With Resident Evil Village only a few days away, Xbox owners have finally had the chance try both of its brief gameplay demos. The Village and Castle demos are strong showcases for what Capcom have been able to add to their RE Engine. They also showcase the tech of the new consoles. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X both show the subtle yet immersive changes that ray tracing can bring to environments rendered by 9th gen. consoles.
This is the first like-for-like cross-console comparison we have been able to do for Capcom’s upcoming title and it’s the first time we have had to turn HDR off to get the closest captures to compare. PS5’s default output of Resident Evil Village Gameplay Demo with HDR enabled is noticeably dark on my mid-range 4K HDR TV. In our previous Resident Evil Village capture series, you can clearly see how dark PS5 images are with HDR next to PS4 Pro’s HDR mode. So, to keep it fair, we turned HDR off for both in the console settings and checked they were off in-game also. We also reset the brightness settings to default. Throughout the article, PS5 is on the left while Xbox Series X is the right.
We were surprised to see any difference in our like-for-like shots but there are some very obvious discrepancies between PS5 and Xbox Series X.
As previously explained, HDR was disabled. While ray tracing was enabled and both were captured at 4K, then downscaled to 1080p using the same process.
A Question of Preference
It would seem like PS5’s base image is darker with less saturation. In almost every image, we can see a starkness and love of contrast. Bright light sources almost burn their way through the images.
Xbox Series X seems to have a more saturated look and seems brighter overall. This higher saturation is the more noticable of the two and adds a lot of vibrancy to the image. The warmth of the Xbox Series X image overall is pleasant but, in our opinion doesn’t suit the grim tone of the game.
The settings of the two Resident Evil Village Gameplay Demos seem to yearn for PS5’s bleak look but some will prefer the chirpier tone of the Xbox Series X.
The Light and Dark of It
Without HDR, PS5 can lose detail when it gets really dark while Xbox Series X blows out more readily. Neither should be a problem with HDR enabled on a decent TV calibrated to the instructions provided.
But, having played the demo on quite a few occasions, we can say that varying levels of difference exist between PS5 and XSX in terms of brightness, contrast, hue and warmth with or without HDR.
Basic Differences
The only other differences are in loading times and in terms of performance. PlayStation 5 loads more quickly than Series X on both demos though the difference is small. PS5 can load either demo in in around three seconds while Village took five and Castle took four on Xbox Series X.
When Capcom announced the 45 frames per second ray tracing mode, gamers were confused. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for the boffins at Digital Foundry to shed some light on the odd number. As it turns out, the game is uncapped up to 60 with RT enabled. 45 fps represents a safe minimum but the game clears it by a margin.
Performance
PS5 performance, even in RT mode, is relatively consistent and doesn’t affect image quality. While it often dips a few frames below 60, it doesn’t cause judder or spooling. Even under heavier loads it manages to keep the image sharp and the frametime relatively even.
Xbox Series X performs much the same but it seemed less likely to judder as ray tracing took its minor, intermittent toll. Like PS5, XSX play mostly wavered at or below 60 frames per second with most of the two demos playtime being outwardly unaffected by the frame rate.
Castle section ambushes and long vistas are where the game seemed to tax both systems most. There was a noticeable instance of screen tearing on Xbox Series X as we neared completion of the Castle demo inside a choppier period for both systems.
Of course, this is only the demo and these minor performance hiccups could be fixed by RE8‘s May 7th release date.
One thing that is obvious from both demos is how gorgeous Resident Evil Village looks. We praised the visual depth lent by diffusion and global illumination in our previous comparison piece. Playing through it yet again, the opulent detail of the castle and its islands of splendour tossed across its seas of horror stand out as especially rich and eye-catching.
Which SDR render do you feel captures the vibe of Resident Evil best? Are you surprised to see such a large difference in tone and saturation? Let us know in the comments below
