Unlocking Alan Wake 2: Enhance Your PS5 Pro Experience with PSSR Toggle and a Fresh 40fps Mode
This week’s DF Update segment, which is embedded below, reveals that the new patch is unexpectedly extensive. Besides the PSSR toggle, there’s also a new balanced graphics mode for users with 120Hz displays aimed at achieving a 40fps frame rate on the PS5 Pro. The balanced mode is intriguing, as it combines the enhanced settings (including RT) of the standard mode with the lower resolution of the performance mode. The new patch also claims to adjust settings across all modes to decrease noise; however – spoiler alert – it does not seem to be functioning as intended at this moment. We’ve tested the new modes, and they present a welcome enhancement for PS5 Pro owners, boosting the game’s overall presentation, although a few areas still need improvement.
Our expert Oliver has taken a close look at this update, and he reports that the anticipated tweaks for the performance mode do not appear to have been executed. In side-by-side comparisons between the original and updated versions of the game, no visual differences were noted concerning foliage, shadow quality, draw distance, and several other aspects. Image quality seems to remain unchanged as well, so if any adjustments have been made, they are likely quite minor or impact different areas than what we have tested. On the other hand, performance has seen improvement, with around a 10 percent frame rate increase in several of the demanding scenes we evaluated, bringing the gameplay closer to 60fps.
- 0:00:00 Introduction
- 0:01:09 News 1: Switch 2 leaks checklist dock, magnetic connection
- 0:17:40 News 2: New Alan Wake 2 PS5 Pro patch reviewed!
- 0:28:14 News 3: Indiana Jones lighting improved on Xbox
- 0:35:32 News 4: New Legion Disappear uses SteamOS
- 0:49:50 News 5: RTX 50 series leaks continue
- 1:01:35 News 6: DF Supporter Game of the Year awards!
- 1:18:01 News 7: “Monkey Kong” arrives on Nintendo eShop
- 1:25:36 Supporter Q1: After the Mark Cerny interview, how do you think Sony will approach PS6?
- 1:33:47 Supporter Q2: How will Project Amethyst affect Microsoft’s relationship with AMD?
- 1:39:00 Supporter Q3: How will today’s high-end PC hardware compare to next-gen consoles?
- 1:45:01 Supporter Q4: Why was performance on PS3/360 games always so poor?
- 1:55:02 Supporter Q5: What do you think of FF7 Rebirth’s PC lighting enhancements?
- 1:58:54 Supporter Q6: What’s the best looking last-gen game?
Furthermore, the new patch introduces some significant modifications and enhancements. For instance, the noise we observed in reflections has been minimized or eliminated, indicating changes to the denoiser algorithm utilized here. The roughness threshold for reflections may also have been adjusted, as some rough surfaces like unrefined wood no longer exhibit prominent reflections as they did in the previous version.
However, the most significant change comes with the introduction of a PSSR toggle, which is becoming increasingly common in PS5 Pro patched titles. PSSR’s upscaling tended to perform relatively better during motion but suffered from additional artifacts and appeared less appealing in still shots, allowing you to opt for FSR2 upscaling instead if you prefer. Alan Wake 2 was far from the worst-looking game with PSSR enabled, but the relatively low internal resolution (864p) being upscaled to 4K makes the upscaler’s selection important.
Overall, we would recommend FSR over PSSR if you prioritize image quality in still images, with PSSR likely receiving a slight advantage in motion. The distinction between the two modes narrows as internal resolutions increase – for example, in quality mode – where both provide a perfectly acceptable option.
Ultimately, the new 40fps balanced mode is a valuable enhancement. It provides the hardware ray tracing from the standard mode at significantly improved frame rates – after all, 40fps is precisely halfway between 30fps and 60fps regarding milliseconds per frame – and performs well in our assessments with a stable 40fps refresh rate. If you’re unfamiliar with the more lifelike ray-traced visuals of the standard mode but prefer not to compromise on visual smoothness and input delay, this is definitely worth trying out. Overall, the latest update positions Alan Wake 2 commendably on PS5 Pro, offering three modes that are all practical options; if you’re unsure, we recommend starting with the performance mode and gauging your experience. If you prefer better detail quality, the standard mode is available; if you desire hardware ray tracing, then the balanced mode is a solid choice. Elsewhere on DF Direct, we covered the latest As 2024 approaches its conclusion, I’d like to address some of the viewer inquiries we received during our most recent DF Direct this year. A good number of viewers asked about next-gen consoles in response to our discussion with Mark Cerny being published and Sony’s Amethyst collaboration with AMD being unveiled. Viewer Someguyperson wanted to know if Cerny’s responses “added more credibility towards integrating 3D V-Cache into the PS6”, while fellow DF Discord member DudleyTheGentleman inquired if Sony had significant flexibility to modify AMD’s hardware designs considering their extensive lead times and whether Sony’s “traditional method of backward compatibility” could potentially limit how advanced the PS6 APU might be. These are both intriguing questions definitely worth discussing. In our view, 3D V-Cache would undoubtedly enhance a potential PlayStation 6, but it may be too expensive to validate regarding production costs, die area, and overall complexity. Generally, consoles are designed to meet a mainstream price point, so adopting a new APU design would need a substantial return and might require simplifications or cost reductions in other areas to have any chance of being implemented. Similarly, so far we have only observed relatively minor modifications to AMD APUs for PlayStation consoles, e.g., the PS5 Pro utilizing existing shader hardware.