Final Fantasy 16 - PlayStation 5 - The Digital Foundry Tech Review 

Thank god too. I was hating it in the demo.

Should have launched with the option

@@BorisTheGoose92 agree. I’m also not a fan of motion blur. However, I recently got my first OLED TV just in time for this game and it helps when playing “Graphics” mode. The near instantaneous pixel response time stuttering is a lot smoother at 30fps than other games. At least in my case.

@@teddyholiday8038 yeah. More people are going to wait out until the patches before playing this now. But for me, with a story this grand, don’t want spoilers. At least by the time I get to New Game+, hopefully all that is implemented and performance is improved.

I'm sure the motion blur toggle is included in the 300mb day 1 patch.

Came to the comments to write this XD

I can not find the timestamp, where is that line?

@@nefertumdark@16:44 lol

It's almost like the Seconds to Crate metric OldManMurray dreamed up so long ago.

​@pigjedithe guy never said he watched the video, just said he can't find a time stamp

DF stays unrivaled, I don't think we've had a moment this magical since the Chad Warden ps3 retrospective intro.

@@ghostcula That reminds of df retro, i don't think there is anything like DF retro on entire youtube..

5 looks great for 30 imo but 60 fps could do with 2 or 3

🤣 We were dying. We had to pause the video. Grapes Per Second!!!! 🍇🍇🍇

Yup, I'm dying right now. Had to come to the comments for extra fun 😂

🎶Tales of Loooosssss, and fiiiiire, and graaaaaaaapes...🎶

Those OG Endwalker grapes were 11/10

Hahaha so good!

IF this review was 20 hours id have watched it lmao

I never noticed the run time. I only realized I'd spent 30 minutes after hearing him apologize, lol.

its too long for ADD audience

@@dante19890 Well that isn't somewhat insulting to actual add folk... 😑 To be fair, i have add and I managed to watch at least 25 minutes before I started to lose interest. But I was busy eating during most of if so you know, was kinda already distracted 😅

You damn hypocrites hate starfield for being 30 fps but you’re fine with this shitty game terrible performance lol

I didn't expect that MASSIVE spoiler at 31:05 🙁

@@SwordsandMushrooms Thank you bro, you might just saved my game experience from being destroyed. I immediately paused the video when I saw this comment😧

@@SwordsandMushrooms dude you can't even describe what is happening

Fkn poosis spoilers don't ruin anything

​@@SwordsandMushroomsYou are my hero ❤️ Thank you

Love it, but… i absolutely hate when he doesn’t like a game, oh man he’s unbearable. Lol

Yeah I've always been a long time final fantasy fan since I first bought FF7 on the Playstation 1 as a kid. His review really shows the love, care & respect he has for the game which is surprisingly uncommon when it comes to many game reviewers. (I'm liking the like minded sentiment of this comments section)

Totally agree. Jon, this is a great video and your passion is appreciated and accentuates the quality of this game. If people don’t want to hang around they will drop off once they’ve got the message. But the rest of us are all here for the moments you feel enamoured enough to write a love letter to a work of art!

That's how I feel about the grape section!

Music is part of the tech progression in video game, even though there are no limitation now, it is essential to the presentation and experience a player can have with technology, I'm a bit disappointed there aren't in depth review of special sound effect and music immersion. Example like how a sword slash the skin or armor of the enemy, or how the music transition between different stages of the battle, they all contribute to the experience of the game even though the player barely notice the diminutive detail comparing to the graphic.

He has done it before, but is really one of the reasons I love john reviews, he really explores the audiovisual department from every direction, is great tbh.

It deserves it. The music is sensational.

@@carpetfluff35 Oh I know. I am a major Soken fan. I plan to buy the soundtrack too.

fucking sad indeed

No software is bug free.

@@a9udn9u-vanced that's true about minor ones but with the gaming industry critical ones come day one and a few months down the line that's the problem you see

Bug free action games didn't exist before FF16?

@@leftyfourguns No and it's worse before because of modern software development processes. The only reason you feel games are more buggy nowadays is because modern games are exponentially more complex than older games. When you code 1+1 it's difficult to have bugs in it.

720p is still fine in the handheld format but yeah not on a console

Bro Sony and Microsoft just sold people a dream. That 60fps promise was a bigger lie than a cheating spouse

​@@theanimerapper6351 sony never promised 60 fps or power narrative... I guess u jinxed them with xbox

@@soumenkamila92 Lies, xbox doesnt make games anymore.

@@soumenkamila92I already preordered the game but 30fps in 2023 is unacceptable. Ps2 had its games at 60FPS. I’m beyond disappointed and disgusted how weak both consoles are, we definitely need pro versions and this time every game should be 4K 60.

​@@theanimerapper6351Sony's first party games knock it out of the park when it comes to image quality or a stable higher frame rate. The dumbass third party developer, especially this generation got no clue or intelligence to optimize their games. That's why even the PC ports with stutter struggle are mostly trash nowadays...

Relax.

@fernandoblengio didn't realize I wasn't relaxed? If you read my comment in a manic tone, that's on you. Being critical of something is not the same as being manic.

@@jamjam445 if you're talking about the fps for the game, I think its hardware limitation at this point as even PS5 can barely keep up with FF16's software demands in performance so its pushing the hardware to its limits while keeping it playable and enjoyable as possible. They provided some quality of life improvements though including adjusting motion blur for 1.03 Patch

@@Mirage4492i think it's mainly due to ray tracing. Modern consoles struggle w that

@Mirage4492 I was honestly mostly upset that we didn't have an option at launch to disable motion blur. But that's patched now.

Agreed. It’s so good.

Music is so good, Soken and Okabe (Nier series) are my favourite game music composers at the moment.

@@xSG1969x Same here. Love their work.

Close to PS1 and PS2 CGI Cutscenes? We are past that Graphics wise. FFXVI looks better than any CG Cutscene in the PS1 and 2.

We are 10 years way passed that.

That active time lore or w/e it's called is one of the best unique feature they came up with and I'n sure other games will follow in it's footsteps.

​@@ZeltorI pray this become a default option for all large rpg games

Agree 100%

Basically the same time everyone else did, on account of the Square Enix embargo lmao

And they say we don’t need pro consoles.. wow it’s not looking good for the next 4 years!

@@seanpitt27 Heh, PC port can't come soon enough, eh? Let's hope it turns out better than the AAA releases this year

​@@LS95774 Yeah was about to say, can't trust PC ports to fix things when they usually turn up even worse lol. If you want 60fps with a reasonable resolution, seems like PC and multiplatform games are still the only way to go. That or keep playing PS4 games on PS5, those look and run pretty great.

​​@@seanpitt27t's not the consoles. Devs are lazy and have outs and excuses. Xbox granted hasn't proved its power yet but ps5. Look at all the exclusives, insomniac for example. SM remastered, SM miles morales, ratchet rift apart. All have performance ray tracing modes. Flawless 1440p 60fps with RT. Look at HFW, 1800p 60fps locked. Ragnarok, Demon souls, tlou part 1. All running superbly. It's the Devs being lazy. The fact we're going back to 30fps being the norm is a joke, unfortunately when it comes to third party pc is the way. This game is a ps5 console exclusive running and looking like absolute sh*t. No excuse it's a joke. This is why I've stopped pre ordering games, I waited to see this video to determine whether or not I was gonna get this. Cause that's modern gaming. You can't just rely on good faith that the game will release in a polished state. It's so bad. I ain't getting this game now. Wait for a deep sale.

再加上TQQQ 跌了4.3%，但SQQQ只涨了2.3%，三倍ETF会贬值，但是狼王没警告大家不能常持

You don’t even notice it when you’re playing. Played the demo multiple times on performance mode and not once did I do a double take at it when combat began. Upscaling solves it.

@@eh-ronlocke7164even df said that on the big screens resolution is pretty noticable

@@eh-ronlocke7164stop lying

@@eh-ronlocke7164it looks like an oil painting

Man, y’all circle jerking in here. I guess you all need DF to make up your minds for you.

Ha, if you haven't played the game yet, you might not know just how right you are... there's a shot in the game that is a direct copy of the wide shot of Gandalf and the Balrog falling into the deepest depths of Moria. If it's not an intentional homage, I'd be extremely surprised.

The game isn't even out yet, do you mean the demo?

@@avalokiteshvara113Early physical copy

@@avalokiteshvara113he’s capping

​@cb6667 He isn't. A lotta people got an early copy. I haven't, but in 2016 I had an early copy of FFXV by about a week

@@cb6667 what you are experiencing right now is queefing and jealousy my guy LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Agreed

John (and his DF Retro series) is why I subscribed to this channel. For a "tech review" guy, he has a real appreciation for artistry, and he has a literary way with words that is very rare in the gaming space, often bordering on the poetic (and in fact, he even did a little poetry with the grapes). As an English major, it's something I appreciate. He's a real pleasure to listen to, and his video editing is top notch as well.

Me too

I remember wishing for this while playing FF7R - walking around town is fine at 30 FPS if it looks significantly better, but during combat, it's definitely 60 FPS or bust.

thats terrible

no that would be jarring. 40fps no fsr please. it's not rocket science

@@whodatninja439 it drops into the 30s in some cities and during eikon fights its clear there are cpu and gpu bottlenecks a locked 40 isnt possible

Dad was a true man ..sad

...of grapes. :3c

Its not LFC. Its usual vsync thing. its 30 fps vsync with 60 hz output. So double vsync.

look like modded skyrim.

Just wow choppy 30 fps on ps5 in 2023, wow indeed. Ghost of Tsushima looks better, has rock solid 60 fps and is 3 years older. What a fail

Exactly especially for those guys who paid $70 for this next Gen game.😂

I think with CBU3 and Yoshi-P being behind this and 14, we’ll be in good hands. They clearly didn’t half ass this game, you can really feel the passion behind it

They've been a great source of info for years, but I think console players starting to care about performance vs quality has seen DF get more attention.

Glad you found them! They're amazing and really just give the facts 🙂

@@TheRikuideFurame My first technical review and so impressed at the level of detail they go to to give us consumers all the information we need

The only one good reviewer is Tom, no bias no bullcrap fanboyism, the rest are meh biases cry babies.

You weren't looking hard enough

Only issue with 16 is the ps5 exclusivity. I have my copy coming later today but would have preferred it on pc

@@MobileTechGamingIt would’ve not been this polished if this wasn’t a timed or platform exclusive.

If you are a racing Guy then go drive a real car not virtual cars lol

You get used to very quickly, I prefer stability so I'll quality mode. The graphics and visuals are amazing so it helps with an even better picture quality, but I understand if a majority find 30fps hard to play at.

it wont be fixed its not as simple as hitting a button it must be cpu bottlenecked by the looks of it

Idk, i have a new tv and even with vrr enabled i can notice alot of fps dips

if you enjoyed this try to find some tracks from FF14 they are also very very good. I would also recommend music from the Nier games, different style but some of the best soundtrack ever created IMO.

@@xSG1969x i already appreciated Nier, popola and devola boss fight theme will forever be in my heart

It seems very likely honestly. Because the style of this game gels very well with 14 and they are for sure using an upgraded version of that engine. The models in particular give strong hints to this, as well as the very first trailer they had released way back when.

@@Synkhan I remember watching it and having the same exact thoughts. Technically XIV has come a long way from 2.0 days. Heavensward added DX11 support and with it Tessellation and reflections. Texture, model and visual effect fidelity went up throughout expansions. With XVI it's exciting to see what the team could have in store for XIV 7.0. Can't wait to play the game tomorrow.

This was confirmed a while ago. Can't remember where, but 16 is using an upgraded version of the game engine from 14. There are plans for 14 to get a major graphics overhaul in the near-ish future.

I hope we get TAA and better lighting in FFXIV. Raytraced shadows would also be nice, but for that we would need a DX12 version of the game.

😂

Love how he showed the "cock and balls" quest at 27:45

Hmmmm could it be because consoles age

PC players play at 100+ FPS, 60 FPS is very choppy same as 30 FPS is choppy

So pogged to be back in the early 00s again

Hardly comparable games. Starfield is such a huge and complex game.

`how can you even imagine him leaving qq

Open world is just unnecessary. Large zones are way enough.

Too bad the game suxxxx

@@GlazeonthewickeR its decent about as good as control another mediocre game praised by people for some reason

@@GlazeonthewickeR it's an okay game, nothing too great but nothing to scoff at

@@xtr.7662 "for some reason" because its a good game and alot of reviewers/people enjoy it? I get everyone is entitled to their own opinion and nothing can please everybody, but you act like you have NO clue why this game is praised. like cmon lets not act clueless lol

@@GlazeonthewickeR It's a good game trapped in the body of a bloated open world. I really wish the trend of making every game open world would die already. FFXVI's model of having large, independent spaces is a great middle ground.

Hate to say it, but this is incorrect, I make games reviews and tech comparisons on my channel so I’m passionate on it and I’ll give you a good detailed answer! Loading games uses power from the SSD read speed and CPU threads. Anything graphically related like fidelity and fps output will come from the GPU. Sometimes your type of TV can positively or negatively affect the fps as well, for example Sony branded TVs have a high quality option for smooth Motion Interpolation to help insert fake frames to make games appear at 60 fps even when they aren’t. LG TVs have the worst motion interpolation implementation in the industry, so theirs looks awful and can result in your image looking washed out. VRR is also key to matching your TV frame rate to the output of the console. In short - the game rendering a larger map to avoid in game loading has nothing to do with the frame rate as it’s using a different part of the console’s power to process it. It’s also not how FF16 works either as the maps aren’t being entirely rendered, only what you can see on screen in front of you is rendered and then what’s in the distance is low poly as they explained in this video to save GPU strain. This is why it has slight ‘texture pop in’. Unfortunately FF16 is badly optimised and this is evidenced by every single other PS5 game offering the same size map scale that has 1-2 seconds load time and offers high frame rate mode at 120fps or 40fps mode with VRR. It’s important to remember FF16 is not an open world RPG, so we should not be talking about it losing fps due to high demand - when there is no specific high demand. It doesn’t have hair strand features like Resident Evil remakes, it doesn’t officially state any ray tracing capabilities, and it forces motion blur on players. It also forces cut scenes to play in 30fps even if you choose performance mode so it is very jarring on the eyes as it flicks between 30 and 60. As they explained again in this video, there are parts of the game that even use pre-rendered video files as cut scenes instead of the actual game engine. Even COD warzone (the first one from 2020) runs at a dynamic 4K120fps as long as you are using HDMI 2.1, and that map is significantly larger than the smaller area sizes of FF16. Loading times are only slightly longer there as it’s finding other online players, but as I explained before anyway the loading time is not connected to the frames per second. That fps is a very impressive stat considering the fact that it’s a completely online experience with up to 150 players per match all pinged in generating server lag pulling down the games performance. FF16 is offline so no excuse. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (also from 2020) runs at a very near native 2160p 4K at full 60fps with a 12x larger map and no load times in between segments either. The FF16 maps are not fully loading in when you fast travel to a location, despite being woven together. They use very low poly models and shadows until you get closer to the point where the game renders it in fully, so there really is no excuse for not achieving 60fps, even though it’s not what we want to hear 😢 blurring out the background during combat to achieve a higher fps in FF16 combat is actually a smart idea, but very very lazy and not the high quality we expected from Square Enix, hence why it’s been so widely discussed at the moment. We are in the middle of the PS5’s life cycle, it’s not a release title game, so this should have been a better effort from SE. They have acknowledged their mistake by putting out a patch to improve performance but it hasn’t worked. I’m hoping for a better patch soon because right now $70 is a steep asking price for something that is visually on par and in some cases worse than 2016’s FF15

​@@finnaflexofficialsuch a long paragraph. It's not that deep. Different engines and games. We know what's the issue with most unreal engine games.

@@Krampus6-1-6 there’s always one like you 🥱 it kinda is that deep if you care about games, which you obviously don’t. You also don’t need to read it. Keep scrolling buddy

I wish it was more granular, not just a flip between the two but just let you chose how you want to balance quality vs performance. At the very least have 3 modes, quality, performance, and something in between balance mode or something. shouldn't be hard to implement since it's just a matter of changing the resolution, and turning on/off certain graphic settings like you can in every single PC game, it sohuld only take a few lines of code I would think (though i could be completely wrong, I know nothing about programming)

Flipping between different FPSs constantly would be extremely jarring.

@@Misfiring89 I think would depend, if you want from like a locked 40 to locked 60, and it was happening at predictable points like entering and exiting combat, I don’t think it would be too bad . But you may be right though.

​@@Misfiring89Exactly. It definitely is while playing this mess of a game. The game rules, but it really does run like shit.

Is long as i can still use framerate mode As a PC Player, everything under 60fps is unacceptable

I was just about to say, this video is incredibly high quality.