PS4 Is it my PS4 or the game that's broken?

Purchased the PS4 disc edition of this game today;

I can't quite work out from reading around the various issues online if my PS4 is broken / faulty setup somewhere or if the release is just genuinely this awful.

My PS4 is updated to 4.0. I've rebuilt the database, have >200gb of free space, experimented with HDR / deep colour / hdcp etc on and off (in case it's a compatibility problem with the latest update) and even switched back to bitstream for audio in an attempt to offload the CPU. Nothing has made a jot of difference.

The issues that I noted near on immediately are:
- Even the first screen has noticeable colour gradient banding (I'm playing on a 58" calibrated TV) which isn't a great start!
- There appears to be a cavernous dead zone of what feels like about 20 degrees on the G29!
- The frame rate of the actual tarmac when travelling in a straight line seems to be OK but everything else appears to be refreshed at around 5-10 fps. The trees in particular run by at perhaps a few frames per second and look like something out of a late 90s PS1 game.
- Every corner induces an incredible amount of slowdown and screen tearing, turning the image into a jerky mess.
- strangely it's not actually much worse with multiple cars in track than it is on solo practise.

Is this a new issue with the latest PS4 update maybe? I'd read that the game was rough round the edges but it's pretty much unplayable in this state. I genuinely can't envisage that it's been released playing like this but equally my setup works beautifully with Projects Cars etc.

Switching back to Project Cars just now makes me realise just how unbelievably bad the game runs in comparison; there must be something wrong with my system.

Is there anything else I should be checking? I got a few messages stating that content was being downloaded when initially trying to select a car but that was hours ago.

 

I have a download version of the game installed on a SSD and I dont notice any of this except for minor screen tearing. After the 4.0 firwmare update I had to force deep color output in my PS4 settings (before it was on automatic). Maybe that can help. If you have a computer monitor I would suggest you try again on this. It is a lot better for any game (even pcars). Otherwise next week the patch should be available. Hopefully it fixes all your problems. cheers

 

Thanks, will force deep colour on and see i can get rid of the colour banding.

I wonder if perhaps I'm seeing the inherent problems amplified by using a fairly large TV? Using the in-cockpit view with its narrower FOV makes the juddery trees less noticeable, for example. Still see crazy fps drop on slow corners in particular though.

I might take the disc back and see if the download is different.

 

It's been posted a couple times by different members that there's an issue with the deadzone on the G29. I can't remember the threads or who said it but one said that it was fine on launch and then it changed for the worse with the last update (in late August), he mentioned the FFB felt weaker . Another has AC on both PC and PS4 and said the G29 is basically undrivable on the PS4 compared to the PC when he swapped it between the systems.

It definitely feels like a lot of [guess] work when a car gets bent out of shape (drifting is basically out the question). Unfortunately I haven't played with the wheel on another game for any period of time and have been playing on the last update since buying the game so I don't really know. We'll see with the next update I suppose...

 

I was the one who made a thread about the force feedback being weaker and the wheel just generally not conveying as much information after the patch is installed on the ps4. The forcefeedback deadzone is also a bit more pronounced, although it does vary from car to car.

I am a bit surprised that nobody was curious enough about this to uninstall the patch and to see the difference.

 

Generally things like this don't happen with patches so we're not used to it going backwards or having to check, it's usually triple checked before release. My team love drifting and like stated above the guess work involved was somewhat confusing to me as being drifters on wheels we're used to the feeling of cars out of control from the perspective of normal drivers/racers. That's why I feel something is up with a few assists as I always run auto blip on my cars regardless of transmission. Firstly auto blip should not even exist in paddle shift cars as it would basically be changing the cars' whole capability but turning it on, the cars feel more predictable and less guess work is required ie: the cars react more realistic when pushed past their grip limits. Most of our team on wheels can easily drift the GT86 in the drift lobbies now yet when taking it to other tracks it feels quite different, almost like the tyre model is different or something.

I also just checked the deazone as i'm on AC right now, the BMW E92 Drift has basically no steering deadzone but the FFB is somewhat not there but that's centre so I expect it to be until FFB kicks in. I did notice last night running a supercar around Nordschleife that it had quite a bit of deadzone like some are saying, so definitely car dependent. I guess some cars just have it dialled out better than others. It would also explain why I notice it less since I spend 75% of my time in the drift lobbies currently.

 

I haven't noticed any actual steering deadzone to be honest, and the force feedback deadzone that is present isn't really an issue as far as I'm concerned because I like progressive force feedback that loads up as I turn.

The overall force feedback after the patch is installed is still excellent (probably the best on console) but I just feel that the unpatched version has a slight edge, and I do think that its worth investigating further.

 

@davejones2

I've experienced everything you've mentioned in your OP except for the G29 problems.
KUNOS have acknowledged all of these framerate/tearing/slowdown problems and have promised to fix them with the next patch that is currently undergoing certification with Sony and MS.

Hopefully wheel calibration will be implemented further down the line too.

 

Yes i also hope wheel and pedal calibration will be added,,,,,should of been in the tittle from day 1 but oh well. And if its not in by the next ''BIG'' patch i shall be very annoyed

 

Thanks for all the input.

Gave it another crack this morning. It's essentially unplayable to me on a large screen TV. Happy to tolerate the FFB issues though. Interesting that so much of the presentation is so poor overall, even little things like the starting lights reminding me of TOCA 2 on a 800mhz Pentium PC!

Tried to take the game back but they were having none of it.

Will park it up and wait for the patch I guess.

 

I find it strange that some people encounter issues though and some don't.

My setup is Disc -> new PS4 -> 1yo Pioneer 5.1 Surround -> 2yo LG 42". I haven't touched either the initial PS4 video setting to my TV or on AC apart from screen calibration. Since the NA launch when I picked it up it has run completely smooth except for the rare hiccup (white flash, mini stall, and in car view zoom glitch in replay). I do notice things like the trees refreshing but that's only if I'm actually looking at them.

Hopefully it gets resolved for you!

 

Thought I'd just bump this thread I started.

I'd given up on the game shortly after posting the above.

I returned to it yesterday.

The patches have completely transformed the game. All the issues I mentioned have been sorted.

Given the limitations of the PS4 I think it's an utterly incredible game now.

It's the first driving game I've ever played where it feels like you are driving an actual car round actual corners on an actual track! It's amazing! Makes project cars feel like an arcade game to me; it's a fundamentally different experience.

If only you could import the project cars polish and career mode across.

I would say I think the gamma profiling seems a little bit off; quite often everything is a bit "washed out" on my calibrated TV.

I would also add it's a shame the FPS of the reflections on the over-bonnet view is so low as it's quit distracting and stops me from using it. I can't use the in-car view as I sit too far away from the TV but the bonnet being visible gives that little bit of extra info on the inertia of the car that I find useful. Bit of a shame.

Overall though great job by the developers in sorting out what was clearly a broken game. Not quit sure why it was released in that state though!

 

I would add I've been waiting about 25 years for this moment since the days of messing about with GP2 and Indycar racing on my Dad's 486 PC.

It's really interesting to see just how difficult it is to trick ours minds into something that feels "real". Never had a gaming PC but I've played console driving games with a wheel casually for years now, but none of them (GT, PCs etc) come close to actually feeling like you are actually "driving" despite looking and sounding the part.

It's quite remarkable really to see this finally accomplished on a console in my living room. I can hop into a BMW Z4 or fiat 500 and drive it nice and carefully round a track and I just know I'm not going to bin it into a tyre wall; just like I would be able to if someone were to ask me to do the same in real life because I've been driving for 15 years!

It makes for a hugely more rewarding experience because you can then treat it like reality. I accidentally spent about 4 hours yesterday just winging the Z4 round Barcelona, learning the track as I went, building up speed every lap. It was only when I started pushing the limits of the car that I started to get out of shape; and I knew it was going to happen because I knew I was "pushing it." I wouldn't expect to get into a Zonda and turn the traction control off and be able to do the same and quite rightly I can't.

I've never been able/bothered to do this before with any other game because they don't give the sense of driving or the limits of grip; there's never been any point because it was more fun just to Razz it round from the off. The signs of starting to explore the limits of grip had to be "learnt" and as such the same steady progress was not rewarding to me at all. With this game, you just "know."

Absolutely bloody marvellous!

 

You're in for a nice surprise then with the new upcoming free Scottish track if you haven't been keeping up to date with AC.