Call of Duty: Warzone at 120Hz - has PS5 back-compat evolved?

Digital Foundry : The recently released 120Hz update for Call of Duty: Warzone for PlayStation 5 users is a welcome boost - it doubles performance over the prior version of the game, doing so with no noticeable impact to image quality. More importantly, its release may well signify that Sony is beefing up its backwards compatible support for its latest console, bringing it closer into line with the kind of features available on Xbox Series consoles, when running code designed for last-gen machines.

[Jin_Sakai]

Richard states they’re clearly issued with the Series X version and it rately locks to 120fps and usually hovers around 90 to 110fps while PS5 stays closer to 120fps albeit having lower resolution and textures.

I’ll take better performance any day of the week.

[Jin_Sakai]

The Xbox Series X version also suffers with stuttering and screen tearing while the PS5 version doesn’t and has full vsync enabled.

VRR helps with these issues but not everyone has a compatible TV. Still yet, Sony really need to enable this feature for those of us who do!

[bartender64]

Lol how about no, if your tv has 120hz support with 4k, I'm almost 100% sure it has VRR/free sync support too. Even the lg c9 has it, while also having gsync capability. So I'll gladly take the cleaner visuals with the 120hz output, because if you truly have a 120hz display, then this is a non issue.

[chiefJohn117]

Worse graphics, less res, for a few more steady frames, 8 months later.....

[IRetrouk]

👀 up to 40 extra fps is a few more steady frames🤔🤣
Dynamic textures and res on both, that can swing either way...🤷‍♂️

[343_Guilty_Spark]

Anything above 60 fps is excellent. I would not take lower res at 120 vs 90-110 with higher res in any scenario

[IRetrouk]

👀Ofcourse you would😂
Nobody in their right mind that has the option is picking a version that runs between 80-120 while hardly actually hitting the target framerate over one that constantly hits it, for a texture and resolution bumb that does not always exist in that mode and can go the other way lol, not to mention the added input lag of all those drops and variations on the framerate, its pure cap🤷‍♂️

[Jin_Sakai]

@chiefJohn117

“Anything above 60 fps is excellent. I would not take lower res at 120 vs 90-110 with higher res in any scenario“

Of course you’d say that. Sorry to burst you bubble but being a first person shooter higher framerate is more important.

[Orchard]

You missed a key part: Xbox gamers have been enjoying 120hz for 8 months already…

[Jin_Sakai]

“You missed a key part: Xbox gamers have been enjoying 120hz for 8 months already…”

And PS5 owners ended up with the better experience…

https://i.ibb.co/PwFhFH5/AE...

[Orchard]

@infamousr "I think the key part is Microsoft tried to make game boost out to be this special feature and even had Richard/DF and other sites say that PlayStation couldn't do it."

That was true at the time - sceKernel checks were added recently in response to the 'ERA enhanced' system on Xbox.

@Jin_Sakai Better experience is subjective - it depends on whether you prefer visuals or perf.

I'd rather start playing 8 months ago than wait 8 months for slightly better performance and worse visuals - a few frames at 120hz doesn't have much impact and my TV has VRR anyway. There is just one problem - I can't find an XSX anywhere!

So I'm playing on PC, which is arguably better for FPS games anyway.

[Orchard]

@infamousr Boost mode and sceKernelisProspero are two different things. Boost mode boosts the title without/with minimal developer involvement, similar to what MS does with it's boost.

sceKernelisProspero is the PS equivalent of ERA enhanced on Xbox and lets developers make their software aware of which platform it is running on - but both sceKernelisProspero and ERA enhanced require code changes / an update by the developer.

For example, boost works well when the game didn't hit 60 previously, or had dynamic resolution scaling, but would be unable to boost beyond 60 or beyond the max resolution - as these would require code changes by the developer (same applies to Xbox's FPS boost). On the other hand, a developer could update their code to check if PS5 (SCE Kernel checks), set max res to X, or set FPS cap to Y.

PS5 boost was available day 1, sceKernel checks were not.

"You were one of the people who said AMD Fidelity FX wouldn't work on PS5 and spreads every other mis/disinformation about PS5."

I was? Please do show me where I said AMD Fidelity FX is not possible on PS5's current hardware/spec.

[Orchard]

I've read the entire article and no where do I see Richard say it was available from day 1 on PS5. Please show me where he says that?

Anyway, I have SDK access, it was not available day 1. And if it was, WZ would have been updated a long, long time ago, we would have many more boosted games, and developers would not have been complaining publicly about the lack of such API.

"The only difference between the two consoles is that Microsoft is implementing the updates on other publisher's software, and Sony so far hasn't chosen to alter other publishers code."

This is somewhat incorrect - Microsoft does not alter the code of your game for you, heck, no company I've worked for would even share their code with Microsoft. Their FPS boost program simply intercepts DX calls at the OS/driver level, the game binary remains the same and is unaltered. Sony have done similar things with PS5 too, just with less titles. Any code modification to utilize ERA enhanced / sceKernelIs* is done by the developer, not the platform holder.

"Microsoft DF and MANY MANY other sites spread misinformation"

That's not what you said, you said I said the PS5 hardware wasn't capable of running FidelityFX. I do not work for Digital Foundry, nor any website for that matter.

Why would Digital Foundry care about Sony (or Microsoft, or any other companies) stock price? Realistically nothing said about PS5 or XSX is going to affect Sony or Microsoft's stock prices - they are very diverse companies that don't really rely on gaming.

And similarly, why do you care if they spread misinformation that caused a stock price drop? Are you a Sony shareholder?

"You tried to derail the discussion into SDK's to cover for Microsoft, which again was more misinformation."

Nope. I simply pointed out that it has taken 8 months for us to get this upgrade. The first mention of any SDK or API was by you =]

[Orchard]

@infamousr

Isn’t clearly what you said? Here’s a direct quote from you above:

“You were one of the people who said AMD Fidelity FX wouldn't work on PS5 and spreads every other mis/disinformation about PS5. “

You said it, not me 🤷
It’s not my fault you chose to say things you couldn’t back up.

You messaged me? I have no messages from you and your account has been active for under a day.

I’ve proven to multiple people on here I am a dev and will continue to do so for anyone who messages me - and I am fine if you choose to not believe that - but that’s also ultimately irrelevant to this topic anyway since other devs have given actual formal interviews saying this wasn’t supported day 1.

So did COD just choose to wait 8 months to do a simple upgrade for fun / to screw PS gamers? A platform which they have a marketing deal with… makes perfect sense! /s

Only one liar here 😉

[northpaws]

And Sony have had awesome exclusives for years, by the same logic, can we dismiss every single Xbox games from now on? Since who doing it first is all that matters.

[Rimeskeem]

Congrats, now it's inferior.

[wiz7191]

@jin the better experience is the lower resolution and texture quality ?? Just to keep its frames is the better experience ??? Woooow I get it now lol no PS5 owners didn’t get the better experience … run it at the same resolution and textures see if it holds its frames the same

[badz149]

@Orchard

I think you are the one missing the key part. what 120Hz? you've seen the video, right? the SX version is almost NEVER 120Hz LOL

[neutralgamer1992]

Orchard

8 months you said right well over the last 9-12 months ps4-5 owners actually got to experience actual new games. Blockbusters that both broke sales records and won more GOTY than any other game in history

The last of us 2
Ghost
Astro
Demon souls remake
Spiderman MM
Bugsnax
Returnal
Ratchet and clank
Destruction all stars

But who knew you don't need new games all you need are patches for old games

[Orchard]

@badz149 I have a TV with VRR support, so it wouldn't really matter to me. PS5 lowers the resolution and texture quality to achieve 120hz, I'd rather have VRR + better visuals. But I play FPS on PC, so it's actually all irrelevant to me really.

@neutralgamer Oh I totally agree, most of those games are spectacular and I really enjoyed them (minus Bugsnax and Destruction).

But those games existing and being great doesn't mean WZ is bad or should just be dropped/unsupported. Warzone is still one of the most played games on all platforms, so it does deserve upgrades/patches.

[bartender64]

This is how you know that this guys here doesn't even have a 120hz display and don't even know what they're talking about. I don't blame them though as Richard should've explain that TV with 120hz also has vrr in almost 100% if not 100% of the cases. I'll take the visuals, because you will not notice any of the "issues" if you truly have the display lol.

[Outside_ofthe_Box]

https://n4g.com/news/241705...

SO now which one performed better first matters. . . lol

[IRetrouk]

Vrr does not fix the dropped frames though, they still drop, you still get the input lag etc associated with the drops, it fixes the torn frames and juddering, thats it.

There is no way i would prefer vvr and barely hitting 120fps constantly vs an almost constant 120fps with v- sync, just for sometimes getting better resolution and texture detail, especially after finding out the res and texture detail is dynamic on both systems and can go either way.

[derek]

Sure Orchard, we are all "devs" here. Lol

[Toncsipapa]

I got both and i rather play on xbox ps5 got really blurry and the lower textures makes me harder to see enemies. But nice that ps5 is more stable.

[jznrpg]

Blurry? Lol screen tearing is blurry not a small amount of pixels .

[InUrFoxHole]

"I'll take better performance any day of the week."

Yet you're playing cod! ROFL!!

[DigitallyAfflicted]

It’s Microsoft marketing narrative that Xbox can somehow do things ps5 can't. As much as it was that they have `the best controller and the 12 teraflops. Not having a go at Xbox it's a good piece of technology, it's just that Xbox should stop comparing itself to ps5...

[derek]

Marketing and hype is all xbox has at this point.

[Father__Merrin]

Ps5 stick to 120fps closer than what series x does. Another big win for PS5 Warzone is still mega popular so it's a valid win.

Personally I tried the 120htz mode on my monitor and didn't think it was all that tbh mabey for quick fire competition use but that's all. I'd prefer the higher res at 60fps

[badz149]

the thing is, the SX version is not even close to 120fps!