GT7 PS4 to PS5 upgrade - convince me!

Norbsthebald

Norbsthebald

85
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
So... I bought a base PS4 secondhand shortly after GT7's launch, specifically to play this particular game. I’ve put probably thousands of hours into it since, and thoroughly enjoyed it, it represents probably well over 95% of my PS4 gaming time.

Last year I decided to try the game on PS5, I bought the cheapest secondhand example with a warranty I could find and picked it up in December. In the new year I set it up, it took a few presses of the power button before it started but seemed to work fine after that, I set GT7 up buying the £10 upgrade and using my PS4 disc, installed it and raced in a couple of league races that night. Next day, no start even after 40 presses of the power button. Once I got it going I did a factory reset and sent it back to the shop. They promised a repair and called me back 3 weeks later saying it had been a big repair but it was now ready to collect. When I got there, they offered to show me the PS5 working, pressed the button and.. nothing. Same as before. With no replacement in stock they offered me a refund, which I took as by now I had no confidence in this PS5 being functional.

So the upshot of this is I have my money back and no PS5. In the meantime, as is natural I had buyer’s remorse over spending a not-insignificant sum of cash on – well – playing the same game as I was before. I even have the PS5 upgrade but not sure whether there is value in buying the newer console.

So my question is – can you convince me that buying a PS5 is worth it?

Looking at a few of the advantages of the newer console:

  • Better graphics. Yes, this is a real advantage especially as I suffer eye strain after a long race, so i’ll accept that one.
  • Shorter loading times. This is true, but I grew up playing on the Commodore 64 loading through tapes so PS4 loading times don’t scare me to be frank.
  • Sophy. Having never raced against Sophy, is it any good? I can usually easily beat the AI even on Hard mode.
  • Discord support. This would be useful as I race in a league that converses through Discord, with the PS4 I bodge it by running Discord through a PC while racing.
  • PSVR2 support. I’d like to try this down the line, but it’s expensive so will have to wait.
  • Portal support. See above really – would be useful but another £200 or so, maybe later.
At present, the going rate for a disc PS5 where I live with a decent warranty is approximately £400. Convince me it’s worth it!
 
It sounds like you spend a lot of time with the game. If so, the improved loading times on the PS5 should already be worth the upgrade. If you save 10s per screen, those could add up to days in a year.

You also mention you race in a league. Depending on whether the host is on a PS4 or PS5, upgrading can be beneficial. From my personal experience, GT7 lobbies are horrible at handling crossplay between players on PS4 and PS5. Ideally, you want to be on the same console as the lobby host to not experience unplayable jittering, and if you're the host, you probably want to match up with the most number of players in your league.

Also, this is just my personal experience, but the DS5 controller is not only extremely bulky and heavy, but also horrifically fragile, and the analog sticks are very prone to drifting after some 6 months of extensive use. I hate the DS5 with a passion and still wish I could use my still perfectly functioning DS4 for GT7.

Hope my two cents help.
 
The 3D audio is pretty nice as well. Motion blur personally I think enhances the visuals a lot (unless you're using VR then it won't be present)
 
You didn't say whether you want to buy again another PS5 or PS5 slim
Or upgrade to the PS5 Pro

Unlike others I am not going to try to convince you with the specific details but rather from a philosophical perspective:


At this point l, I am going to assume you still have the PS4 Pro.


Scenario 1: continue playing GT7 with the least amount of cost:
You basically change nothing, you still have your TV, the PS4Pro, and the physical copy of GT7, you continue to enjoy it with the controller. Nothing wrong with that. I support this choice.

Scenario 2: second attempt at PS5. (I think this is the case you are asking us to convince you, right?)
This time around I would advise you just get a brand new PS5 Slim. Don't buy a used PS5 or used PS5 slim.
Don't buy used as you are not sure what the previous owner did, and you could find with more trouble than enjoying the game. If money is difficult, just wait a few more months longer, go scenario 1 for awhile until you can financially comfortably get the new PS5 Slim for a few more quids.
Go this route only if you have a TV that can support the graphical improvement, or you also plan to upgrade shortly to a new TV.


Scenario 3: get a brand new PS5 Pro
Go this route if you are planning on getting on either getting the brand new TV upgrade now OR PSVR2
Actually this where things start to get more complicated and costly:


Scenario 3a: can you handle the cost of both a new PS5 Pro and a new TV ?
The TV would have to be 120hz and HDR ready.
You would enjoy the visual upgrade!
Rather than option scenario 2, I would rather you choose this scenario 3a)


Scenario 3b: if you are more daring, get the PS5Pro with the PSVR2 bundle, I heard there is one coming soon, hopefully a special bundle with GT7 ?!
In this case you will skip buying the upgraded TV (saving significantly over scenario 3a, because the TV will cost more than the PSVR2 additional cost.)
The potential drawback here is that you may not necessarily enjoy the VR experience.
Most people enjoy the switch to VR, but there could be an unfortunate risk that you could belong to a subset of people who don't, therefore

I highly suggest you try the PSVR2 extensively before you buy it, try to find a friend who has the PSVR2 and try it until you get comfortable. Or just jump on it right away, but consider that you will have a period of readjustment until you can play comfortably and that period of readjustment can be anywhere between a week to several months depending of your brain, it is difficult and different for each person.
Personally I would suggest getting the PSVR2 instead of upgrading the TV, there is a significant game enjoyment upgrade going VR instead of continuing to enjoy in 2D .

But keep in mind you will still be using the controller with the PSVR2, which is fine per some of us here, but in my case I already have to racing sim and wheels and shifter before I jump into the VR, so the transition was much easier.

Going VR has the potential to open up more options for you, costly options, but once you fall into this rabbit hole, there is no going back...

Scenario 3c: transition to a racing sim, no more controller !
If your information is correct, you are just a couple of years older than me, and with that said, at this point in life you either have the choice to continue what you always have been doing (which is fine) OR YOU could decide to treat yourself and try to experience more of what life has to offer, if your personal and financial situation can comfortably allow you: Ditch the controller!

I would say :SAVE THE MONEY NOW so you can:
Get the PS5Pro
Get the Logitech G923 steering wheel and pedals
Get an upgraded TV

That actually would be even more fun than going straight to scenario 3b (which has more risks of making you uncomfortable and unhappy)
Considering you are older than the younger generation, I dont know how comfortable you can get with VR, but having a wheel and VR will not make things easy)
At the moment you would benefit much more getting used to driving with a wheels first on a TV, enjoy that process first..... Because that's how it was for me, I was having a wheel for 10 years and I loved it learning during that period, and jumped into PSVR2 when it first came out, and it was a total game changer, but the transition was not overwhelming because I already was comfortable with the steering, which is half of the battle.

I highly advise scenario 3c !

Scenario 3d: if cost is not an issue: go all out ..
YOLO
You should enjoy the best because you never know when you will die
Get everything:
PS5 Pro
LG C5 or G5
Steering wheel and pedals of your choice ( plenty to choose from upward of $1200 to $2500)
Get the PSVR2 too so you can alternate between 2D and 3D

This will require $5500 ...

Start saving up buddy



Scenario 4 = scenario 1 + scenario 3d
Essentially you continue what you do, and you start saving money now until you can get to $6000
By the time you get to it, it could be that PS6 and GT8 and PSVR3 comes out
And at that moment you will be ready to drop $6000 to get the whole package and it all !
By that time, you will be in your 50s...
Will it still be worth it ?


Scenario 5 : just get a project car
With $6000
Just go out and buy a project car you can actually race for real on your local track ...


Good luck on your adventure ;)

Edit:
There is no rush, you don't have to take make a decision right at this moment, you can wait it out for a few months and see how things play out...
 
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Just do it and get the VR2 headset. It's a whole new ballgame.
"A (whole) new ballgame...
A situation that is completely different from what one is used to or expecting."
 
Kriptical
+Hdr!
Click to expand...
If you have the PSPro, you can run HDR at 4k

As someone who got the PS5 Pro after having played on the PS4 pro, I think I have the info you are looking for.
Norbsthebald
So my question is – can you convince me that buying a PS5 is worth it?
Click to expand...
Mmmmmaybe. If it's just for GT7...maybe
Norbsthebald
Looking at a few of the advantages of the newer console:

  • Better graphics. Yes, this is a real advantage especially as I suffer eye strain after a long race, so i’ll accept that one.
Click to expand...
This depends, if it's a move from PS4 to PS5, then it might be worth the jump. If it's a move from PS4Pro to PS5Pro, it's a slight improvement. IMHO PSSR makes things look worse as does the "prioritize graphics" setting. I run the game to prioritize framerate and I believe this is the setting that looks best overall. I'm not convince the ray tracing is "better". It's different, but I would not call it better.
Norbsthebald
  • Shorter loading times. This is true, but I grew up playing on the Commodore 64 loading through tapes so PS4 loading times don’t scare me to be frank.
Click to expand...
This might be the one area that is most different. MY PS5 load times are SUPER FAST. the PS4 took minutes to start the game, and the races load slow.
Norbsthebald
  • Sophy. Having never raced against Sophy, is it any good? I can usually easily beat the AI even on Hard mode.
Click to expand...
IMHO, Sophy is currently useless and no better than the base AI. They add emojis which are kind of fun, but I would wager A LOT of money that if PD removed the emojis, no one woudl be able to truly tell the difference between Sophy and the regular AI.

Also, there are no Sophy events. It's just quick races.
Norbsthebald
  • Discord support. This would be useful as I race in a league that converses through Discord, with the PS4 I bodge it by running Discord through a PC while racing.
Click to expand...
I have no comment on this.
Norbsthebald
  • PSVR2 support. I’d like to try this down the line, but it’s expensive so will have to wait.
  • Portal support. See above really – would be useful but another £200 or so, maybe later.
Click to expand...
That's on you. If you want those peripherals, then the PS5 is the barrier of entry.
Norbsthebald
At present, the going rate for a disc PS5 where I live with a decent warranty is approximately £400. Convince me it’s worth it!
Click to expand...
Well, I have barely turned my PS4 on since getting the PS5. It makes the PS4 redundant. I added more memory to my PS5 so it can hold all 1 TB of games on my PS4 IF I wanted to dump my PS4 pro. That said, I have yet to do so.

If you are upgrading JUST for GT, then the load times are the biggest reason for doing so. Everything else is negligible. That said, it's almost guaranteed that many games will stop support for PS4 soon enough, so it will become a necessity within the next few years.
 
You can run HDR at 4k on any PS5 - I do on my original fat one. Also, Sophy is completely different than the regular semi-conscious AI. I'm not saying its perfect (it's experimental after all) but I do often enjoy a quick Sophy race at Le Mans if I need to top up my daily workout.
 
Voodoovaj
I would wager A LOT of money that if PD removed the emojis, no one woudl be able to truly tell the difference between Sophy and the regular AI.
Click to expand...

How much are you willing to wager? 'cause I for one see a significant difference between the bots racing and Sophy AI.

Just yesterday I took to Monza on the intermediate difficulty, using the Red bull Jnr. Sophy got a variety of cars including two Porsche 917K race cars, and these show in the first three seconds of the race a drastic difference between the bots and Sophy.

The bots are "on-rails", programmed to aim to take a specific line at a specific speed. If there is something in the way of that line, they more often than not drive through it (hence players complain about bots crashing into them all the time). Sophy however is reactive and will avoid contact, even if the car they're driving is significantly faster than the ones around it. Example being one 917K managed to weave to the outside and blow by everyone else, while the other got boxed in.

Another example is that "on-rails" cars make predictable mistakes, Sophy does not. Take the PP700 La Sarthe race everyone grinds. Again using the Red bull Jnr, on lap one at Virage du Tertre Rouge (the right that leads on to the long straight) the Lamborghini loses the backend and goes wide nine out of ten times. This is because the script the bot follows says to brake, turn and accelerate but the bot doesn't register how the car reacts, causing it to lose control because the Lambo has more power than the bots script accounts for. Sophy on the other hand, is checking hundreds of times a second and making adjustments on the fly, so is able to catch the backend before it slides out and adjust.

Bots are following a script. They're not aware of you, other cars or how their own car is reacting. Sophy is aware of you, other cars and it's own car. I'd say that's a huge noticeable difference in how bots behave vs. Sophy.

If you think there is no significant difference, I'm going to assume you're either not paying attention to what cars around you are doing, or you're playing on a difficulty setting that isn't challenging for you, so you never get to see Sophy race around you.
 
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Wow, loads of food for thought here folks. Thanks so much!
A few additional facts to clarify:

- My PS4 is the most basic of models, the original amateur fat edition. If it were a car it would have manual windows, no PAS and only one mirror, it's that basic.

- I use a mixture of controller (motion sense steering) and G29 wheel to race, I prefer the wheel but it needs to be set up each time due to space constraints (house refurbishment ongoing) so if I only have a few minutes I'll use controller.

- I use a monitor rather than a TV for display, it's got a high refresh rate and I'll have to check its status re 4K but I know that the PS4 base to PS5 base difference in graphics and smoothness was instantly noticeable in the 2 races I was able to do.

- I was only considering 2nd hand since there is a large national chain of second hand shops here which has recently started offering a 5 year warranty on everything they sell (UK posters will likely know who I mean). I had my PS3 from them and they were excellent when it started overheating a year later and just replaced it straight off, so with that warranty being 3 years longer than on a new console these are now the only 2nd hand items I would consider.

I think I'll see if there are any deals upcoming in the near future and take it from there. Many thanks again!
 
There are allegedly deals incoming.

If you're on the original PS4 then I'll add the sound alone is worth an upgrade (i.e. the absence of noise) - although I have heard the new slim PS5 isn't as quiet as the original (that I have). I have NEVER heard the fan on my PS5, even in summer when my son has been playing for 6 hours straight on it!
 
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Zero2Oblivion
How much are you willing to wager? 'cause I for one see a significant difference between the bots racing and Sophy AI.

Just yesterday I took to Monza on the intermediate difficulty, using the Red bull Jnr. Sophy got a variety of cars including two Porsche 917K race cars, and these show in the first three seconds of the race a drastic difference between the bots and Sophy.

The bots are "on-rails", programmed to aim to take a specific line at a specific speed. If there is something in the way of that line, they more often than not drive through it (hence players complain about bots crashing into them all the time). Sophy however is reactive and will avoid contact, even if the car they're driving is significantly faster than the ones around it. Example being one 917K managed to weave to the outside and blow by everyone else, while the other got boxed in.

Another example is that "on-rails" cars make predictable mistakes, Sophy does not. Take the PP700 La Sarthe race everyone grinds. Again using the Red bull Jnr, on lap one at Virage du Tertre Rouge (the right that leads on to the long straight) the Lamborghini loses the backend and goes wide nine out of ten times. This is because the script the bot follows says to brake, turn and accelerate but the bot doesn't register how the car reacts, causing it to lose control because the Lambo has more power than the bots script accounts for. Sophy on the other hand, is checking hundreds of times a second and making adjustments on the fly, so is able to catch the backend before it slides out and adjust.

Bots are following a script. They're not aware of you, other cars or how their own car is reacting. Sophy is aware of you, other cars and it's own car. I'd say that's a huge noticeable difference in how bots behave vs. Sophy.

If you think there is no significant difference, I'm going to assume you're either not paying attention to what cars around you are doing, or you're playing on a difficulty setting that isn't challenging for you, so you never get to see Sophy race around you.
Click to expand...
For me Sophy is not any significant improvement over regular AI, sometimes I even prefer the normal AI, Sophy is completely predictable and boring.
 
Norbsthebald
- I use a monitor rather than a TV for display, it's got a high refresh rate and I'll have to check its status re 4K but I know that the PS4 base to PS5 base difference in graphics and smoothness was instantly noticeable in the 2 races I was able to do.
Click to expand...
My refurb PS4 Pro died 3 days ago. I went with a PS5 disc version because I didn't want to wait and I was weary buying used again.

I also play through a monitor. I bring this up because I had audio issues. Sony removed the optical audio output on the PS5 (not sure about the Pro).

I hooked up my DAC to the PS5 via USB, but the output was too low even at max volume for both my headphones and speakers. So I am rethinking my audio setup. Some DACs and USB headphones have no volume issues; to make this more confusing. If you have an amp hooked up to your monitor's headphone jack, you don't have to worry, IMO. That gave me the best audio results.

And hilariously, the output from the headphone jack on the PS5 controller is also very good.
 
I didn't know GT7 works still on the Regular amateur PS4...
I thought PS4Pro was the minimum for GT7....

Man you are overdue for an update ...

But maybe wait until the PS6 ;)
 
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wildlife-spotting-in-gt7-v0-qwgabze495dd1.jpg
 
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