Two crucial improvements make patch 1.02 a game changer for owners of a PlayStation 5 Pro. But only under certain conditions.
I like my PS5 Pro. Sony’s pricing is debatable, but on the other hand, for around 750 euros, I get a device that allows me to play current blockbusters in very decent graphics quality and often with ray tracing while relaxing on the sofa.
However, only if the manufacturers make clever use of the PS5 Pro’s capabilities. This is precisely why Assassin’s Creed Shadows was a bit of a disappointment for me so far, at least from a technical point of view.
And for three reasons:
- Ubisoft’s action-adventure did not support PlayStation’s own AI upscaler PSSR.
- In my preferred balanced mode, there were no raytraced reflections, which in quality mode, for example, provide chic reflections on puddles.
- In the hideout, the game inexplicably reduced the frame rate from 40 FPS to 30 FPS.
Now you can guess three times what the 1.02 update has improved. You guessed right. And that’s why you’re smart!
In any case, I fired up my PS5 Pro for you and can report first-hand why the best graphics mode of Assassin’s Creed Shadows of Ember is now actually assassinating in a different league again.
What are the basic arguments in favor of balanced mode?
On the PlayStation 5 Pro, more and more titles are offering three different performance modes:
- Quality: Delivers the best image and graphics quality and usually aims for 30 FPS.
- Performance: Aims for 60 FPS, but makes compromises, especially in image quality.
- Balanced: Aims for 40 FPS. The necessary quality compromises vary greatly from game to game. AC:Shadows, for example, previously disabled ray-traced reflections.
Important restriction: To be able to activate the 40 FPS mode at all, you absolutely need a TV with 120 Hz and a cable connection that consistently supports at least HDMI 2.1. I deliberately write connection because that logically includes the amplifier if you use one like me.
So if you meet these requirements and also activate VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) in the PS5 options, the balanced option is almost always the best choice in my opinion.
Stable 40 FPS feels smoother to me than unstable 60 FPS, and the graphical losses are absolutely bearable for most games, at least on a normal TV. But unfortunately not in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which I otherwise really appreciate. So far!
How do you enable the best graphics mode for Shadows?
After installing update 1.02, here are the steps you can take to help Assassin’s Creed Shadows fully realize its newfound splendor:
- Make sure that you have set both VRR and 120 Hz output to “automatic” under Settings / Screen and Video on your PS 5 Pro.
- Switch to Balanced in the Performance Options section of the Video menu in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
- In the same menu, activate the checkbox for PSSR. You won’t find this option until you’ve successfully installed the update.
Based on my initial impressions after playing the game, the result is more than impressive.
If you have a suitable setup, you can enable both VRR and 120Hz output in the PS5 settings.
PSSR and Raytracing in a balanced practical test
Normally, I’m not someone who places a lot of value on ray tracing. In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, however, it definitely makes a huge difference. That’s because Ubisoft’s action adventure thrives on its dynamic lighting. Without ray tracing, much of that is lost and the game world appears considerably flatter, which simply costs too much atmosphere.
The raytracing reflections added thanks to update 1.02 are much more striking than I would have thought, according to my first explorations in balanced mode. The reason for this is actually simple: in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, there is a lot of water and a lot of weather changes. And a downpour looks all the more believable the more precisely the surroundings are reflected in the puddles.
The fact that I can now scurry through the hiding place just as smoothly as through the rest of the game world also makes a surprisingly big difference. If I’m running at 40 FPS for most of the game, but I’m slowed down to 30 FPS every time I visit a hiding place, it’s just glaringly obvious. And it feels great to have that brake removed.
The effects of PSSR, on the other hand, are more subtle. I mean, I can see a slight improvement in image quality, especially in the textures. Whether this remains just as present in the heat of the moment, however, I dare to doubt.
In any case, PSSR should also help to ensure a stable frame rate with the best possible image quality. Assassin’s Creed Shadows looks really sharp on my 55-inch TV with these settings and always feels smooth, even in a mass brawl in the fiercest thunderstorm.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows was a lot of fun on the PS5 Pro even before the 1.02 update. Still, it feels a bit like I’m discovering it for the first time.
