One of the many games getting a 4K upgrade for PS4 Pro is Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. Though the game is glorious to look at anyway, Naughty Dog has now detailed the extent of the face-lift.
In an interview with VG247, Naughty Dog lead programmer Christian Gyrling likens the new PS4 Pro version to “removing the smudge from your glasses,” and “watching some nature documentary”.
“We no longer have to restrict it to the lower resolution, the lower colour space… we can open it all up,” says Gryling.
“It’s the small things. Like, we’re looking at the screen right now [On-screen is Nathan Drake idling underwater in Uncharted 4’s Chapter 3] – even the smallest details of the highlights on the little green on the corals… these are colours that were there in my head, I thought it looked that good already. But now, sitting down, I really feel like I’m watching some nature documentary.”
He continues: “Playing it through at the higher resolutions, feeling that image stability and getting the highlights that are shining like the reflection in the puddle on the ground or through the window of the building, the acoustics underwater… those are the moments where you go ‘Whoa, whoa!’ – it really is.”
Talking about Naughty Dog’s future with PS4 Pro, 4K and HDR, Gryling says that the new technology will allow them to push the level of realism in its games like never before. It’s also interesting to hear the developer reveal that there is no cost to render its games in HDR. This should mean many more publishers will follow suit, and future games will support the new visual standard on PS4 Pro.
“We’re really excited to start with that process from the ground up; the artistic choice can be in the hands of the artist even more. HDR games from now on, moving forward – I think almost every single game will start supporting HDR, “says Gryling. “
This is the future. We see little to no reason to not support this. It’s almost no cost, close to zero cost, to expose the HDR… but it’s an enormous benefit.”
Naughty Dog is also prepping The Last of Us Remastered for PS4 Pro. Patches for both The Last of Us Remastered and Uncharted 4 will be available following the release date of Sony’s new console on November 10, 2016.