What games on PS4 will look like and what it will mean for gamers

But what does better graphics really mean for the gamer?

Everybody’s excited about the new generation of hardware. New tech is always fun and the PS4 release date is coming up fast; this holiday. It feels like time is travelling at light-speed sometimes, or maybe I’m just getting old. If you’re not hyped enough all ready this article might peak your interest just why you should be happy about this new gadget from a graphics point of view. Here are some quick bullet points accompanied by screenshots that will hopefully persuade you!

• Real time in-game cinematic movies – No more jarring jumps between in-game and cut-scenes 

• Better depth of field, including bokeh (Source Santa Monica Studios) – Will mean developers can create real cinematography within games

• In-game graphics will look like current gen pre-rendered movies – Hello Pixar quality!

• Better anti-aliasing – No more jaggies?

• Natural real-time trees and vegetation (Source SpeedTree) – Next-gen Gran Turismo won’t have flat trees

• More realistic physics – Floppy ragdolls will be a thing of the past

• Consistent 1080p at 60 fps – No more silly comparison videos!

• Filmic tone mapping – Will bring out the details of textures in HDR

• Real-time global illumination (Source Enlighten) – More realistic lighting and atmosphere

• Volumetric particle effects, cloud, fog, lighting and reflections –  The next-gen jungle in Uncharted and Far Cry will be joy to traverse

• Advanced facial animation (Source FaceFX) – L.A Noire facial animation will become the norm

• Real-time post-processing effects including bloom, motion-blur and lens flares – You will see a lot of J.J. Abrams flares this generation

• Real-time dynamic lighting with day/night cycles affecting volumetric  humidity and light refraction – Great for open-world games

• High resolution textures with sub-surface scattering – John Carmack’s wet dream

• Full body motion capture with lip synching – Something Naughty Dog will continue evolving

• Realistic cloth simulation – Capes will look great in superhero games

• Translucent textures and shadows – Will add realism and give surfaces a sense of weight

• High polygon models (Source Uncharted 4 job listing) – 30.000 polygons this generation, at least ten times as many next

• Realistic hair simulation (Source Tress FX) – Lara looks great in her new hairdo

• Better looking water with reflections, volume caustics and light distortions (source Cry Engine) – Who doesn’t like better looking water?

Unreal Engine 4 Tech

Great use of depth of field and reflective surfaces

Lots of particle effects and volumetric lights bouncing off the character

Notice the heat waves distorting the area around the character

Capcom Panta Rhei Engine

Great use of translucent materials in the blocks of ice and icicles

Nice depth of field and great looking suit of armor with reflective surfaces

So this is what a muddy cave looks like! Real-time light from the torch is bouncing off the cave walls and the muddy floor

Infamous: Second Son

High polygon realistic character model

Out of focus shot using depth of field and high resolution textures on the wall and character

Killzone: Shadow Fall

Nice bloom and lens flare effects with slightly blurry background

Lots of polygons on the character model and the surrounding cityscape

Watch Dogs

Fantastic sun glare bouncing off the high-rise building and realistic water with reflections and shadows

Great use of depth of field giving focus to the scene taking place in the foreground

Square Enix Luminous Engine

Realistic bokeh effect on the background and also fantastic hair technology

Again, nice looking hair and cinematic color grading

CD Projekt Red REDengine 3

Great looking sun rays peeking through the cloud cover and also showing off cloth simulation and fog

Quantic Dream PS4 Tech Demo

Translucent skin and wrinkles enhance realism and facial animations conveys real emotions