'Ultra Quality Settings are Dumb' article

[g67575]

Link here:
https://www.techspot.com/article/2338-ultra-vs-high-settings/

I think this is often true on the latest games, but it depends heavily on the resolution / total pixels being displayed. I'd say the exception is if the game supports features like DLSS (quality mode) and FSR.

Extra graphics options, beyond the quality of the PS5 / Series X level of quality just seem optional in many cases. Smooth and high framerates is were the PC can still shine, along with the ability to alter post processing effect settings.

Cyberpunk can be particularly demanding on the Ultra preset, and worse with 'psycho' set on some options.

I would really appreciate it, if games released on all platforms just had a Series X quality preset, the other huge improvement would be even better temporal AA or equivalent.

 

[Daytrader]

But a series x quality preset, is just like a high or even medium graphics preset on a PC sometimes, on my pc i want the best graphics it can be myself.

 

[throwaway4372]

I thought everyone already knew this.

 

[Pitta]

I thought everyone already knew this.

unfortunately not everyone realises this. they get the brand new graphics card and get upset when they smack the ultimate preset on and they don't get high frame rates. to be fair part of the problem is game developers as well, with some developers like Ubisoft there can be zero visual difference between a high and ultra quality and the performance will drop by a considerable percentage.

 

[g67575]

I think a console preset selected by default is the best way to go, players can just jump into games and get at least the same quality as consoles released in 2020, without playing around with settings, until an acceptable performance level is reached.

 

[Pitta]

I think a console preset selected by default is the best way to go, players can just jump into games and get at least the same quality as consoles, without playig around with settings, until an acceptable performance level is reached.

agreed. then people would stop whining about how their high end gpu is struggling more than console. Then again i imagine console manufacturers won't be happy with that.

 

[Stu999]

unfortunately not everyone realises this. they get the brand new graphics card and get upset when they smack the ultimate preset on and they don't get high frame rates. to be fair part of the problem is game developers as well, with some developers like Ubisoft there can be zero visual difference between a high and ultra quality and the performance will drop by a considerable percentage.

The developers are probably also building in some ‘excess’ at the top end so the games may be difficult to run on current hardware but future hardware may be able to use those settings.

 

[mmj_uk]

I said this the other day Ultra presets just seem to be designed to inefficiently gobble up resources for very little benefit. I suppose to justify high end graphics cards.

 

[Cooper]

..I dunno, if you spend £1400 on a 3090, seems dumb to run at anything less than 'Ultra'...otherwise, why did you bother spending such an absurd amount.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

Why have a console preset on PC when you could just buy a console for a lot less money instead.

 

[g67575]

..I dunno, if you spend £1400 on a 3090, seems dumb to run at anything less than 'Ultra'...otherwise, why did you bother spending such an absurd amount.

I agree, but developers basing setting presets on hardware like a RTX 3090 / RX 6900 XT is hardly representative of the majority of gamers. It's actually not that uncommon for some settings, despite being more demanding, to contain visual artifacts, like screen space reflections in Cyberpunk.

Maybe just have an additional preset called 'Experimental' for untested/very demanding settings.

 

[g67575]

Why have a console preset on PC when you could just buy a console for a lot less money instead.

Higher framerate (60 /120 fps), and the ability to tweak low performance impact options like post processing. Personally, higher/smoother framerates is why I stick to PC gaming. That, and mod integration for many Steam games. And the lack of DRM on some stores, like GOG + cheap / free games on Epic.

 

[mingey]

Why have a console preset on PC when you could just buy a console for a lot less money instead.

Exactly this if its an issue by a Series X or a PS5.

 

[g67575]

Adding an additional console preset would be pretty easy for developers to do (low, medium, high, experimental/ultra would still be present), I don't see any problem with this.

 

[Pitta]

Why have a console preset on PC when you could just buy a console for a lot less money instead.

It's not about running it as console settings it to see what settings the consoles run and then you improve some aspects of it. It would help people avoid some of those silly ultra settings that do nothing visually but demand more power, like assassins creeds clouds for examples.

 

[NZXT30]

Exactly this if its an issue by a Series X or a PS5.

PC gaming has never been about ultra settings and never will.

 

[Disco_P]

Unless a game runs at ~200fps on ultra, I'll run it on high. The performance boost provides a far better experience than the image improvement.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

It's not about running it as console settings it to see what settings the consoles run and then you improve some aspects of it. It would help people avoid some of those silly ultra settings that do nothing visually but demand more power, like assassins creeds clouds for examples.

Some people might need to lower the settings, it's not a guarantee that they could improve on it. Console settings aren't a base line for PC gaming.

 

[CuriousTomCat]

I've always played current games on medium/high and old games on ultra. I've always viewed ultra as something you select when playing old games.

The only setting that's "dumb" in my opinion is low. I've never selected it in my life.

 

[dualsense1673]

Adding an additional console preset would be pretty easy for developers to do (low, medium, high, experimental/ultra would still be present), I don't see any problem with this.

horizon zero dawn did this, its called original preset which is what ps4 is.. and funny, it just looks the same as ultra, mostly... and then comes the funny, all original settings are labeled as simply "medium"

i like med/high mixed settings they always good, games have baseline graphics now, not much can change from there. med high always give better framerate with miniscule graphic change... i would rather have 4k med high instead of 1440p ultra. but thats a personal choice, some would rather have ultra + 1440p

dlss i think killed the meaning of optimization, now you enable it and it brings %40-150 anyways, but its not in every game so, and its a compromise of resolution but at least its something. dear sir, i noticed a drastic change in player behaviours when DLSS came to RDR 2. i'd like to share my findings with u:

see, rdr 2 is about optimized settings. you optimize this game, it still looks phenomenal and magically performs %40-60 better. really, its so simple. u get even 4k 60 fps with a 2080ti with optimized settings. butter stuff. and then come ultra settings. u push everything to ultra and suddenly 3090 is needed for that sweet 4k 60 fps. but the image differences are very miniscule. in some "specific" cases there are some differences but its... meh! especially the water simulation settings. they literally kill your fps even you cant see the streams and waters and lakers directly. thats a thing... and stuff like that; and now comes in dlss, and suddenly people see it as a way to max the game out. now they sacrifice resolution, clarity and sharpness so that they can render the game at 1440p, then upscale it but use them ultra settings. i see lots of players trying to this.

ofc, since the dlss in this game is a bit lackluster due to the chekerboarding render nature of the game, hairs and stuff looks a bit weird with dlss. then again, dlss seems fine at 4k. so i can understand them. but then again, optimized settings are woosh when people are enticed ro enable dlss in that game