Nioh makes me want a PS4 Pro
1080p, 60fps; it’s the magical sweet-spot where graphic quality meets buttery smooth performance. It’s gaming nirvana.
But hardware limitations of modern consoles leave pixel peepers and frame-counters playing Triple-A exclusives in 30 frames-per-second purgatory. These are dark and unfortunate times, indeed.
Luckily, there just might be a glimmer of hope in this perpetual darkness. An unforeseen champion of performance and resolution. A hero that many damned as unnecessary and overpriced.
The Playstation 4 Pro.
The Playstation 4 Pro might just deliver the gaming nirvana I crave.
Since the release of Nioh I’ve been bathing in the blood of my enemies at a steady 60fps. Granted, this blood is rendered at a mere 720p since I’m using a launch PS4, but the smoothness of my visceral shower is something I’ve been craving since Bloodborne. If I were using a PS4 Pro, the game would be rendered at 1080p/60fps; or at 4k/30fps, or even somewhere between the two.
You see, Nioh introduced this console generation to something that I as a PC gamer have been enjoying for years. Graphics options.
Nioh has three graphic settings:
Action, which on a PS4 Pro runs at 1080p/60fps; Movie, which runs at either 4k/30fps or 1080p/30fps depending on which PS4 you’re using; and Variable mode, which finds a comfortable middle ground between resolution and framerate.
It may seem slightly ridiculous to drop $400 on a PS4 Pro for a slight boost in resolution for one game, but Nioh looks to be setting a trend.
This week, the PS4 Pro version of Final Fantasy 15 was patched to deliver 1080p/60fps. It was also announced that Horizon: Zero Dawn will be receiving a day zero patch that will include graphics options that will allow higher framerates when rendering the game at 1080p on the PS4 Pro.
Last week, Sony introduced the Boost Mode in the 4.50 firmware beta. The setting will allow games that have not been patched for Pro support to take advantage of the system’s enhanced GPU, and run at higher framerates. Games with locked framerates, like Bloodborne, will run more consistently. Games with unlocked framerates will achieve performance greater than 30fps.
After my first hour with Nioh I found myself looking at the used value of my current Playstation 4, with hopes to sell it in favor of the Pro model.
The $400 price tag of the Pro seems a bit steep, but if the recent trend of framerate options continues, I won’t hesitate to upgrade.
4k gaming isn’t really here yet, even on the PC, but if more developers follow in the footsteps of Team Ninja and offer players the option to choose 1080p/60fps, the PS4 Pro is a no-brainier.
