EA Sports FIFA 21 launched to mixed reviews exactly two months ago. One issue that was pointed to by some reviewers and many users was its aging Frostbite engine having been maxed out some years ago. Hopes weren’t high that a free 9th gen. paint-job would amount to much and going off our time looking at the differences between the two versions, this lack of confidence was well-placed.
PlayStation 5 screenshots are on the left, PS4 on the right throughout this article.
Heads and Shoulders
The easiest place to see the side-by-side difference is in the superstars of the game. Skin textures and hair, in particular, show more detail. Hair is composed of a greater number of strands and there are fewer flat clumps of hair to be seen. The shadows cast by a players hair and features are of higher quality.
Users have complained of a ‘plasticky’ look to some models on PS5 – we have to agree. It must be said that the sheen of sweaty players can be refined with a quick patch. And on players with naturally shiny skin like Sergio Ramos (above), it looks amazing. The subtle changes to how skin’s pores interact with light is a pleasing visual effect.
Inconsistent Player Model Upgrades
Not all players have been given the overhaul and even high profile players have been left behind. David de Gea looks close to real in both shots above. You could argue his complexion is more accurate on PS5 vs. PS4 Pro and we don’t how much of this is due to a general increase in texture quality versus individual modeling.
Similarly, Marco Reus and Mohammed Salah below both look amazing on each platform. The only real difference was in skin tone and the greater number of individual hair strands.
But the difference is minimal and I had to double-check I hadn’t mixed the files up.
Of course, you won’t really be seeing players this close outside of replays and the infamous bus entrance scene. I have sympathy for those who are angered by EA Sports’ promotion of the team bus scene as a generational upgrade but only because this part of the entrance scene is unskippable.
What You Would Actually Notice
In full flight, the differences are even less noticeable. This long shot of Volta demonstrates the higher-res shadows and fuller grass. The PS4 Pro image seems softer in general; it is rendered a lower native resolution, aiming for 4K but dipping below to offer a fairly solid 60 fps. PS5’s FIFA 21 is rendered (mostly) at 4K at 60 frames.
In different lengths of shots in stadia, the supposed ‘grassier’ pitch is barely noticeable. Arguably, last-gens grass looks more life-like up close. The chalk likes seem more life-like but we are stretching it here. It’s practically pixel peeping at this point.
The crowd maintains visual quality to a greater distance on PS5. However, the FIFA series has had practice hiding this shortcoming on PS4 and the difference is, again, minimal.
The crowd does seem denser when viewed from moderate distance. There is also a noticeable increase in variety of supporters in the crowd. There is a greater variety and density of accessory to be seen in the 9th gen. crowd. Spontaneous displays of crowd coordination are present in PS5 and in motion, these add of lot of flair.
Did EA Sports’ talk of runtime lighting and deferred rendering make a difference in the end? Are improved close-ups important to you? Or do you prefer a better looking game in-play? Let us know in the comments below.
