Last week we compared Control Ultimate Edition‘s Graphics and Performance modes. Thomas Telford treated us to some superb demonstrations of console ray-tracing done right. However, with frame-rate sacrificed for that visual finery the decision over which mode one would choose was not so clear cut. If you are on the fence about upgrading to PS5, today’s screens should sell you on the type of upgrade Sony’s latest console is capable of.
Both images are in 30fps mode but it must be said that PS4 Pro often missed its target. PS5 images are on the left throughout this comparison, PS4 Pro on the right.
Darker Corridor
Having played a few hours of both back to back for the sake of this comparison, I immediately noticed how much darker Control Ultimate Edition is. Before even extracting the images and seeing both side by side, the absence of HDR stood out. The contrast of the game is often great suggesting it had started with HDR in mind. Either way, the addition of HDR makes it pop on PS5.
The higher resolution certainly adds detail and smooths out certain edges and rough spots. But I feel that HDR does as much by revealing that greater level of detail across Control’s immersive lightscape.
In Character
Remedy’s style of combining realistic characters based on real-life actors has lent them a certain style. Control‘s main character set benefits from the depth of HDR and increased resolution while the characters seem to remain roughly the same.
The enhanced contrast lends a pleasing depth to PS5 cutscenes. Details emerge where PS4 Pro’s render seems blown out.
Clarity and Detail
There are also instances where the PS4 Pro’s native resolution of 1080p shows shows up as soft at 4K. Very fine detail and the sharp geometry of Control‘s alternate realms in particular display the difference between the 3.6ish megapixels of a 1440p render and the 2.1 megapixels of PS4 Pro.
Neither use dynamic resolution but PS4 Pro does try to temporally morph the detail of its render to upscale the output to 4K. Even with help from this novel upscaling technique, PS4 Pro’s best-case image, i.e. remaining completely still, is often left behind in terms of clarity.
A New Generation
Control Ultimate Edition feels at home on PS5. The absense of HDR and other compromises to image quality as well as dodgy frame-rate (even on the beefier 2017 hardware of PS4 Pro) were all too apparent to me while playing both versions for this comparison. I made sure to play the PS4 Pro version first knowing it would be difficult to go back to the occasional stuttering. I wasn’t expecting Ultimate Edition‘s visual finery to be as noticeable as it was but it looks and feels like a generational leap.
Remedy deserve great credit for improving the presentation as they have done. Control is absolutely worth another spin on 9th gen. systems.
