The PC requirements for Quantum Break on Steam have been revealed and unfortunately, DirectX 12 support doesn’t appear to be included. Instead, Remedy Entertainment opted for DirectX 11 which seems to indicate that DirectX 11 support won’t be coming to the Windows 10 version.

A developer for Remedy also noted on the Steam forums that SLI would not be supported either. “Like mentioned on other topics, the game doesn’t support SLI. But even with one GTX 1080 and the right settings, you should be able to get an enjoyable experience out of the game. I recommend comparing visual differences between ‘high’ and ‘ultra’ options in different areas of the display settings page.”

Quantum Break arrives on September 29th for Steam after launching for Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs earlier this year. The Windows 10 version is rather infamous for its launch problems and optimization issues so hopefully the same fate doesn’t befall the Steam version. Check out the Steam requirements here.

Looking back on the history of Dark Souls 2, it’s clear that some odd decisions were made. Hidetaka Miyazaki, who is the director for Demon’s Souls and the first Dark Souls, took on a supervisor role for Dark Souls 2. Tomohiro Shibuya and Yui Tanimura were the directors for the sequel which resulted in some different decisions, particularly with the PvP. The major issue for Dark Souls 2 came with its appearance – when it eventually released last year, the overall build had been graphically downgraded compared to footage shown in 2013. The PC version didn’t fare much better, running at 720p resolution and 30 frames per second.

Head to head PS4 versus Xbox One comparison. Please select 1080p and 60fps for best possible video quality.

Some of the other graphical decisions seen in Dark Souls 2 were…interesting, to say the least. While the resolution for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions was at 1280×720, the MSAA 2x of the first game was replaced with a post process edge filter. This is also where LOD scaling was employed for distant objects, leading to elements like shadows loading into the player’s view before the rest of the environment did. That’s not including issues with the frame rate that came up, especially with the Xbox 360 version. To say that a re-launch of the game for Xbox One and PS4 would happen is an understatement.

With Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin, From Software have modified the engine to support DirectX 11 and which looks to take advantage of the power that the PS4 and Xbox One present. When creating the technology, a From Software engineer stated that, “We always had in mind the next generation, such as DirectX11 and next generation hardware when creating our technology, and also challenged ourselves as programmers to simultaneously create for the new generation.”

There’s more to this enhanced edition than just improved graphics though. From Software has also included new placements for enemies and items along with improving the performance and audio, increasing the total number of online players in a session, and even adding a new end boss to the proceedings. How well did the developer take advantage of the PS4 and Xbox One though, along with finally catering to the more powerful hardware of PC players?

A revamped lighting system, enhanced post processing and alpha effects, and limited physical based rendering specially for cloth materials are an integral part of this remaster. [PS4 left, Xbox One right]

Firstly, the Xbox One and PS4 versions run at a native 1080p resolution. The game targets 60 frames per second but isn’t locked. And while both versions suffer frame drops, it’s ultimately the Xbox One version which sees more drops than the PS4 version. The PS4 was able to almost a deliver a locked 60fps experience in several areas such as Things Betwixt, Majula, Forest of Fallen Giants but we did observed some minor drops in No-Man’s Wharf and Lost Bastille. The Xbox One version on the other hand was trailing behind the PS4 by 3-4fps in Things Betwixt, Majula and No-Man’s Wharf. In No-Man’s Wharf and Forest of Fallen Giants, the gap increased by 6-10fps.

The engine this time around now sports deferred rendering and limited physical-based rendering. Natural Motion’s Morpheme is also supported, which delivers more complex in-game animations than before with higher fidelity. Havok Cloth technology is present, leading to more complex cloth simulation (not unlike, say, Bloodborne). Other new features include specular highlighting and tessellation. Depth of field and blur effects were present in the previous gen and look even better here. Upon observing scenes with multiple NPCs, it was noted that the overall count of characters had been raised.

Impressive 16x anisotropic filtering results into extremely sharp textures on surfaces and walls. [PS4 left, Xbox One right]

Draw distances have been improved compared to original game on the PS3 and Xbox 360. [PS4 left, Xbox One right]

The post process edge filter is out and FXAA is in with regards to the anti-aliasing. Again, it’s not like the MSAA 2x of the first game – which led to crisp details even with a lower resolution – but at least it’s something, especially when the more recent Bloodborne didn’t have any anti-aliasing solution to speak. For its purpose, FXAA does the job well here. It’s also important to note that texture filtering across both the PS4 and Xbox One is excellent with 16x anisotropic filtering being applied. Yes, even the PS4 has received the benefits of premium-grade anisotropic filtering and it looks great.

How well did DirectX 11 contribute to the game’s visuals, especially on the PC version? As it turns, it helped provide better looking terrains and better parallax occlusion mapping along with better volumetric and particle effects. However areas with less light are much darker now compared to the original build. We are not sure why this is happening but despite these small niggles, the DX11 version is heads and shoulders above the original build. We tested the DX 11 PC version with a Radeon R290 and an FX 8350 and noted no performance issues at all, even when running the game on max settings.

Head to head PS4 versus PC DX11 comparison. Please select 1080p and 60fps for best possible video quality.

Should you play Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin, especially if you’ve played the original game? We commend From Software for providing more than just a graphical revamp with its gameplay changes. Some players may take issue with the revamped lighting engine which gives the surroundings a more white-ish look compared to the original’s gold drenched settings. It should also be noted that Scholar of the First Sin still doesn’t approach the visual quality of the initial reveal build.

Some effects have been improved thanks to DirectX 11 and admittedly, it looks better than the base game – there’s just nothing overwhelmingly improved here. However, with better frame rates and resolutions all around, it’s worth it for both new and old players to give Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin a go. If you have a decent PC, then obviously that is the place to play. If you are console gamer our recommendation is PS4 version due to its better performance.

Note: Console and PC analysis was conducted by Bill Smith. Additional reporting by Ravi Sinha and contributor Andrew Scott.

Avalanche Studios head of research Emil Persson recently spoke about DirectX 11 low-level shader optimization for both the Xbox One and PS4, especially with concerns to the render output unit or ROP, which explains how many pixels can be output per clock. He talks about how the PS4’s GPU can handle a 64 bit path until bandwidth issues arise while explaining why the Xbox One will need to stick to a 32bit path. Both consoles’ GPUs were compared to the ATI Radeon HD7970, which can handle a 128bit path.

“As hardware has gotten increasingly more powerful over the years, some parts of it has lagged behind. The number of ROPs (i.e. how many pixels we can output per clock) remains very low. While this reflects typical use cases where the shader is reasonably long, it may limit the performance of short shaders.

“Unless the output format is wide, we are not even theoretically capable of using the full bandwidth available. For the HD7970 we need a 128bit format to become bandwidth bound. For the PS4 64bit would suffice.”

“On the XB1, if we are rendering to ESRAM, 64bit just about hits the crossover point between ROP and bandwidth-bound. But even if we render to the relatively slow DDR3 memory, we will still be ROP-bound if the render-target is a typical 32bit texture.”

Thoughts on the above? Let us know in the comments.

Kennedy stated, “There’s little difference really. TrueSky works very well for both, and most of the underlying code is the same. The real difference is between this generation and the last, and that’s reflected in the level of demand we’re seeing for TrueSky now.”

With more games taking advantage of DirectX 11/11.1 in the coming years, how will they be able to take advantage of Simul’s programs in comparison to current-gen games? Kennedy responded that, “One area with huge potential is volumetric rendering. In the DX9 era we were able to effectively simulate raytracing for volumetric clouds, and got great results. But the shaders were too limited to do some of the more advanced volumetric effects we wanted.

“Now those restrictions are removed, we’re able to really go to down – our new crepuscular rays was not feasible on DX9, but on DX11 it’s not only possible, but super-fast.”

Stay tuned for our full interview with Roderick Kennedy next week.

On whether ACIV would be better optimized for multi-core CPUs unlike its predecessor – but more along the lines of Splinter Cell: Blacklist – Poirier stated, “There was a major optimisation pass that was done on the engine, not just for the PC, but for every platform. The scheduler used for the rendering was rewritten from the ground up. In AC4, the engine will use all the cores it needs until it sees that using more cores brings no more gain. So, yes we should expect better performance on PC than AC3, especially on DX11 hardware, ” he said to DSOGaming,

ACIV on PC will also feature all the next-gen features seen on the consoles. “On top of that, the team at Ubisoft Kiev worked on several PC specific features, like improved HBAO, MSAA, contact hardening soft shadows and improved sun rays. The UI has been updated for the PC version.

“Also, Nvidia card owners will have access, like you mentioned, to TXAA, but also to the GeForce Experience: graphics options will be automatically adjusted in accordance to the user GPU and machine. Also, as usual, the PC version will be scalable, so the user with an older GPU will be able to disable some features to make the game run smoothly on his hardware.”

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag will release on October 29th in North America and November 1st in Europe for Xbox 360 and PS3, with next-gen releases due when the PS4 and Xbox One launch in November. Meanwhile, the PC version will release on November 19th in North America and November 22nd in Europe.

Other Witchers are pictured in the above screens, not to mention a bevy of larger foes that Geralt will have to deal with including tree-dwelling creatures and wolves. Luckily, he has his trusty steed, a sharp blade and enough magic to burn a forest down to combat the creatures. And yes, this is all based off the new Direct X 11 renderer the developer is using.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is currently set for the next generation of consoles including PS4 and Xbox One, along with PC, and will come out in sometime in 2014.

Today, we got our first look at just what the The Witcher 3 would look like with the new renderer, and running on DirectX 11. In the above screenshot, Geralt can be seen standing before a village on fire. The flames alone has us hypnotized. If Far Cry 3 was supposed to be the most realistic and destructive depiction of flames in video games, The Witcher 3 looks like it’s going to give it a run for its money.

As of now, the only thing we know about the The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s release date is that it will be coming to PC, Xbox One and PS4 in sometime in 2014.

We spoke only Quest Designer Paweł Sasko about how much better they look, especially in relation to the current crop of next-gen titles. He stated that, “It all comes down to the fact that CD Projekt RED loves challenges. With tunnel-like, linear levels created by a talented team, it’s relatively easy to deliver eye-candy graphics, because it’s always clear where player is looking.

“But when the game has the size of The Witcher 3 it becomes an incomparably bigger challenge and this is what makes our artists totally excited. Screenshots that we’ve shown are from an old build of the engine that ran using a dated renderer. Much of it is already rewritten and judging from the effects, we are aiming for CG quality of in-game graphics.”

“But this is not only an achievement of our programmers,” he says. “Our art team is one of the best staffed departments in the company, mostly because the guys and gals have been with CD Projekt RED since the beginning of The Witcher 1. We also know that in many cases with canny art direction it’s possible to do more than using monstrous textures and having them loaded and displayed flawlessly. We are aiming for the title of prettiest RPG of all time.”

So while The Witcher 3 will bring forth tesselation, improved multi-threaded and all the whiz-bang features of DirectX 11, CD Projekt RED wants it to stand out as an artistic achievement as well.

van’t Land stated that, “Our proprietary Real Virtuality 4.0 engine powering Arma 3 is an evolution of the engine. There are several future-proof technologies that make it a big step forward. The key ones are definitely DX11 and PhysX.

“They will allow us to keep extending the platform even after the initial releases, not to mention the amazing mods we have no doubts will appear.”

Earlier, van’t Land stated that they’re continually optimizing the game ahead of its Q3 2013 release in order to maximize the number of players who can handle it. “We are constantly at work in this field and will keep doing so with new hardware and updated drivers,” he stated.

And those screenshots posted recently? Yeah, that’s the game running on a DirectX 9 renderder. Expect the final result to look far, far more beautiful when it comes out in 2014 for PC, PS4 and next generation platforms.

But more interestingly, CD Projekt RED is going with NVidia’s PhysX over the more popular Havok Physics Engine. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing though – factors such as clothing, destructible environments, debris and water will be more realistically modeled. So if you haven’t picked up that latest GTX Titan card, now you have a good incentive for doing so.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will continue the story from the second game, and apparently feature a total of 100 hours of playtime. Check here more info.