Final Fantasy 15 PS4 Pro Version Will Not Have Many Improvements Over The Base Version

Given that Final Fantasy 15 is launching in the same month as PlayStation 4 Pro, it's obvious that some players will expect a substantial graphical boost to the Pro version of the game

[andrewsquall]

Who cares? As if I'm supposed to gauge THIS developer as the end all to show the differences between PS4 and PS4 Pro?
I will leave that to the studios who can ALREADY do incredible things with the standard PS4 you can't see on any other platform.

[freshslicepizza]

well anyone who plans on getting a ps4 should care. why? well because sony is making sure the system runs at parity with the regular ps4 unless the games are updated through the developers. this isn't like a pc where you input better parts and the games naturally benefit.

http://www.eurogamer.net/ar...

question asked - "But what about deploying the additional Pro GPU power in base PS4 mode, similar to the Xbox One S? Or even just retaining the 111MHz GPU frequency boost? For Sony, it's all about playing it safe, to ensure that the existing 700 titles just work."

cerny responds - "I've done a number of experiments looking for issues when frequencies vary and... well... [laughs] I think first and foremost, we need everything to work flawlessly. We don't want people to be conscious of any issues that may arise when they move from the standard model to the PS4 Pro."

that means the ps4 pro may not show any improvements from hundreds of games already available and possibly future titles too. that is because the ps4 was not forward thinking and sony did not plan for a mid-term upgrade.

[Aloy-Boyfriend]

Thanks genius! You are just saying what we already know: PS4 Pro games need an update to take advantages of the specs. In the meantime, the games will run like the OG PS4

It is on the devs to take advantages of the pro. Sony is not to blame for what they choose to do. I'm sure the mayority will do take advantage of the pro, especially the 1st party developers

And games don't "naturally" take advantages of PC chips. They are all optimised, at least the most common ones. That is why the most expensive or newer chips have problems day 1 and need an update.

If they can finish the game first then work on the Pro update, then fine. That' may be the same with most games already launched or the upcoming ones in the holidays.

[Dabigsiebowski]

Nice comment Moldybread! My PS4 and PSVR will last me till then end of the gen just fine. Bring on the PS5 in 3 years Sony so I can gobble up more of them GOTY exclusives!

[Eonjay]

You know, there is actually video footage of FF15 running on Pro and it looks amazing. How is this even a question? You can't stop it Moldy but its great to see your dedication to Phil and Xbox. Im sure he loves you like Aaron... wait, are you Aaron?

[mikeslemonade]

I never expected many improvements from pro. Just give me about 20 frames more and that's why I preordered a Pro.

[uptownsoul]

@moldybreak -- "well because sony is making sure the system runs at parity with the regular ps4 unless the games are updated through the developers. this isn't like a pc where you input better parts and the games naturally benefit."

The exact same thing is true for the parity between regular Xbox One & Scorpio. In other words ALL Scorpio titles will have to run the exact same fps with regular XB1 for multiplayer. And only developer updates will make Scorpio visuals look any better.

[freshslicepizza]

@uptownsoul
"The exact same thing is true for the parity between regular Xbox One & Scorpio. In other words ALL Scorpio titles will have to run the exact same fps with regular XB1 for multiplayer. And only developer updates will make Scorpio visuals look any better."

i was not talking about multiplayer gaming. i am talking about how a boost in hardware could lead to better performance like we see on the xbox one s model. these games were not updated by developers to take advantage of the new s model but as you can see there is still some games performing better. it may be small improvements but it is there which is a nice surprise.

http://www.eurogamer.net/ar...

the ps4 pro is a lot more powerful than the xbox one s and a much bigger upgrade but as i was saying it is up to developers on the ps4 pro to use those resources otherwise the system is forced to run the game the same as it does on the ps4. this was a decision made by sony. some may agree with that decison some may not but to me it is a wasted potential of the hardware.

[Erik7357]

People need to stop being in denial and realize their is not much of a difference between a ps4 pro and a ps4. 2 times the gpu power? Not actually a noticeable improvement and does not translate into twice as good looking games.

[s45gr32]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Man, finally someone with intelligence anf facts. Why pay $400.00 for the PS4 Pro if only a couple NOT ALL titles are going to benefit from the extra power. That is the beauty of PC; by installing a new GPU or CPU there is improvements to the game 😎

[bouzebbal]

the reason is simple: they already exploded the budget for this game, and working on specific Pro version won't help much.
They just need to get this game out asap..

[rainslacker]

Oh....well guess I should care then because you say so?

Sony isn't requiring parity, just that a PS4P mode is available in some way. Whether that's huge improvements, or something marginal, it's up to the devs.

They've been clear about this, they haven't over marketed anything trying to imply that every game will suddenly be the bee's knees, and there is no reason to assume that a game releasing at the same time as the PS4P will fully take advantage of any improvements offered over the base version.

So, since FFXV is going to be a graphical showcase for the stock gen either way, why would we care that it doesn't have vast improvements with the PS4P?

I want to play the game, and would do so regardless of if the Pro was releasing in a few weeks or not. Will do so before I even get a PS4P.

Who cares about past games. Seems most people understand it's all up to the devs if they want to take the time to release a patch. Since that requires time and money, it's only the concern trolls who seem worried about it. Same will be true when that beast of a Scorpio releases, and MS has already made it clear that not all games will see a benefit. I imagine with MS implementation, they'll be in the same boat, but I don't see you overly concerned about it.

[freshslicepizza]

rainslacker, the Xbox One S is already seeing some improvements and games running smoother and there was no update required by the developer. If games struggle to maintain a 30fps target the extra boost can help. Scorpio isn't going to magically double frame rates on its own but at least the S model shows the difference in the two companies and how they are upgrading their systems.

Sony is purposely locking the Pro system to regulation ps4 clock speeds. Can you imagine buying a new GPU and being told it will only help if developers update the game?

So go ahead and say it doesn't bother you this game and many others won't take advantage but we all know you would be much happier if it did. Otherwise why bother upgrading? Scorpio well help older titles run smoother you will see. The Xbox One S was just the beginning. Microsoft is going to take some of the benefits of PC gaming and apply it to their Xbox. Sony on the other hand is being much more reserved which also explains why mod support is also more limited.

[rainslacker]

It sees those improvements for some games. The one's where things aren't locked into the game code. You'll see the same kind of improvements on the same kind of game design on the PS4 due to it being slightly more powerful. No update required, because the game code runs off of what power there is to work with, and not locked by the dev.

The system itself isn't locked to clock speeds, it's simply locked to one set of the processor. There is no reason to slow throttle the clock speed for compatibility sake.

Other games will require a patch.

So basically, your entire "concern" over this issue is a non-issue, and just another veiled attempt to try and cast doubt and discredit the PS4P because it is impossible for you to put anything Sony into a good light without some malicious back handed stupid connotation which just isn't true to begin with.

Once again, your complete lack of understanding of computing shines through. How often do you need to be discredited before you accept you're clueless on these kinds of discussions.

I read the entire article, and nowhere does it state they're throttling the processors. Just they want to keep things as seamless for the user as possible. He even specifically mentions variable frame rate games, which could see an improvement, just like they do on the X1 because of the increase in power. But for the purposes of what you're talking about, the devs have it covered on both the PS4 and X1, because they already locked things to a certain process...thus no change needed, and X1S/X1 are in the same exact boat, and if you want to go by this article, maybe you should start questioning just how good it's going to be if MS puts in new architecture into Scorpio like most people seem to be speculating, because if you're going to use Cerny's comments for one thing, then why not use them all?

So, once again, I say it doesn't bother me, because the games will run fine. Hooray for a power boost...we can get a few more frames per second on some games. Yippee!!! Seriously, you don't see the difference between a slight clock increase and a duplicate SOC on the chip where the code was never written to take advantage of such things?

I also say you spend more time being concerned for Sony's way of doing things, than concerned for MS track record of not delivering on their promises.....which I suggest maybe you should go take up in some Scorpio articles.

[freshslicepizza]

@rainslacker
"I read the entire article, and nowhere does it state they're throttling the processors."

i used to think you knew what you were talking about.

http://www.gamasutra.com/vi...

fromt the article,
As far as the PS4 Pro’s CPU goes, well, you already know it’s the same 64-bit x86 8-core “Jaguar” AMD CPU that drives the PS4, and now you know that Cerny and Sony feel that makes the PS4 Pro an extension of the PS4 generation rather than a new one unto itself. The PS4 Pro’s CPU has had its frequency raised “as high as it could go on the new process technology,” according to Cerny, which is about 2.1 Ghz."
That’s roughly 30 percent more CPU power than the 1.6 Ghz the PS4 is capable of, and Cerny says Sony has had to add a bit more cooling to the system to compensate for the fact that the PS4 Pro CPU is capable of running hotter than the PS4 CPU.
And like the PS4 Pro GPU, Cerny says the CPU is designed to easily accommodate games which aren't built to support it.

“What we do for the legacy games, if you want to play a game from 2-3 years ago that hasn't been patched or tested, is we just run that at 1.6 gigahertz,” said Cerny. “We run the GPU at 800 megahertz, and we shut down half of the GPU.”

[Irishguy95]

Nah, SE have time and time again stated they were a bit annoyed sony didn't tell them about the Pro sooner so they could utilize it. But thats the way it is, who cares? I would have accepted this on Ps3 had it actually been developed then.

[s45gr32]

Thank you corporate slave. On PC the user buys news parts and there is improvements. The user buys a new GPU it gets better frames, resolution and able to enhance the game visually despite game developers interference. In contrast with the PS4 Pro is not scalable like a PC 😵. Game Developers must put extra effort, time and money to manually improve the game. On PC they do not.

[Adrian_v01]

@s45

Yeah, and on the PC you can't play FFXV.

[rainslacker]

I don't care because a main entry FF game tends to be a showcase of graphical prowess with every release.

[DaddyPoppa]

I just want the game to be out already, i couldn't care less.

[GryestOfBluSkies]

this is misleading. there is no pro version. they only implemented the specs of the base ps4, and are unlikely to patch it.
this isnt surprising to me, as this game was initially revealed as a ps3 game.

[Omnislashver36]

It will still play the game in higher resolution with better framerate. It just has no other modifications. Personally, I was hoping for a bit more, but this late in the game I guess you can't. Plus better res/framerate is what this game needs most anyway. The res will negate some of the need for AA, and the framerate because it's sometimes choppy. So I guess it's a half-win?

Also, FFXV was started with PS4-gen. The PS3 code for VersusXIII was not transferred over to PS4, it was scrapped. Big question is what does this mean for Final Fantasy VII Remake though. They still have atleast a year left in development for Part 1. Will they get any new assets for PS4 Pro? Part 2 will be optimized for Pro though, almost guaranteed.

[kraenk12]

Spare the clicks people.

That said it's pretty obvious they need to finish the game first before they can invest any additional time in a potential upgrade.

[raztad]

Too late, I fell for it! And you are totally right. Still SE will be patching in hdr and 4k and w/o doubts a rock solid performance. 4k means downsampling for sharp AA on 1080p TVs. It is quite possible SE brings additional enhancements down the line.

[kraenk12]

The game will never render on 4K. 1440 or 1800p max.

[raztad]

By 4k I meant checkerboard 4k. Most likely 1800p as base resolution.

[StormLegend]

I Just hope it improves the framerate. If it's 30FPS on PS4 then I would like to see a solid 30fps (No drops) on the Pro version.

[ninsigma]

Hope that's the case but what happens on the pro is that if there's no pro version, it locks off all the extra resources so that it uses the same amount of resources as is available on og ps4. Having said that, I assume the extra ghz will remain so that should hopefully help a bit.

[Teflon02]

Likely will. Though sony is adamant on saying that games will play the same on both unless it gets a pro patch, it's likely to be no different than the xbox 1s. It'll perform better either way even if sony like ms says it won't

[kowan]

Tabata said that they haven't used the Pro to its fullest yet so FOR NOW, the pro version of FFXV that will release together with the original PS4 version will only have a resolution and HDR upgrade. Further enhancements may come in the future after they're done optimizing and fixing everything on the base version of FFXV.

[Eidolon]

Solid performance is a given, without any patches. It's more powerful hardware, of course it's gonna run better.

[Erik7357]

Very reasonable expectation

[Aenea]

"the Pro will not have major improvements"

As in: it will have some small improvements...

[Relientk77]

Are people actually surprised by this? lol The game has already been in development for a decade. You want them to delay it again?

[shaenoide]

I just want a better framerate.

[NotanotherReboot]

Guess I'll wait for PC version

[Artemidorus]

Owning a PRO does not give you the righr to extras, it's up to the game makers to decide.

Self entitlement yet again from millennials.

[Red_Renegade]

where? where are these millennials you hate so much?

[Artemidorus]

Who here is discussing hate?

[Red_Renegade]

what else do you call it when you keep accusing someone of stuff?

[Artemidorus]

Who here is discussing accusations?

[Red_Renegade]

play dumb, then.

[Artemidorus]

You haven't answered me once

[iTechHeads]

Knowing Square Enix they would need another 10 years.

[madworld]

but it's running very damn good on ps4 pro

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

[DivineAssault]

I dont think it was developed with the pro in mind.. Future games should be though.. Im buying the game and pro regardless.. Sony sure hit my wallet this gen with the games, VR, and now the pro..

[Silly gameAr]

You don't say gamingbolt. You guys going to write an article for every game that only has slight improvements on the Pro?

[AndreR]

what is the point of ps4 pro if there isnt any games that takes advantage of it?? maybe in a year we will see bigger improvements, BUT maybe ps5 will be teased in 1-2 years. and what is the point of buying the ps4 pro now? when there is no games.

[AndreR]

why even making this ps4 pro if there is no games. And the games must be able to run on ps4 and ps4 pro, so it cant be that much better cause ps4 must be able to run it too.

[_-EDMIX-_]

I mean that definitely sucks but I don't blame Square I believe they should be focusing on the PC version right now.

I mean that's only in regards that the other half of their team is clearly working on the finishing touches of Final Fantasy 15.

I think a bump in resolution and frame-rate should be good enough and they could always update it later on.

[Elda]

The game will look pretty as all FF games have..buying FFXV day one.

[Bennibop]

All these idiot comments from fanboy saying ps4 pro is not worthwhile as it will have no exclusive games on it! Scorpio will also not have any games that don't feature on xbox one, so what's the point in upgrading to it!!

[Nara_shikamaru]

What makes you think they are xbox fanboys? They could even be ps fans, anyone for that matter, expressing their concern about the console .... Why must you be like that?

[rainslacker]

Because we've seen most of them on here for years making the same dismissive and misinformed comments?

The PS fans who show concern tend to be less abstract in their criticism.

[Platformgamer]

I'll buy it on ps4 anyway, the pro doesn't even exist for me

[Doge]

Dude just give me a rock-solid framerate and 1080p and that's all I'll need.