unfortunately so that's down the bottom of my list

sammarshall102682d ago

Yeah I think this series peaked with Forza Horizon 3

Orbilator682d ago

I really dont care for any of the horizons. Hate having to do what I'm told. Forza 7 was the same, I didn't want to do anything other than race cars. But it made me drive lorries!!!..

Technically they all good games but I want the next Forza to be a proper car racer, all the trucks etc can be put under an arcade racing section which I never have to go into.

MrBaskerville681d ago

The mandatory gimmick races are a bit of a bad habit in FM games, atleast since 5. Also dislike the heavy amount of unskipable cutscenes and dialouge in FM5 and perhaps 7.

Azraeia681d ago

Tbh I found FH3 to actually be my favourite and the one I played the most.

The one I got bored of very quickly was 4. Wasn't a fan of the seasons and driving round England was boring cause its where I live. Got very old quick.

glennhkboy681d ago

I still think 2 (Xbox One version) is my personal best. Driving an Italian supercars on an Italian highway just feel so "right"!!!!! "2" make me understand why Italian make those supercars.

I don't know why so many do not like 4. I like the seasonal change & dramatic weather change. 5 seems to dial the weather change way way down that the weather seldom change (Is the real Mexico really has such a perfect weather all the time?).

Show all comments (20)
150°

How the Sophisticated Sky Capturing Brings the Forza Horizon Franchise to Life

KeenGamer: "The advanced sky capturing gives the Forza Horizon franchise a natural and realistic feeling. Yet, it's a long process from capturing to complete in-game sky. It's a technology that was introduced during the development of Forza Horizon 3, which provided more beauty and were widely praised by players."

Read Full Story >>
keengamer.com
iplay1up21041d ago (Edited 1041d ago )

Forza 4 looks really great now that Series updates have been applied. In Forza 5 Microsoft uses photo technology throughout the entire game. The volcano setting in Mexico looks amazing!

Lightning771041d ago

All this sky tech will no doubt make its way into the new Fable.

Rimeskeem1041d ago

Da Cloud jokes coming in 3...2....

Sol4ris1040d ago

Incredible looking game, and it's not even powered by the next iteration of the ForzaTech engine which is still developed by Turn10.
Time to flex that 12TF.

VariantAEC1034d ago

Maybe that's why it looks so meh to me.

1040d ago
Show all comments (7)
380°

Forza Horizon 3 Is Officially Being Delisted

The Playground Games team announced earlier today on Twitter and the Forza forums that 2016’s Forza Horizon 3 will be racing off into the sunset on September 27th, 2020. As they’ve done with previous installments in the series, Forza Horizon 3 will be on sale until it reaches “end of life” status on the 27th at which time the game and all of its DLC will be removed from digital stores.

TheEnigma3131372d ago

This is why I buy physical when I can. I remember losing MvC2 on PS3 because Disney bought the license and I couldn't download it anymore.

porkChop1372d ago

You can still download these games. You just can't buy them anymore.

CobraKai1372d ago

That’s one of the issues about digital games. Those who never got to buy these games will be out of luck unless a physical copy exists.

porkChop1372d ago

I agree. The problem is the music companies are greedy and want game publishers to sign new contracts. It should be that music licenses for a game last forever for that specific game. That would prevent most games from being delisted.

darthv721372d ago

I buy physical as well but keep in mind its not just the game that is effected but also the dlc. And this is nothing new for this series. Each previous iteration has been delisted about 4 years after release. So each year is another one to remove. This year it is FH3, last was FM6, the one prior was FH2 and before that it was FM5. Next year will be FM7 and the year after will be FH4.

dumahim1372d ago

I think they'll keep FM7 and FH4 up longer since we might not get another Forza game until 2022.

KRUSSIDULL1372d ago

You can still download owned digital stuff you just can't buy them because license deals.

Skuletor1372d ago

I can download the Marvel vs Capcom: Origins demo on PS3 since I downloaded it before the delisting but can't upgrade to the full version.

Razmiran1372d ago

I bought the full version and can still access it, maybe you should talk to customer support?

Skuletor1371d ago

No, I mean I only downloaded the demo before the delisting so I can still download the demo only, I can't pay to upgrade to the full version

tombfan1372d ago

Also, there's Horizon 4, when was the last time you played the 3rd one?

Teflon021372d ago

Yet I can download it right now. Maybe look in your download list. Sucks looking on ps3. But it's there 100%, just like TMNT reshelled was there still for me for the period it was delisted and Scott Pilgrim is still there for me

itsmebryan1372d ago

What are you talking about if you have the day you still have it . It's just not available from the digital store. Smh

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 1371d ago
TeamIcoFan1372d ago

All digital is the future everyone.
Get used to never truly owning your games ever again.

MadLad1372d ago

You still have access if you purchased the game. So, no, that statement isn't correct. If it is something you purchased, you own it. Not saying it CAN'T happen, but I've only seen it happen in the mobile phone market, where you cant access content you previously purchased, personally.

JonTheGod1372d ago

I own P.T. It might not have cost anything but I added it to my basket, went through the checkout, purchased a £0.00 costing game.

They removed that from the store and I can no longer download it.

MadLad1372d ago (Edited 1372d ago )

@Jon

And? Do you know how many promotional demos have been lost to time? There's a giant difference between losing access to promotional material, of which you did not pay for, and losing access to a game you purchased outright.

Name a game that you purchased outright on a known storefront, of which you were restricted from accessing after the fact. Outside of online only games whose servers were taken down. Mainly a console thing, considering there are normally workarounds on PC.

MadLad1372d ago (Edited 1372d ago )

@Jon

And? Do you know how many promotional demos have been lost to time? There's a giant difference between losing access to promotional material, of which you did not pay for, and losing access to a game you purchased outright.

Name a game that you purchased outright on a known storefront, of which you were restricted from accessing after the fact. Outside of online only games whose servers were taken down. Mainly a console thing, considering there are normally workarounds on PC.

abstractel1372d ago

Problem is it's only a matter of time before you can't download purchased games. Backing up to a harddrive is players best bet to keep all their content. Hopefully this will be possible on the PS5/XBXS

1372d ago
dumahim1372d ago

It has happened with music more often than you'd think. I think there's been a movie service or two that has shut down as well. So sure, while they're still up and running, you can still download your purchases, but if they close up shop, then it's gone.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 1372d ago
waderae1372d ago

You used to at least own a "licence" to play the game

With Sub services, Gamepass/PS now etc... you dont even have a licence for the game anymore.

KwietStorm_BLM1372d ago

Looks at all my digital music and movies stored on my disks and NAS. I wish I owned all this stuff that I own.

gamer78041372d ago

I used to have a big problem with digital, but as I got older I realized everything is just on loan to me anyways so now I buy physical if it’s something I really want too hold on to but 90% of the time it’s Digital for me.

bouzebbal1372d ago

Or your money.. They want to do the same with cash

Terry_B1372d ago

Incorrect statement. This is just the equal situation to a game not being available as new in a store anymore.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 1372d ago
1372d ago
Terry_B1372d ago

Thankls for sharing, bought the ultimate editon for 23 euro. First time since years I bought something from that store. Sucks they never got it to Steam

ChunkyHD1371d ago

Why wouldn't they continue offering the game at a reduced rate, like old games on steam? Silly decision.

Elit3Nick1371d ago

It has to do with the car and music licenses expiring