Digital Foundry Analyzes GTA VI Graphics on PS5: A Multiform Innovation

Digital Foundry conducted a thorough technical analysis of a 26-minute demo of Grand Theft Auto VI, highlighting the remarkable graphic innovations of the game. Experts were impressed by Rockstar Games' ability to combine complex effects such as detailed lighting, highly realistic characters, large NPC groups and an open immersive world on a standard PlayStation 5, reaching resolutions up to 1440p with a stable frame rate at 30 FPS. The most impressive result is the balance achieved by the game between different graphic technologies. GTA VI offers models of advanced characters, realistic materials, dynamic lighting, accurate reflections, fluid animations and a high quality open world simulation. In particular, the rendering of the characters aroused admiration. Compared to previous games, hair simulation is greatly improved: different types of hairstyle react properly to movement and lighting, keeping individual locks moving even after the character stops. This is particularly evident with Lucia Caminos, whose cheeks realistically respond to the movements of the head and body both in the cinematic scenes and during the gameplay. The skin of the characters has also been made with great care: the reflections vary according to the position of the light sources, you notice sweat and make-up, and minute details are rendered impeccable, especially in the humid climate of Vice City. The ray tracing plays a crucial role GTA VI widely exploits ray tracing, but Rockstar does not apply this technology indiscriminately. Most of the solar and local shadows are still made using traditional shadow maps, with a significant improvement in the quality of the edges of the shadows as they move away from the object they project. In some detailed plans, Digital Foundry found the use of RT-ombre, but the main emphasis is on other ray tracing capabilities. One of these is the rendering of mirrors, where the characters and objects behind a reflective surface are more accurately represented than the Screen Space Reflections method, as they are located outside the camera's field of view. Rockstar combines different technologies: some reflective surfaces probably use a separate planar emission if it offers better performance with a lower load. GTA VI lighting uses RTGI Ray tracing plays an even more significant role in Global Illumination, RTGI. Light can be reflected by the surrounding surfaces and influence other objects. Obstacles, geometry of environments and color of surfaces are considered. For example, a colored object can transmit part of its tone to the adjacent surface. This technology is particularly important for GTA VI because of the dynamic open world: it would be significantly more complex to use precalculated lighting in such a variable environment. L’analisi di Digital Foundry conferma ciò che ci si aspettava: GTA VI sfrutta a pieno la potenza della PS5, e non si tratta solo di un aumento verticale nella risoluzione. La vera innovazione è nell'uso intelligente delle diverse tecnologie grafiche per raggiungere un equilibrio impressionante tra dettaglio e prestazioni. Il miglioramento della simulazione dei capelli in particolare – evidente nel modo in cui Lucia Caminos reagisce ai movimenti – è un dettaglio che spesso viene trascurato, ma qui Rockstar dimostra di aver posto l’accento sulla qualità realistica anche degli elementi più piccoli, creando un impatto visivo notevole. Il fatto che l'azienda non applichi indiscriminatamente la ray tracing e sappia combinare diverse tecniche per ottimizzare i risultati è un segnale positivo: indica una maturità tecnica che si spera continui nei capitoli successivi. L’attenzione ai riflessi, con la differenziazione tra RT-ombre e Screen Space Reflections, dimostra un approccio ponderato alla grafica, che non punta solo all'effetto wow ma a una resa realistica del mondo di gioco. Questa demo, seppur breve, fornisce un’anteprima promettente dell'esperienza che ci aspetta nel finale.

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