First impressions, graphics and performance.
In terms of actual track detail, though, the new game is an improvement in most areas.
The new game also boasts 3D crowds likeGran Turismo 7versus the completely static billboards used in Forza 7.
I also noticed situations in which tree LODs were messed up.
Hopefully these bugs will be corrected for launch.
Thankfully, most other aspects of the visuals are looking great.
At night, headlights cast shadows but I really like the transfer of paint color to the road surface.
Let’s talk modes and performance now.
On Xbox Series X, there are three options to choose from - performance, performance RT and visuals.
Performance mode is 60fps without ray tracing features enabled.
While it has its limitations, the result is still impressive.
This is a nice visual upgrade when racing in a third-person perspective.
Of course, this comes at a cost - resolution.
This extra visual fidelity is made possible by a hybrid approach to reflections.
Turn 10’s approach here is clever, that’s for sure.
Interestingly though, there is a bit of an additional wrinkle when it comes to RT reflections.
Of course, there’s also Series S to mention.
The smaller console has performance and visual modes, neither of which feature RT in gameplay or replays.
Series S does have RT within the garage and certain other situations, but that’s it.
Performance mode aims for 1080p while visuals steps this up to 1440p, with DRS used in both cases.
I do want to discuss that in the review too but first impressions are positive.
It looks great, it plays well and it runs very smoothly.
Look out for our final coverage of the game in October - we’ll see you then.
