While we’ve been busy playing the game and throwing that talking point together, the folks over at Digital Foundry have produced their initial tech review on the PS5 version – with some interesting results. As you’d probably expect, the PS5 Pro version is the top performer – and it’s now officially the best console version of the game out there.
“PS5 Pro actually offers some pretty interesting enhancements over the base console, which are most compelling in the game’s performance mode. There’s a huge difference in the game’s foliage. Note the denser and more vibrant greenery in these shots, with bushes and grasses and ferns that just aren’t present on the base machine.
Plus, further into the distance, the foliage that is rendered often shows a higher-detail variant relative to the base console, with less visible pop-in. Of course, when you’re barreling through races at speed the advantage on Pro is less palpable. But the difference in density and pop-in is still obvious and highly appreciated.”
However, the PS5 Pro version isn’t perfect, with DF going on to say the console’s Quality mode doesn’t really provide much of a noticeable in-game boost over the Series X and PS5 versions.
“PS5 Pro’s quality mode is less appealing, just because the added RT makes a minimal difference in most gameplay. […] I would have loved a more comprehensive solution for RT reflections – perhaps like the one in Forza Motorsport – though that would probably be outside the scope of a port like this.”
As for the base PS5 and Xbox Series X versions, well, it sounds exactly as you’d expect really. Those two consoles are a very close match overall, with the outlet claiming it’d struggled to tell the difference between them. DF did get slightly higher pixel counts on Xbox Series X in certain instances, but nothing hugely noticeable in gameplay scenarios.
“Flipping back and forth between Series X and PS5, there’s virtually no visual distinction, with identical foliage placement, matching terrain and very similar image quality. I’d really struggle to tell the difference between the two platforms in almost any circumstance.
Pixel counts aren’t especially important here, as both consoles typically reach and hold a full 4K. I did notice more evidence of DRS on PS5 in some shots in performance mode, with one example indicating an 1872p internal resolution on PS5 and the full 2160p on Series X,”
As we noted in our recent “hands on“, then, Forza Horizon 5’s PS5 port has largely been a success – with Pro users getting a nice bonus for their pricey console outlay as well. We’ll have to see how this one does commercially when it’s been out in the wild for a little bit, but we’re expecting it to perform very well indeed for Microsoft and Playground Games.
