Ubisoft has come up with a recently released update for Assassin's Creed Shadows has raised the bar for console games - and not just by a little. PS5 Pro users in particular can feel downright ennobled. In a detailed post on the official PlayStation Blog, Pierre Fortin, Director of Technology at Ubisoft, explains that the game on the PS5 Pro is now "the ultimate console experience". And what's more: the version is so impressive that it can compete with ultra-high-end PCs.
That's a confident statement - but not completely out of thin air. If you want to put together a high-end gaming PC system with ray tracing, stable frame rates and 4K output, you can quickly get rid of several thousand euros. In comparison, the price of the PS5 Pro almost seems like a bargain - especially when games like Assassin's Creed Shadows now boasts features on the system that are otherwise reserved for the PC elite.
Ray tracing and PSSR: When console technology challenges the PC world
The improvements include the integration of ray tracing in balanced mode at 40 FPS - an impressive technical achievement for a console. In addition, Ubisoft now relies on PSSR, Sony's own AI-based upscaler.
PSSR - short for PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution - replaces the previously used TAA (Temporal Anti-Aliasing) and, according to Fortin, ensures significantly more stable images with fewer annoying flicker artifacts. The difference is particularly noticeable in motion.
"We have contacted Sony for closer cooperation", explains Fortin. "Sony provided us with updated model parameters that were required for a perfect implementation in the latest PS5 Pro firmware update."
However, it should be noted that this new graphic magic often only unfolds in its full splendor when you have the appropriate display. Anyone playing on an older TV will also notice improvements, but the real PS5 Pro feeling is best experienced on modern high-end TVs - ideally with full HDR, variable refresh rate (VRR) and native 4K resolution. Only then can you see how much depth, sharpness and dynamism Ubisoft's new rendering has to offer. The PS5 Pro's hardware is ready - but ideally, the display should be too.
Developers simply have to use it
The result is a visibly clearer image that shines with lots of details and light reflections, especially in open worlds. Ubisoft impressively demonstrates the potential of the PS5 Pro - provided developers use it consistently.
So if you were still in doubt as to whether the upgrade to the PS5 Pro is worth it: Assassin's Creed Shadows provides perhaps the most convincing argument. Because when a console starts to challenge PC hardware beyond the 3000 euro mark, it is more than just a technical statement - it is an attack on the establishment of the gaming elite.
We can only hope that other developers will follow suit. After all, what use is the power of the PS5 Pro if it just lies idle?
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