Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora PC - An Incredible Showcase For Cutting-Edge Real-Time Graphics

Sdílet
Vložit
  • čas přidán 22. 05. 2024
  • Ubisoft Massive's Avatar Frontiers of Pandora is a simply incredible game, the studio's Snowdrop Engine entering the next generation age with a stunning level of detail and ray traced lighting. In this exploration of the game, Alex Battaglia takes us through Avatar, showcases its micro and macro-level detail - and in a last-minute change to the video, talks us through the 'unobtainium' max settings preset that addresses almost all of his minor quibbles on the game's visual features.
    Subscribe for more Digital Foundry: bit.ly/DFSubscribe
    Join the DF Patreon to support the team more directly and to get access to everything we do via pristine quality downloads: bit.ly/3jEGjvx
    Want some DF-branded tee-shirts, mugs, hoodies and more? Check out our store: store.digitalfoundry.net
    For commercial enquiries, please contact business@digitalfoundry.net
    00:00:00 Introduction
    00:02:39 Next-Gen Lighting with Ray Traced Global Illumination and Reflections
    00:08:11 World Detail On the Small-Scale
    00:09:49 Vistas, Skies, and Volumetrics
    00:11:43 Interactivty and Physics
    00:13:15 Next-Gen Ray Traced Audio
    00:15:07 "Unobtanium" Max Settings and Room for Improvement
    00:17:52 How does it play?
    00:21:54 Conclusion
  • Hry

Komentáře • 1,9K

  • @cubusaddendum
    @cubusaddendum Před 5 měsíci +1126

    Thanks for noticing the acoustic rendering features we put in Alex! If you really want to hear the ERs and pseudo-LRs shine through though, you could fire the assault rifle while turning on the spot. Even with CZcams's stereo fold down you can hear the different reflection points render with their own physical-based filter states. All the best, Robert Bantin (Snowdrop Audio Architect).

    • @kellyisrael895
      @kellyisrael895 Před 5 měsíci +78

      You guys did an absolutely incredible job with the sound design, even on my lousy headphones and on PS5 (although the PS5 is such a lovely little beast that it looks like it does get away with reactive audio in some games). Every creature's location rendered precisely enough that I can follow animals just from *the sound* of where they are, which in an Ubisoft game with relatively minimal UI is actually kind of important. Since I often use the relatively minimal Exploration mode for my UI, to give this old Avatar movie fan the feel of being a Na'vi. Kudos for the incredible tech work from all teams when it comes to getting Pandora right.

    • @BobaFett396
      @BobaFett396 Před 5 měsíci +55

      Don’t comment often, but I had to shout it for all to hear: playing this game on XSX and Atmos with my HT setup is beyond any experience I’ve had in any game. Please know you guys did such a great fucking job and should set the precedent for all future games out there!

    • @AceStrife
      @AceStrife Před 5 měsíci +38

      Audio still seems to remain such an underappreciated part of games. I feel like ever since Microsoft dumped hardware audio with Vista things took a downward spiral, as features like Creative's EAX got nuked (and they gave up on ALchemy). I could even tell the difference right on the desktop with Windows sounds.
      Thank you for creating something we can point to to show people what good audio in games sounds like, without even needing a HRTF setup.

    • @rarelycomments
      @rarelycomments Před 5 měsíci +14

      The power of raytraced audio is underappreciated currently, I'm very excited for how it will be developed and utilised further.
      It has the potential (especially in VR) to add striking and captivating realism to games.

    • @HurriKane1991
      @HurriKane1991 Před 5 měsíci +3

      Hi Robert, does the game support dolby atmos for headphones on pc?

  • @YOGGaming
    @YOGGaming Před 5 měsíci +271

    being one of the enviroment artist that worked on this game, this warms up my heart to hear!

    • @ac3d657
      @ac3d657 Před 5 měsíci +1

      Yeah man Skyrim climb the hill with Charged crysis Jump, Such brave design bro

    • @victorsales3850
      @victorsales3850 Před 5 měsíci +23

      Fantastic work! Thanks for all the effort and hours of labour to bring this to life.

    • @mukuroikusaba7347
      @mukuroikusaba7347 Před 5 měsíci

      ​@@ac3d657such negativity get laid bro

    • @JasonGenom
      @JasonGenom Před 5 měsíci +25

      @@ac3d657 that is not what an environment artist does lol

    • @bobbyferguson2113
      @bobbyferguson2113 Před 5 měsíci +3

      You helped create something jaw dropping and gorgeous. Be proud!

  • @theotheronethere4391
    @theotheronethere4391 Před 5 měsíci +273

    The Snowdrop engine team should be given a prize. They handled the DX12 transition way better than many of their counterparts (cough Frostbite), very capable of large open-worlds, great multiplayer capacity, versatile (this engine was used to make the South Park game) and very beautiful. Bonds well for the Star Wars game.

    • @HalfpennyTerwilliger
      @HalfpennyTerwilliger Před 5 měsíci +26

      It's also the engine used for the two Mario+Rabbids games.

    • @xBINARYGODx
      @xBINARYGODx Před 5 měsíci +4

      bodes * and yes, I hate myself for having typed this

    • @ac3d657
      @ac3d657 Před 5 měsíci

      Seek. Help.

    • @p5rsona
      @p5rsona Před 5 měsíci +2

      @@xBINARYGODx I too noticed that, wtf does bond well mean haha. but yes does bode well for the star wars game, honestly its the dream star wars/ space exploration game I have been waiting for

    • @GORILLA_PIMP
      @GORILLA_PIMP Před 5 měsíci

      ​@@ac3d657🤣🤣

  • @t3chfx13
    @t3chfx13 Před 5 měsíci +94

    It's rather mindboggling how little marketing the game has gotten given the IP and the amount they have invested in its development for like 6 years.

    • @SpinfoilHat
      @SpinfoilHat Před 5 měsíci +6

      probably because the algorithm didn't think it was relevant to you. i'd been seeing plenty of videos for it, especially over the past two or three months, but I also am on youtube often for na'vi language videos and streams. I almost didn't get the game, thought it would be just "pretty to look at" but when I heard how well the language was spoken in the title song I preordered almost immediately. 13 years and I have never seen spoken na'vi that didn't get micro analyzed for every flaw. The title song? It's the subtitles in the video that are typoed. The rest of the game truly reflects that same level of care.

  • @cooperm211
    @cooperm211 Před 5 měsíci +232

    It's crazy how much better DF's capture looks than anything I saw from Ubi before launch.

    • @JakeMoran09
      @JakeMoran09 Před 5 měsíci +19

      I agree this wasn't even on my radar until this df deep dive. Super impressive.

    • @MrVoland44
      @MrVoland44 Před 5 měsíci +31

      Yes, this time PR was really weak. Even AC Mirage have more cool trailers than Avatar

    • @Cinnabuns2009
      @Cinnabuns2009 Před 5 měsíci +2

      @@JakeMoran09 no doubt. Its only on EGS though so that's a no go for me. Maybe it will come to Steam at some point, bummer

    • @ac3d657
      @ac3d657 Před 5 měsíci

      Holy wow seek help

    • @CrimsonStarviper
      @CrimsonStarviper Před 5 měsíci

      Honestly yeah I was considering skipping but this game looks super dope here in DF's tech video. Trailers were probably from console versions.

  • @koustav24das
    @koustav24das Před 5 měsíci +742

    Snowdrop is a very underrated engine. Division looks really a good looking game without much performance issue.

    • @sparkydeltorro
      @sparkydeltorro Před 5 měsíci +38

      I played a lot of Division 2 with my brothers, underrated game and looks great IMO. Particularly always liked how fire looks in that game.

    • @Keivz
      @Keivz Před 5 měsíci +2

      💯

    • @Scantronacon
      @Scantronacon Před 5 měsíci +21

      @@sparkydeltorro Division 2 looks amazing and so much attention to detail and the gameplay is fun as hell and not to mention I get to play as Hunk!

    • @brzimtrco6142
      @brzimtrco6142 Před 5 měsíci +19

      Yep, division was revolutionary back in 2016

    • @MichaelLochowitz
      @MichaelLochowitz Před 5 měsíci +21

      This is the best engine I’ve seen that balances beauty with playability. In Division 2 everything is so clear and easy to see/play.

  • @Thanatos9029
    @Thanatos9029 Před 5 měsíci +249

    This game basically just drops in almost out of nowhere and ends up being the most visually impressive game released this year if not in the history of gaming so far. Well done Massive.

    • @trevorveillette8415
      @trevorveillette8415 Před 5 měsíci +17

      It's not all the impressive looking imo. It's the lighting for me.
      Lighting looks really flat in a lot of areas.
      I'd take something like cyberpunk 2077 pathracing over this. Or the witcher 3 with rtx. Could even make a strong argument for crysis 3, AC unity or fuck it even just heavily modded skyrim.
      If the lighting was nicer then I might see why people are impressed by this but so far it just looks like foliage everywhere + raster lighting.
      Kinda reminds me of far cry graphics stylistically.

    • @someusername1872
      @someusername1872 Před 5 měsíci +90

      ​@@trevorveillette8415low quality bait

    • @stephenmeinhold5452
      @stephenmeinhold5452 Před 5 měsíci +6

      not for me i have been following it for 3 years since it was announced.
      i thought it would be good but it has execeded my expectatations which is rare these days its a game that shouldent be but it is.

    • @clintlechner4564
      @clintlechner4564 Před 5 měsíci +13

      Nope... I love Cyberpunk like it's my child and Frontiers of Pandora slaps it silly graphically.

    • @-pROvAK
      @-pROvAK Před 5 měsíci +4

      Hell no, its not even close to the most visually impressive game ever, lol

  • @Kevduit
    @Kevduit Před 5 měsíci +790

    One of the best looking games I've ever experienced. Literally just wandered around for hours exploring the unbelievable scenery

    • @Glotttis
      @Glotttis Před 5 měsíci +32

      You forgot to mention that after you were done checking out some plants you proceeded to do same-y mundane missions with mind numbing gameplay.

    • @paradigm2841
      @paradigm2841 Před 5 měsíci +2

      Why did you change the title of your video though?

    • @ender_z4nd3r83
      @ender_z4nd3r83 Před 5 měsíci +22

      @@Glotttis when you buy a ubisoft game you know what you are going to find, and still did better than expected, in some areas only a little and in others a lot

    • @sk8ermGs
      @sk8ermGs Před 5 měsíci

      @@Glotttis😂😂 so true

    • @Dick_Valparaiso
      @Dick_Valparaiso Před 5 měsíci +5

      For some reason I read "scenery" as "sorcery". Tbh, getting this level of visuals from Snowdrop feels like sorcery.¯\_(ツ)_/¯

  • @ACGreviews
    @ACGreviews Před 5 měsíci +1596

    Game is just insanely looking and I very much enjoyed playing it compared to some of their past titles.

    • @thealgerian3285
      @thealgerian3285 Před 5 měsíci +41

      Doesn't quite sound like this is saying much.

    • @willuigi64
      @willuigi64 Před 5 měsíci +114

      @@thealgerian3285 Should it? They're just saying it looks nice and was more enjoyable than past titles from the dev

    • @E_Sunbro
      @E_Sunbro Před 5 měsíci +67

      Your review is honestly what got me to buy the game. The idea that there are quiet moments in equal measure to combat encounters was very appealing to me.

    • @fuzzy3932
      @fuzzy3932 Před 5 měsíci +184

      @@willuigi64everyone is so cynical. God forbid a game is just a good game…. Nope, that means it’s “mid” or “trash”
      Some folks just can’t enjoy something for what it is. It’s sad.

    • @FoohyheadGaming
      @FoohyheadGaming Před 5 měsíci +66

      @@fuzzy3932I agree. Nowadays if a game isn’t perfect, you will be judged if you enjoy the game. Not every game needs to be perfect, nor do they need to score a 9/10 to be considered “good”.

  • @mandrews6282
    @mandrews6282 Před 5 měsíci +366

    I did not expect this game to go so hard visually. And the sheer amount of foliage alone and excellent lighting is pretty awesome. It really is a stunning game.

    • @timmy3822
      @timmy3822 Před 5 měsíci +2

      I love walking through woodland and looking at the ferns and moss on trees etc. I think I’m going to love just wandering around the game world, I’ve never seen such high quality detail on such small assets before. It really does make the game stand out from its peers.

    • @cube2fox
      @cube2fox Před 5 měsíci +1

      Yeah. Only small complaint I notice from the video is that the small plants seem to be a bit over animated. They seem to move a bit too much. If it's supposed to be the wind, you can't tell from which direction it is coming.

    • @damara2268
      @damara2268 Před 5 měsíci +11

      And still you get people who will tell you that it "looks the same as 2015 games" and that its "unoptimized"

    • @Spacemonkeymojo
      @Spacemonkeymojo Před 5 měsíci +4

      @@damara2268 The kind of people who would say that are the ones who said "this looks lame" when the trailer came out.

    • @mitchh5596
      @mitchh5596 Před 5 měsíci +1

      His points about the gameplay loop are interesting, you're kinda forced to keep crafting and upgrading your gear, you do get given gear pieces via story missions but not enough to sustain the way the levelling system is formulated. Late game gets tough if you don't have good gear.

  • @joshlyman7059
    @joshlyman7059 Před 5 měsíci +28

    the natural world in this game is just unreal, this is what i used to dream of as a kid, i know ''graphics dont matter'' but to a lot of ppl they really do, just wandering around this is spectacular

    • @khalidkhalil5437
      @khalidkhalil5437 Před 3 měsíci

      graphic dont matter? huh?

    • @thecooljohn100
      @thecooljohn100 Před 2 měsíci +1

      @@khalidkhalil5437 lots of people believe that. Usually it's because they don't have the hardware to run games at 2K/4K at max settings or they don't play single player games. Hardcore multiplayer gamers don't care much for visual fidelity, and on all the eSports titles they usually run all the settings on low to achieve max FPS.

  • @Nytonoventa
    @Nytonoventa Před 5 měsíci +49

    I played the game for a few hours, it looks stunning. And the sound design is super immersive!

  • @jmako979
    @jmako979 Před 5 měsíci +72

    Hats off you Ubisoft for delivering a pretty stellar open world on both PC and console that runs perfectly. Crazy Ubisoft being the one to get this right at the tail end of the year

    • @HiLoMusic
      @HiLoMusic Před 5 měsíci +2

      Love to see a comeback

    • @editing5157
      @editing5157 Před 5 měsíci +3

      Hats off to Massive. Ubisoft's gameplay is supposedly what hampers this game.

    • @stephenmeinhold5452
      @stephenmeinhold5452 Před 5 měsíci +1

      its shocking that they have put out a game with no problems on day one its ubisoft one of the publishers that do not have a good track record.
      but the game has been in development for 6 years which shows if you put the time in you get great results most of the time.
      sadly most games have a 2 year development if that and its not enough time.

    • @cybercery5271
      @cybercery5271 Před 5 měsíci +10

      ​@@editing5157fully owned by Ubisoft since 2008, Massive IS Ubisoft

    • @MrVoland44
      @MrVoland44 Před 5 měsíci +6

      Wgym crazy? After rockstar and sony its Ubisoft who always creating awesome looking openworlds
      Not to mention Division, now look at AC Unity, its 9 years old a NO ONE was able to create such dense city with insane amount of npcs

  • @AngryApple
    @AngryApple Před 5 měsíci +297

    this water wettness effect on objects inside water is sooo nice, such a small detail but it actually makes this one of the best water surfaces ive seen in video games

    • @ectoplasma5
      @ectoplasma5 Před 5 měsíci +6

      Yes that impressed me the most ! Also the way it connects to the land !

    • @AngryApple
      @AngryApple Před 5 měsíci +1

      @@ectoplasma5 yeah exactly it looks right.

    • @nerdoutreachprogram5358
      @nerdoutreachprogram5358 Před 5 měsíci +3

      Right?? Also when I was walking through the creek at the very start when you enter the forest I looked down into the water and was like, _damn_ those rocks are covered in fuzzy algae they look so good lol

    • @Rebelscum264
      @Rebelscum264 Před 5 měsíci

      Too much water

    • @tatianaes3354
      @tatianaes3354 Před 5 měsíci +4

      UBISOFT is cool again?

  • @b4ttlemast0r
    @b4ttlemast0r Před 5 měsíci +164

    Would have liked to see more of a comparison as to what the unobtainium settings actually change

    • @Coldmud
      @Coldmud Před 5 měsíci +9

      I guess there wasn't enough time

    • @leonro
      @leonro Před 5 měsíci +39

      That sounds like something that will be touched upon in the optimised settings guide.

    • @Kira-qc4qi
      @Kira-qc4qi Před 5 měsíci +16

      Yea he said that he only found out about them after he had the video basically finished.

    • @stephenmeinhold5452
      @stephenmeinhold5452 Před 5 měsíci

      @@leonro i hope so. its running well on my 2080ti system but i would like to hear alexes recomendations as then i know what the settings do.

    • @ac3d657
      @ac3d657 Před 5 měsíci

      Don't bother, they are shills, shilling their ubisoft shareholder connections

  • @katanalevygames
    @katanalevygames Před 5 měsíci +93

    The audio work is the most exciting thing for me, I had no idea they were doing that kind of work but it's super impressive!

    • @znubionek
      @znubionek Před 5 měsíci

      honestly i wasnt impressed by the trailers and gameplays and i still think graphics is bad but plant interactions and audio that Alex showed made me consider playing it

    • @znubionek
      @znubionek Před 5 měsíci +1

      ok, later Alex compares it to Crysis, thats quite a recommendation

    • @JFinns
      @JFinns Před 5 měsíci +6

      Yea the audio is good, reminds me of how Battlefield 3 sounded 12 years ago.

    • @manoftherainshorts9075
      @manoftherainshorts9075 Před 5 měsíci +1

      Ray traced audio already existed in other games.

    • @saricubra2867
      @saricubra2867 Před 5 měsíci

      ​@@manoftherainshorts9075Wave traced, not ray traced.

  • @johananj.j8003
    @johananj.j8003 Před 5 měsíci +285

    The foliage in this game is just glorious. No other game comes even close this.

    • @cormac8613
      @cormac8613 Před 5 měsíci +9

      Ark ascended foliage looks considerably better. It's hard to compete with Unreal engine 5

    • @cody3335
      @cody3335 Před 5 měsíci +99

      @@cormac8613 no

    • @johananj.j8003
      @johananj.j8003 Před 5 měsíci +35

      ​​@@cormac8613Have you seen the gameplay trailer? It doesn't even look half as dense, reactive or varied as this game. I'm also sure that ark won't be as optimised as Avatar, considering its UE5.

    • @Sal3600
      @Sal3600 Před 5 měsíci +14

      Crysis did it in 2007

    • @gaborfazekas7915
      @gaborfazekas7915 Před 5 měsíci +50

      Forbidden west...

  • @zaq_d
    @zaq_d Před 5 měsíci +178

    Kudos to Massive Entertainment and all the teams that worked hard on this one. Really enjoyed playing last night, and thanks Alex for bringing attention to stellar efforts with your reporting.

    • @Ronzem2
      @Ronzem2 Před 5 měsíci +1

      Massive so underrated. Been doing hit games for as long as I can remember.

    • @stephenmeinhold5452
      @stephenmeinhold5452 Před 5 měsíci

      i would send them a gift basket if i could.

  • @KyleFromVA
    @KyleFromVA Před 5 měsíci +47

    Now that they’ve announced the division 3 watching this makes me even more excited because regardless of how you feel about the game as a whole you can’t deny that the worlds they built for the division look and sounded great so seeing that they have massively upgraded the engine I am beyond stoked

  • @yoteca
    @yoteca Před 5 měsíci +15

    I can't believe they actually made an amazing Avatar game. Wow, absolutely stunning.

  • @fred_durst
    @fred_durst Před 5 měsíci +19

    feels like the last 1-2 years has finally hit a noticeable leap in overall graphics, stuff like this and robocop

    • @TSE_WOODY
      @TSE_WOODY Před 5 měsíci

      The covid delays have stopped making it so next gen games feel like upgraded last gen ones, which they were

    • @nahush6299
      @nahush6299 Před 5 měsíci +5

      And Alan Wake

    • @mrbobgamingmemes9558
      @mrbobgamingmemes9558 Před 5 měsíci

      Yeah, anyway ,i cant believe that there are more demanding games that worse worse than this released this year,

    • @shukterhousejive
      @shukterhousejive Před 5 měsíci +1

      4A Games got the jump on this but the secret seems to be comprehensive indirect lighting and proper shadows at small scales, either with UE5's grabbag of tricks or just dumping rays into the scene. You get a generational improvement even with the same materials and post-processing, it's wild

  • @leotide1990
    @leotide1990 Před 5 měsíci +279

    The Unobtanium settings bring my 4080 to its knees, but it’s so cool to see how far it can scale!

    • @originalityisdead.9513
      @originalityisdead.9513 Před 5 měsíci +33

      The game pushed my 4090 at ultrawide and whilst using DLSS. It's also made me realise that my 12900k needs to go. It's bottlenecking my system.

    • @CaptToilet
      @CaptToilet Před 5 měsíci +4

      does it add any visual difference or does it just simply push LOD settings to the max?

    • @Keivz
      @Keivz Před 5 měsíci +25

      @@originalityisdead.9513what are going to replace it with? A ryzen 7 9800x3d?

    • @DroneCorpse
      @DroneCorpse Před 5 měsíci +28

      @@CaptToiletthey likely don’t know or care. it’s just about pushing the specs to the max.

    • @sven957
      @sven957 Před 5 měsíci +8

      I wish he woulve done more comparison shots

  • @Ceredante
    @Ceredante Před 5 měsíci +13

    This game was not on my radar at all, now I am making it a priority. Great job devs, and great job Alex for showcasing this game!

  • @Alcoholikaust
    @Alcoholikaust Před 5 měsíci +60

    Probably my favorite Massive game and one of the best looking games of the year. Gave the 7800x3D and 4090 a workout on 'Unobtanium' settings-

    • @MrAnimescrazy
      @MrAnimescrazy Před 5 měsíci +3

      What frames are you getting at native 2k and native 4k with max settings? Then what frames are you getting with frame gen, dlss etc.? Thanks.

    • @bustercherry8734
      @bustercherry8734 Před 5 měsíci +2

      I have the same setup. I'm gonna have to try this game as much as i don't care for avatar.

    • @a.t.6432
      @a.t.6432 Před 5 měsíci

      ​@@bustercherry8734you can get it from steam and then ask for a refund after you tried it

    • @nabushdinosaure
      @nabushdinosaure Před 5 měsíci +3

      @@MrAnimescrazy With 4090 and 7800X3D, in Native 4K it's in the 20's -40's. Looks absolutely gorgeous but to make it playable I use FSR3 ultra quality + frame gen = 55-90fps. FSR3 looks better than DLSS, which is softer and I like sharpness...

    • @MrAnimescrazy
      @MrAnimescrazy Před 5 měsíci +2

      @@nabushdinosaure damn ok thanks for the info and what about native 2k with everything maxed out?

  • @121deen
    @121deen Před 5 měsíci +88

    Finally, someone who doesn't think the game is just far cry with Avatar characters. Well done for the professional observation. It feels and plays so much differently. Way too many unfair comments out there!

    • @russia4biden221
      @russia4biden221 Před 5 měsíci +18

      It is just far cry with avatar characters, its not a good game, keep coping

    • @Overrated333
      @Overrated333 Před 5 měsíci

      @@russia4biden221look at ur name pls

    • @kaustavdas436
      @kaustavdas436 Před 5 měsíci +21

      It is not far cry with avatar characters,its a good game,i support your statement

    • @acesamm
      @acesamm Před 5 měsíci +8

      duality.

    • @longjohn526
      @longjohn526 Před 5 měsíci +34

      The people who say that haven't played the game ...... Plus they are from the "I hate everything in my life" crowd .... I really can't understand how people can go through life that damned miserable all of the time ......

  • @BingusDad
    @BingusDad Před 5 měsíci +7

    I've had so many moments in this game, where I just stop and look in awe at the world. This is the forest I as a kid dreamt would one day be in a game. Now it is here.

    • @chs_ambs8356
      @chs_ambs8356 Před 5 měsíci +3

      Stepping out into the world for the first time after you escape the RDA facility is a true Crysis moment. The only other game to do that recently is Doom Eternal when you teleport into Urdak.

  • @djp1234
    @djp1234 Před 5 měsíci +13

    This is the most amazing looking game I've ever seen.

  • @Corybander
    @Corybander Před 5 měsíci +29

    Opinions shared tastefully, beautiful graphical showcases with exceptional quality on CZcams. Thank you, Alex

  • @hihihi1q23
    @hihihi1q23 Před 5 měsíci +13

    I can't wait to see how their new Star Wars game looks running on this engine.

  • @liaminwales
    @liaminwales Před 5 měsíci +28

    I am so happy RT audio is being used, it's something iv hoped we'd see more of by now. Audio cant have a big compute cost but the effect of good audio on a game/film is massive.
    I hope we see some more videos for this game, maybe a comparison to UR5?
    Super cool to see a engine push graphics so hard that's not Unreal, id like to see more engines covered.

    • @manoftherainshorts9075
      @manoftherainshorts9075 Před 5 měsíci +7

      Considering how bad the average user's audio equipment is, no surprise that companies don't prioritize that.

    • @mrbobgamingmemes9558
      @mrbobgamingmemes9558 Před 5 měsíci +2

      Most gamers dont give a f**k about audio quality unless they have sound problem, like muffled audio, stuttering, static, missing bass , etc, most gamers are not audiophile

    • @krisiscove
      @krisiscove Před 5 měsíci +2

      ​@@mrbobgamingmemes9558Considering how vertical this game is, I love that it has proper Atmos support.

    • @mrbobgamingmemes9558
      @mrbobgamingmemes9558 Před 5 měsíci

      @@krisiscovesounds interesting, but i dont know if it make difference in games on average audio device used by gamers

    • @krisiscove
      @krisiscove Před 5 měsíci

      @@mrbobgamingmemes9558 Oh of course I agree. With that said I appreciate the effort massive put in even more because it is a niche market they are catering too.

  • @Sonic_Kirbo
    @Sonic_Kirbo Před 5 měsíci +6

    The night time bioluminescence of the plants reminds me of the bright colorful neon lights and particle effects of Infamous Second Son, loved the lighting in that game.

  • @Reverend_Rob
    @Reverend_Rob Před 5 měsíci +2

    I feel like this is one of the best videos on the channel. Watched the entire thing. I really appreciated the detailed explanation of the gameplay in addition to the technical analysis.

  • @Hzuuuu
    @Hzuuuu Před 5 měsíci +15

    The future is looking great for Massive and The Division fans. The Division has always been one of the best looking games despite not having the latest and greatest tech. Massive shows that they can do cutting-edge tech while complementing them with very much needed details and art style.

  • @aL3891_
    @aL3891_ Před 5 měsíci +147

    Looks awesome, I kind of wish they'd make the engine available for licensing of not only to challenge UE and unity :) also pretty cool to go through all this for a movie based game where they could just bank on the title

    • @vickie_g
      @vickie_g Před 5 měsíci +79

      Licensing an engine requires a lot more work than just making one - you need to build a lot of user friendly tools, write doccumenation, have customer support and all of that requires constant maintainance. That why most studios dont license their inhouse tech.

    • @wingedhussar1453
      @wingedhussar1453 Před 5 měsíci +3

      Unreal engine looks better more like cgi

    • @niks660097
      @niks660097 Před 5 měsíci +22

      @@vickie_g "write documenation", the hardest part..

    • @BlackParade01
      @BlackParade01 Před 5 měsíci +25

      ​@@wingedhussar1453Unreal Engine is worse imo.
      Been saying it ever since UE5 was announced: it is an overhyped engine. It won't be in the top 5 best engines of the generation and studios such as CDPR fucked themselves by switching to UE5.

    • @w21aaaaa
      @w21aaaaa Před 5 měsíci +9

      ​@@vickie_g Lol as a dev, even I sometimes find myself too lazy to write documentations for my code.
      Also god knows how many pieces of code of their engine consists of hacks and smart workarounds.
      Just look at Quake 3 Arena's Fast inverse Square-root operation and its famous "WTF" comment.

  • @mechiellouw3315
    @mechiellouw3315 Před 5 měsíci +7

    The title of this video alone is impressive enough. And that alone just made me realize how much I appreciate DF. These guys have a massive impact on my life, more than I would like to admit.

  • @yoSevZ
    @yoSevZ Před 5 měsíci +4

    This just make me more excited for Star Wars outlaws

  • @J4Berg
    @J4Berg Před 5 měsíci +5

    This makes me really want a division remaster. The concrete jungle. The snow falling. Accumulating and melting. All the different lighting in the game. Would be amazing.

  • @leotide1990
    @leotide1990 Před 5 měsíci +3

    One thing that helps me to enjoy this game is that I haven’t played a single FarCry game since the first one around two decades ago. So I’ve missed out on the FarCry-specific things that makes this feel tired to many, and thus this game is SO much fun

  • @kernspalt-kartoffel
    @kernspalt-kartoffel Před 5 měsíci

    This is my favorite kind of video DF delivers, looking at the technical aspects of the pc version of a new game. Very well done, as always!

  • @etbadaboum
    @etbadaboum Před 5 měsíci

    Absolutely stunning! Great video and thanks for the gameplay part which I was worried about with reading and watching some reviews, this is much better than previous open world Ubisoft games

  • @tomalexander4327
    @tomalexander4327 Před 5 měsíci +3

    Some great editing in this Alex.

  • @white.shadow
    @white.shadow Před 5 měsíci +4

    Truly a visual masterpiece, this might be the first time I’ve been completely blown away just from the graphics of the game, and it is well polished as well haven’t noticed any major glitches or bugs. Honestly I was not expecting that, I haven’t watched any avatar movies and this my first time getting into anything avatar yet it still holds my attention and interest. The team that worked on this game should give themselves a pat on the back, you all have truly created a masterpiece. Thank you.

  • @jungerspross7922
    @jungerspross7922 Před 5 měsíci

    I just have to say the quality of your videos is unmatched. The attention to detail and technicality, as well as your editing and writing, truly sets you guys apart from most other similar channels. Keep it up!

  • @antarcticanman
    @antarcticanman Před 5 měsíci +9

    Looks better than every UE5 title so far. Kudos to ubisoft for properly utilising the snowdrop engine.

  • @carpetfluff35
    @carpetfluff35 Před 5 měsíci +4

    The engine scales so well. The PS5 version obviously doesn't have all the bells and whistles but is still extremely nice looking and runs well with so much detail on display. Also, thank you Massive for the FOV slider - something Ubi does not usually implement in their other first person console games.

  • @oceanedetotes
    @oceanedetotes Před 5 měsíci +12

    At 8:32 the ground with all the leaves is impressive ! First time I see something like this in a video game !
    I would like to see a ground like this in RDR 2 PS5

  • @Griffo4
    @Griffo4 Před 5 měsíci +5

    Despite crashing every hour of gameplay for my pc, (Please don’t make fun of my outdated graphics card) this is one of the only games to make me say “oh wow” out loud and actually smile. Climbing the rookery was one of the most immersive, awe-inspiring, beautiful thing I’ve seen in a video game.

  • @Mart-E12
    @Mart-E12 Před 5 měsíci +2

    I turned on the explorer mode the first time I started playing and it's such an interesting challenge. I'm so unused to actually getting lost in a game world and it feels great and immersive. I was just thrown into this world to find my way around and I love the freedom that gives me

  • @johnhess9443
    @johnhess9443 Před 5 měsíci +39

    this is a spectacular looking game
    I paid no attention to it leading up to release, all of the sudden I'm really interested in trying it

    • @cosmicgamingunlimited
      @cosmicgamingunlimited Před 5 měsíci +2

      Only reason I care is I got a free key with my laptop. I cant play until xmas though. Looking forward to this being the first game i play on my laptop.

    • @daanyal6266
      @daanyal6266 Před 5 měsíci +7

      It's so ironic how the Visuals make me want this now, just like the movies. Just shows how beautiful this fictional world is and how good of a job they did replicating it here.

  • @Filip10101
    @Filip10101 Před 5 měsíci +52

    Darn... I feel like I'm looking at some high quality UE5 forest tech demo. Such a tasty looking game.

    • @RedPillAlways
      @RedPillAlways Před 5 měsíci

      UE is trash in reality

    • @Lord_ofcinder
      @Lord_ofcinder Před 5 měsíci +28

      I can’t believe it’s from Ubisoft. Ubisoft used to be one of the best in pushing graphics and then they got stale till they dropped this game. It’s genuinely a very good game and I am actually enjoying it compared to their other titles.

    • @NintendoGamer2011
      @NintendoGamer2011 Před 5 měsíci +21

      @@Lord_ofcinder Honestly, I think Massive Entertainment is the best studio Ubisoft has right now.
      This game, plus Star Wars Outlaws coming next year? That’s impressive!

    • @93836
      @93836 Před 5 měsíci +3

      @@NintendoGamer2011 Holy crap, I know. I can’t wait for Star Wars: Outlaws.

    • @yellowblanka6058
      @yellowblanka6058 Před 5 měsíci +6

      Keep in mind, this is running on a $2000+ GPU. Personally, yes, it looks nice at these settings, but not nice enough to make me run out and spend two grand on a GPU alone.

  • @Jart-qe3om
    @Jart-qe3om Před 5 měsíci

    Thank you so much for making this video, the amount of time, editing, even the way this is narrated, amazing work! Liked and subed! Love this video it actually means a lot to me that you made this because I love this game

  • @SplitScreamOFFICIAL
    @SplitScreamOFFICIAL Před 5 měsíci +6

    I want to see this game in VR
    It would be a great way to complete the Cycle

    • @user-wp3zh9xy7g
      @user-wp3zh9xy7g Před 5 měsíci

      That would be the only thing that gets me to buy it. Otherwise its Just another boring movie adaptation.

  • @user-np5es9hc8p
    @user-np5es9hc8p Před 5 měsíci +4

    The greatest Alex compliments equate to the frequency of Crysis 1 comparisons haha that’s a good thing to me!

  • @117johnpar
    @117johnpar Před 5 měsíci +3

    The water suffers from a "Swimming pool" effect. Its like the ripples are too evenly dispersed and move too quickly, Almost feels like its scaled wrong for the type of water thats being shown. Thats about the only visual element I see that takes me out of just being absolutely stunned by a live scene in this game.

    • @granthartley
      @granthartley Před 5 měsíci

      I thought the same thing. Felt like my video was playing at 1.5x speed (or higher), but it wasn't. Hopefully they'll correct this in a patch, along with the other visual discrepancies Alex mentioned.

  • @sagewaterdragon
    @sagewaterdragon Před 5 měsíci +5

    The Division is still one of my favorite-looking games, the Snowdrop engine is incredibly capable and the way that they flex their technical muscles with an art team to match was incredible. This looks like a worthy new game in that lineage. Super stoked to try it. Your description of it as closer to Crysis than Far Cry has me wanting to buy it.

  • @KBL1974
    @KBL1974 Před 5 měsíci +5

    I've been trying to play this on pc. Not having much luck though as I can't move 10 feet without my jaw dropping and me having to hit up photo mode. Think I've taken 60 plus screen shots, all wallpaper worthy, in first 3 hours.
    When a storm hits and the skies are grey with high winds... omfg
    Was really disappointed that no one had made a big enough deal about how special this is... until now 😊

  • @AshtonCoolman
    @AshtonCoolman Před 5 měsíci +22

    I'm looking forward to your analysis on the FSR3 implementation in this game. There's talk that it's vastly improved from the first games the tech was demoed in.

    • @formulaic78
      @formulaic78 Před 5 měsíci +5

      Hardware Unboxed did a video. They seem impressed. I'd actually written it off based on their initial verdict and others.

    • @AshtonCoolman
      @AshtonCoolman Před 5 měsíci +4

      @@formulaic78 yes I watched theirs. I want to see Digital Foundry's analysis and opinion specifically though.

    • @michaelmcnamara3866
      @michaelmcnamara3866 Před 5 měsíci +6

      I trust HW Unboxed for a better unbiased opinion. I've really grown skeptical of DF videos of late.

    • @90lancaster
      @90lancaster Před 5 měsíci

      Hmm FS3 that could be what is cause the chromatic red / green image after image weirdness on edges possibly. if it is that should make it easier to track down the issue.

    • @formulaic78
      @formulaic78 Před 5 měsíci

      @@michaelmcnamara3866 I was a bit skeptical that Steve's colleague whose name I forget could deliver as good DLSS content. But he's more than proved himself and I agree that I might just defer to their opinion over DF on such matters.

  • @b-radb5483
    @b-radb5483 Před 5 měsíci +7

    What I like about the team at DF is they look at game a bit differently. Alex's description of what he likes about the game and how he enjoyed it was very much in line with my thoughts. I find this kind of analysis is missing from most reviews.

    • @ac3d657
      @ac3d657 Před 5 měsíci

      Cringe. Seek help

  • @GamertagO1
    @GamertagO1 Před 5 měsíci

    Great video. Thanks Alex.

  • @HENRIK40k
    @HENRIK40k Před 5 měsíci +2

    Nice preview Alex, awesome job Ubisoft team! I would have liked to see condensation buildup on exterior facing windows; this would simulate the difference in humidity and interior temperatures. This could also in theory mask lower quality RT reflections if used.

  • @ScyrousFX
    @ScyrousFX Před 5 měsíci +3

    Hats off to Massive, stunning work. I do wish the motion blur looked better. It looked quite off in trailers and early footage, and it doesn't seem to have improved at all.

  • @IAt0m1xI
    @IAt0m1xI Před 5 měsíci +51

    This should be in VR I mean this looks good

    • @TheBlackbirdii
      @TheBlackbirdii Před 5 měsíci +2

      Best comment so far

    • @stephenmeinhold5452
      @stephenmeinhold5452 Před 5 měsíci +1

      i have avoided VR as i dont like wareing a huge device on my head but for this game i would go for it.

    • @jojomojo3847
      @jojomojo3847 Před 5 měsíci

      pick a small device, there are sizes for everyone's taste.@@stephenmeinhold5452

  • @seanryu5214
    @seanryu5214 Před 4 měsíci

    9:00 Another amazing example of this is when I was looking at the fish in the hunter logbook and I notice how the light was being spread over the scales and that honestly kinda amazed me.

  • @Mr450pro
    @Mr450pro Před 5 měsíci +2

    I’m not a hardcore gamer, but this is the only game I can walk around in for hours without actually playing it. Just enjoying it and get away from the real world.
    Nothing beats this game at night! The sounds from the world around you. Plants,animals,and the music.
    I just love this game!
    A huge thanks to the developers for making this masterpiece 😍👌🏻

  • @RealFlicke
    @RealFlicke Před 5 měsíci +7

    8:50 this is parallax occlusion mapping right? Using real geometry would be insane

  • @Decenium
    @Decenium Před 5 měsíci +5

    oh man, that is excellent sound design....really nice

  • @john_hunter_
    @john_hunter_ Před 5 měsíci +1

    I like how you can see the wind blow ripples in the water. It's the first game I've seen with that effect.

  • @zephyrus7974
    @zephyrus7974 Před 5 měsíci

    Great video DF, can u please do an optimized settings guide and hardware recommendations for 1080p, 2k and 4k.

  • @HacksawJimThuggin
    @HacksawJimThuggin Před 5 měsíci +8

    Ubisoft are great when it comes to making great looking games...It's the gameplay that they struggle with.

    • @minbari73
      @minbari73 Před 5 měsíci

      The gameplay is fine, now go back to walking around in the dark with a torch or a sword.

    • @SuperBallani
      @SuperBallani Před 5 měsíci

      I disagree, their games also have very consistently very very solid gameplay, in fact i would they are some of the best in the Open world category.

    • @HacksawJimThuggin
      @HacksawJimThuggin Před 5 měsíci +1

      @@SuperBallani if you've played 1, you've played them all. They rarely deviate from their formula. AC, Division, Far Cry, Ghost Recon... Are all similar at their core

    • @minbari73
      @minbari73 Před 5 měsíci

      ​@@HacksawJimThuggin Open world games usually have something to do in them, an enemy to fight, something to take over and make yours or make free. AC's play very differently to the Division, FarCry plays very differently to all of them. At their core the loop is similar, because what else are you going to do in an open world game? People want to shoot or kill things and feel the progression. Why is this wrong?

  • @devilduc
    @devilduc Před 5 měsíci +3

    a comparison between console and PC would be great and a comparison between unobtanium and ultra setting would be great too.

  • @DKTronics70
    @DKTronics70 Před 5 měsíci +1

    This game could do with a VR mode. Actually being there in Pandora, would be awesome.
    Also, that first bit of the game where you make your way out of the ship to the forest, reminded me of Unreal 1, and I had the same jaw-dropping moment I did here, as I did back in 1998.

  • @GamingTech-YouTube
    @GamingTech-YouTube Před 5 měsíci

    As always fantastic video and very well explained!

  • @saintsalieri
    @saintsalieri Před 5 měsíci +18

    It honestly drops frames very noticeably on Series X but I'm still enjoying it immensely. It's a great open world sci fi game, and it's nice to get one of those this year after all.

    • @SubaruWRC1996
      @SubaruWRC1996 Před 5 měsíci

      For me it only has ever dropped once. I did notice it runs alot better on performance mode as when I got to the grasslands everything was flickering and dropping textures but going to performance mode definitely stopped it

    • @saintsalieri
      @saintsalieri Před 5 měsíci

      @SubaruWRC1996 I'm on performance mode as well, and it drips quite a bit during rainstorms. On quality I was choppy in general. I expect some improvements will be made but it's already a great experience.

    • @DwarfNoble
      @DwarfNoble Před 5 měsíci +1

      Glad you're enjoying it! :D.. I only play games on PC.. so was curious: Does it have Ray Tracing on Series X?

    • @Maxiow
      @Maxiow Před 5 měsíci

      It's heavy as f* on PC too, should require a lot less from the hardware according to the visual fidelity, the water looks really weird for the most part

    • @Maxiow
      @Maxiow Před 5 měsíci

      ​@@DwarfNobleit does, surprisingly

  • @foshbz2687
    @foshbz2687 Před 5 měsíci +8

    The environments are absolutely drop dead gorgeous. It definitely is a bit cookie cutter mechanics wise from far cry. But this is definitely through and through a good Avatar game.

  • @elzolubbers
    @elzolubbers Před 5 měsíci

    Always nice to hear a happy Alex

  • @Lock2002ful
    @Lock2002ful Před 5 měsíci +2

    Terrific looking game and as always awesome video.
    Definitely gonna play this with all the markers off and immerse myself in the world.

  • @gibbs3000
    @gibbs3000 Před 5 měsíci +15

    The game is beautiful and fun to play, I went in with low expectations and was blown away once I stepped out into Pandora.

    • @mdance86
      @mdance86 Před 5 měsíci +2

      So was I. Very rarely do I play a game and go "wow". When I stepped out into the forest for the first time, I just sat there and looked. I was stunned. Absolutely phenomenal!

  • @reamoinmcdonachadh9519
    @reamoinmcdonachadh9519 Před 5 měsíci +3

    If this game can overcome the Ubisoft Schema that so bedevils most of their games then it might be something I could play. The visuals ARE stunning, and rather jaw dropping in the scope of the ambition realized here.

  • @kanaray9646
    @kanaray9646 Před 5 měsíci

    Love that Dark Void track in the intro! :D

  • @tiramisumochi4787
    @tiramisumochi4787 Před 5 měsíci +2

    I’ve been enjoying this game so much, it’s insanely beautiful and unique feeling! Definitely deserves the glowing review from DF

  • @CactousMan639
    @CactousMan639 Před 5 měsíci +4

    7:38 Here I see it pink! While this is red 7:53

  • @svenk5221
    @svenk5221 Před 5 měsíci +3

    I enjoy it a lot. Mich more than the other Ubisoft Formular games lately which I also played and liked so far. This game has something special besides beautiful graphics. Real nice pacing inmo

  • @eSKAone-
    @eSKAone- Před 5 měsíci +2

    Finally a treat for Alex 💟

  • @ScruffyMisguidedAndBlue
    @ScruffyMisguidedAndBlue Před 5 měsíci +1

    Good video, is the closest I have seen to what I see in game, which is glorious.
    My main gripe with the graphics is that HDR doesn't seem to work on indoor levels, but as soon as you are in the open world the HDR is glorious. I was a bit underwhelmed by the intro story in the base, but literally got goosebumps when I stepped outside and saw the best game graphics I have ever seen.

  • @14supersonic
    @14supersonic Před 5 měsíci +8

    Appreciate getting a PC build analysis first for a change, you guys should do this more often. It helps showcase how good these games really could be given the resource and optimization.

  • @seanporcelli3965
    @seanporcelli3965 Před 5 měsíci +46

    This is just as impressive as the movies my god.

    • @anasshahid224
      @anasshahid224 Před 5 měsíci

      Facts bro

    • @saricubra2867
      @saricubra2867 Před 5 měsíci +2

      Needs a path tracing upgrade to destroy PCs like Cyberpunk 2077 and Alan Wake 2.

  • @Lewdology
    @Lewdology Před 5 měsíci +1

    No mention of stutters huh. This is Alex's Christmas present, amazing looking PC game that runs well. Love to see it.

  • @abhijitdash
    @abhijitdash Před 5 měsíci

    What a beautiful game and so well covered Alex. Thank you :)

  • @philipp995
    @philipp995 Před 5 měsíci +6

    I also thought that this Avatar game reminded me very much of Crysis, it looks incredible, love just discovering it. The only thing I don't like so much is the water.

    • @minbari73
      @minbari73 Před 5 měsíci +1

      Agreed, the water doesn't look right. Waterfalls I like though.

    • @SolarScion
      @SolarScion Před 5 měsíci

      The water moves too fast. I wonder if it's just a technical physics/framerate limitation or if the team actually thought it looked right. If so, they need some distance or a third party.

  • @18nakedcowboys69
    @18nakedcowboys69 Před 5 měsíci +9

    This is such an insanely pretty game, I wish 3Dtv were still a thing, because I get the feeling this game would look amazing in 3D.

    • @balintszollar
      @balintszollar Před 5 měsíci +1

      a man after my own heart!
      It's a crying shame that stereoscopic gaming went down the gutter in favor of the party trick, that is VR.
      I had incredible times playing in 3D

  • @icarusj016
    @icarusj016 Před 5 měsíci

    Oh my god the audio is so good!

  • @Justmeandmy20cents
    @Justmeandmy20cents Před 5 měsíci +2

    It's Far Cry in Pandora, but oh man it's the best feel good game I've ever played!
    The random events and fighting is some of the best Ubisoft has ever done.
    If you think open worlds are overwhelming, skip this it's the most overwhelming map yet, but if you can conquer your fears, my god is it rewarding!

  • @SkemeKOS
    @SkemeKOS Před 5 měsíci +5

    Looks so damn good!

  • @NootNoot.
    @NootNoot. Před 5 měsíci +9

    Not only is the game pretty, I'm glad they spent the time to have some great interactivity, physics and audio. Also facial capture looks really good as well. The game gives me an equal awe inspiring feel like Cyberpunk and Alan Wake which are team green biased games.

  • @room101rats
    @room101rats Před 5 měsíci +1

    loving that audio tracing

  • @VRFlightSimGuy
    @VRFlightSimGuy Před 5 měsíci

    An excellent presentation. This is a step change in terms of the visuals and incredible atmosphere. Your comparison to the legend that is Crysis is right on point too. Well done Ubisoft, you nailed it.

  • @vgnvideogameninja2930
    @vgnvideogameninja2930 Před 5 měsíci +8

    I've tried it on my RTX 4090 PC and my PS5 and can barely notice any differences. So nearly everything in this video also goes for consoles.

  • @KNIGHTOFSIN187
    @KNIGHTOFSIN187 Před 5 měsíci +3

    UBISOFT ACTUALLY DELIVERED ON GRAPHICS VS TRAILER 😂 AND BOY DOES IT LOOK AMAZING 💙 NOW IMAGINE WHAT SPLINTERCELL REMAKE IS GONNA LOOK LIKE!!!!

    • @sirab3ee198
      @sirab3ee198 Před 5 měsíci

      "Remake" because they are creatively bankrupt ....

  • @mr_StevenS
    @mr_StevenS Před 5 měsíci +2

    6:40 "Pandora at night is lit up not only by the moon" - Pandora is the moon here, it is lit up by it's planet =)

    • @DigitalFoundry
      @DigitalFoundry  Před 5 měsíci +3

      Check the Note in the bottoming left when I say that

  • @davidludwig7501
    @davidludwig7501 Před 5 měsíci +1

    I played this last night for a few hours and honestly am blown away by how pretty it is. The walkout moment was amazing imo. Look forward to exploring some more. My first impressions were nothing but positive.