Formula One returns, with Codemasters’ Ego engine being the beating heart of the experience. Given the essential nature of the game, a cursory comparison between F1 22 and the previous year’s game is useful and shows several similarities: PS5 and Series X still offer 4K and Series S stop at 1080p, and all three consoles do. use of dynamic resolution to keep performance steady. There is also support for ray tracing and 120Hz, basically everything a fan would want from such an experience but luckily we don’t have porpoising, so the game distances itself from all the controversy that has arisen this year in the real competition. .
Obviously the new cars, liveries and drivers are all up to date, as are the circuits of the current competition, and there is also an increase in the details of the tracks. As in last year’s game we have ray traced reflections. Once again, in the console versions, ray tracing is only used outside of competitions, for example in replays, and this happens with a downgrade of the frame-rate that drops to 30fps. Curiously, on Xbox Series consoles we have RT reflections in some cockpit shots, absent on PS5 and PC, so maybe this is a bug? But the good news is that on PC you can activate the RT even during the races, accepting however a substantial loss of performance.
However, there is a novelty in all versions, namely the ray-traced transparencies, which add full-blown reflections to transparent materials such as glass. They are also easily recognized in the new F1 Life space, exhibits present in the main menu. RT transparencies are a nice touch that blend perfectly with the already known RT effects, such as reflections and shadows. On PC they are implemented via a switch, while on PS5, Series X and S are enabled by default.
In addition to these small differences, little changes between the various platforms, apart from a strange multicolored artifact under the cars in the scenes before the races and that we only found in the PS5 version. Otherwise, the Series X and PS5 versions are identical. Looking at the Series S version, it amazes how close it is to the version for the upper console. Yes, it runs at a quarter of the resolution, but the visual result is similar in both gameplay and cut-scenes. The only noticeable downgrade on Series S is in ray traced reflections, which are rendered at a lower resolution.
On the surface then, there are upgrades for this year’s version, albeit small ones. Perhaps the biggest addition this year is support for VR on PC. F1 22 is in fact compatible with a large number of virtual reality headsets for PC, which are perfect for using the cockpit view. At the moment this is a PC exclusive and Codemasters has revealed that it has no plans for PSVR2 support for now, but we hope the publisher will get back to the idea before the headset is released. On PC, Nvidia’s DLSS support is also unreleased, and there are plans to add support for AMD’s equivalent technology, FSR 2.0, in the future. But at launch you have to settle for Nvidia’s DLSS and VR support as a novelty on PC. The addition of DLSS support, in particular, is definitely important and vital for anyone planning to set all the details to the max and enable all ray tracing features without sacrificing too much performance.
Finally we have to talk about the performances. The PS5 and Series X versions are handled perfectly, with the standard 60Hz mode offering a spotless experience, even in the most agitated and graphically demanding situations. Pouring rain, the maximum number of cars on the track and driving in detailed circuits like Monaco, are factors that do not affect the performance and even the Series S seems to do well with a solid frame-rate at 60fps.
And finally a few words about the 120Hz mode, called performance mode in this game. This is exclusive to PS5 and Xbox Series X, and this time around we noticed a difference in favor of the Sony console. In the same complex and hectic points for the engine, so in Munich with the maximum number of cars and pouring rain, the PS5 has a slight advantage. This runs at rock solid 120fps with v-sync, while the Xbox Series X, while maintaining the same frame-rate, has screen tearing. However, this is a detail and it is difficult to notice it with such a fast refresh and with the frenzy of the race. The frame-rate is solid anyway and is therefore more of a lack of refinement that the VRR should obviously fix.
On the scales, therefore, F1 22 seems more an incremental step forward than a revolution compared to last year’s title which was full of next-gen features, limiting itself to adding a few but important innovations such as 120Hz and ray- tracing. This time around we have a large number of optimizations and fixes, and it’s nice to see features like enhanced RT, VR support and DLSS on PC. As a plus, despite being one of the most graphically complex racing titles, the performance is rock solid on all new generation consoles. The only misstep in the game is the absence of last year’s stunning campaign, a story mode that was centered around an F1 driver’s career from beginnings to glory, in the style of Alex Hunter’s “The Journey” in FIFA. It was an idea with potential that could be explored further, and instead it was thrown away. In its place we have the F1 Life mode, a space to show off your car. We hope that the developer will retrace his steps in the future. Overall, F1 22 does not revolutionize the series, but with minor bugs removed, it offers everything you would want from a Formula One game.
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