Salutations to all! Matt “Bayohne” Hilton, of the Final Fantasy XIV Community Team, and I’m excited to bring you more details on the PS5 version of FFXIV which launches tomorrow in open beta.
The PS5 version of FFXIV brings a lot of new improvements to the game that utilize the power and features of the console, so we wanted to give you an introduction to what to expect.
If you didn’t catch the first showcase for the PS5 version, check out the reveal trailer below.
There’s even more to come with the PS5 version, and we brought in Final Fantasy XIV Senior Project Manager Shoichi Matsuzawa to dive into the details and what to expect.
An open beta without limits
We’ve mentioned the start of our Open Beta a few times, but what exactly does that mean? More importantly, this open beta doesn’t mean limiting what you can play.
Even if you haven’t played FFXIV on the PS4 yet, it’s still a great time for those of you with a PS5.
Shoichi Matsuzawa: “During the open beta period, players who own the PS4 version of FFXIV can enjoy the same content, but on PlayStation 5. The worlds (or game servers) you connect to are the same as players on PS4 and ‘other platforms are playing, and there are no restrictions in terms of functionality for Open Beta participants.
We are going into an open beta as a precaution, as there is a massive amount of existing content in FFXIV. If we do not see any critical issues, we plan to go straight to the official service. “
Matsuzawa: “If you start FFXIV from new, the free trial version will also be available during the open beta on PS5. You can play A Realm Reborn and the first expansion pack, Heavensward, up to level 60. Don’t worry: your character, progress, and everything in between will carry over to the full version.
The full version of PlayStation 5 will be available after the end of the open beta, so we encourage new players who start the free trial to consider upgrading to the full version of the product. “
Enjoy Eorzea in 4k
The PS5 version will make FFXIV look better than ever with new display options and improved frame rates. Here are some specifics:
Matsuzawa: “We’ll be offering three render resolutions to choose from in the PS5 version: 4K (2160p) / WQHD (1440p) / Full HD (1080p), which will then be scaled to match your TV’s output.
I wouldn’t want to make sweeping generalizations as there are so many different types of content in FFXIV, but in general WQHD (1440p) and Full HD (1080p) should run at around 60 FPS during normal gaming, and even 4K. (2160p), you should see frame rates of around 40 FPS, significantly higher than the PS4 version.
Of course, there are cases where a few dozen (to a few hundred!) Players congregate in certain areas, which places a heavy load on the rendering, but even then I think you can still achieve d stable stability. ‘about 30 FPS.
A clean and crisp user interface
Along with the new resolution options, we’ve also updated the in-game menus and user interface to make your inventory, armory chest, and action bars look great too!
Matsuzawa: “The user interface in Final Fantasy XIV was originally intended for a 720p display, so we’ve been working on improving the resolution of these original images for the PS5 version. Naturally, going through every item, gear, and ability icon by hand would have been impossible to achieve in a short time, so we’ve incorporated a few tips for finding ways to be effective; for example, we used AI tools to increase the resolution and manually edited all the parts of the icons that needed it.
Along with UI elements, elements like Font now have a higher resolution, so overall these elements will look a lot smoother. “
Go where you want to go faster
I’m pretty sure this could be an upgrade a lot of our players are excited about! Using the PS5’s SSD will allow you to teleport between zones faster than ever.
Matsuzawa: “I’m sure if you’ve taken a look at our PS5 trailer you’ll have noticed, but load times are now faster for connecting and moving between zones using teleportation.
We’ve also refactored the code on login processes etc, so to tell you the truth, load times on the PS4 version are also slightly improved. “
Make the best MMO controller experience even better
FFXIV has had full controller support since launch, and we’re not stopping now. We’ve added a few additions to make playing with the new DualSense controller an even better experience than before.
Matsuzawa: “We were working down to the wire to get this, but we were able to implement some functionality for the DualSense wireless controller.
First, we implemented haptic feedback for a number of actions to further deepen the immersion of our players: this includes [introducing unique haptic feedback to things like] traces of various mounts, actions for earth and hand disciples, and more. When it comes to the content of battles, we’ve deliberately kept feedback to a minimum – for example, when a player uses a limit break – because we didn’t want to interfere with player focus during a fight. We would love to hear player feedback on this, as we can take that into account in future adjustments.
When it comes to adaptive triggers, there aren’t too many areas in the game’s systems that this feature would apply to, but we’ve incorporated it into smaller scale content where we could, like quests where you enter an FPS type mode. to achieve certain goals. “
An immersive sound experience
We’ve talked a lot about the visuals so far, but let’s not forget the incredible work of the sound team at FFXIV! The team also brought in additional features using 3D audio.
Matsuzawa: “We use 3D audio output for the PS5 version of FFXIV. Since our initial launch, the ambient sounds of FFXIV have been given different settings, such as audible range, but with the implementation of 3D audio feature on the PS5, these settings can be fully exploited.
For example, every time you change the position of the camera, the location of the surrounding ambient sound changes accordingly, giving you a more immersive experience. I would recommend trying it with headsets that support 3D audio. “
Even more to wait
The PS5 Open Beta brings a lot in terms of upgrades, but we’re not stopping there – the team is looking to add even more in the future.
Matsuzawa: “We are eventually considering upgrading the game’s textures in stages and are starting the initial preparations for this update.
However, we have to keep in mind that other platforms, including the PlayStation 4 version, are still in use. Since FFXIV is an MMO, we need to focus on being able to render player characters and their gear simultaneously, while making sure everything is working properly. We need to be careful when planning major updates like this and start by testing and verifying that everything is working fine.
In addition, the assets we created almost ten years ago did not take into account the possibility of being displayed at the high resolutions we have today, so we need to think about how to effectively revise a fairly massive amount of assets.
We are also considering adding additional trophies to FFXIV on a regular basis, as the trophy system is now more flexible in this regard.
Things are in progress, but we would appreciate your patience for future updates on this. “
We hope you are as excited as we are about all of these features that come with the PS5 version.
Tomorrow’s release of patch 5.5 also marks the start of Open Beta, and every PS4 users can upgrade to PS5 version no additional cost. If you are new to FFXIV, you can download the free trial on PS5 when it goes live today ready to go live tomorrow, so you can experience all of these new features by trying out the game.
That’s all for now, and we hope you enjoy patch 5.5 and the PS5 version – see you in the game!
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