WRC 9 Update Unlocks 120Hz Performance Mode on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X

[Johnnn]

I'm playing with a wheel, which does make quite a difference
.

Hmmm, maybe. I don't have a direct comparison because I had a long pause without DR2 before WRC9. But it would be better because I liked WRC. Currently it's unplayable on XSX with balanced mode so I need to wait but looking forward to some direct comparison later. Is it possible that cars in WRC are lighter and slide less? That was main clue for more simple physics.

What about another wheel user @PJTierney thinks?

 

[Scaff]

Hmmm, maybe. I don't have a direct comparison because I had a long pause without DR2 before WRC9. But it would be better because I liked WRC. Currently it's unplayable on XSX with balanced mode so I need to wait but looking forward to some direct comparison later. Is it possible that cars in WRC are lighter and slide less? That was main clue for more simple physics.

What about another wheel user @PJTierney thinks?

PJ might be slightly biased, given that he’s employed by Codemasters as the Community Manager for the Dirt Rally Series!

 

[PJTierney]

Hmmm, maybe. I don't have a direct comparison because I had a long pause without DR2 before WRC9. But it would be better because I liked WRC. Currently it's unplayable on XSX with balanced mode so I need to wait but looking forward to some direct comparison later. Is it possible that cars in WRC are lighter and slide less? That was main clue for more simple physics.

What about another wheel user @PJTierney thinks?

PJ might be slightly biased, given that he’s employed by Codemasters as the Social Media Manager for the Dirt Rally Series!

I also haven’t played WRC 9.

 

[FrankieStail]

Given the advanced aero of current spec wrc cars along with modern tyre and suspension technologies you’d expect cars in wrc9 to feel much more planted than the older spec cars in dirt rally.

The r5 and r2 cars give a more like for like comparison and in that respect in wrc9 they slide and move in a comparable way in both titles on dirt.
However on tarmac and snow the physics in wrc9 feel much better than dirt rally 2.0, (in my opinion).

And it pains me to admit this given that dirt rally is my favourite title of all time.
But at the end of the day, wrc9 being as good as it is can only encourage codemasters to make the next dirt rally title the rally sim standard we all hope for.

TLDR, healthy competition is good for everyone!

Edit, reminds me of the first time I raced with slick tyres in real life, yes I’m that old!
Couldn’t believe how much grip I had, it felt like cheating it seemed that easy, maybe this is where the feeling of wrc9 feeling arcade easy comes from, the cars being modelled simply have so much mechanical and aero grip?

 

[danardif1]

Given the advanced aero of current spec wrc cars along with modern tyre and suspension technologies you’d expect cars in wrc9 to feel much more planted than the older spec cars in dirt rally.

The r5 and r2 cars give a more like for like comparison and in that respect in wrc9 they slide and move in a comparable way in both titles on dirt.
However on tarmac and snow the physics in wrc9 feel much better than dirt rally 2.0, (in my opinion).

And it pains me to admit this given that dirt rally is my favourite title of all time.
But at the end of the day, wrc9 being as good as it is can only encourage codemasters to make the next dirt rally title the rally sim standard we all hope for.

TLDR, healthy competition is good for everyone!

Edit, reminds me of the first time I raced with slick tyres in real life, yes I’m that old!
Couldn’t believe how much grip I had, it felt like cheating it seemed that easy, maybe this is where the feeling of wrc9 feeling arcade easy comes from, the cars being modelled simply have so much mechanical and aero grip?

I think this is the crux of it. The current WRC spec cars are so agile both mechanically and aerodynamically that they do seem at times 'unrealistic' when your baseline comparison is either an older spec WRC car or a R5 spec machine. Watch some clips of the current cars in real life and then see how they behave in-game and they compare quite well.

Snow and tarmac are definitely better in WRC9 than Dirt. Gravel is much closer but WRC9 doesn't quite feel as developed when it comes to how weighty the cars feel, though it is massively improved from previous titles. Dirt has that more sorted for sure, the mass of the car and how you can manage weight transfer feels better in Dirt.

I see a lot of people praise WRC's stages as though Dirt's aren't so good, but I think in quality they're actually quite similar. Where WRC shines is the super long 20km+ stages which I guess is the major differentiator.

 

[Scaff]

I think this is the crux of it. The current WRC spec cars are so agile both mechanically and aerodynamically that they do seem at times 'unrealistic' when your baseline comparison is either an older spec WRC car or a R5 spec machine. Watch some clips of the current cars in real life and then see how they behave in-game and they compare quite well.

Snow and tarmac are definitely better in WRC9 than Dirt. Gravel is much closer but WRC9 doesn't quite feel as developed when it comes to how weighty the cars feel, though it is massively improved from previous titles. Dirt has that more sorted for sure, the mass of the car and how you can manage weight transfer feels better in Dirt.

I see a lot of people praise WRC's stages as though Dirt's aren't so good, but I think in quality they're actually quite similar. Where WRC shines is the super long 20km+ stages which I guess is the major differentiator.

The length of the stages and the narrowness of them as well, the last point is the one that devs in the past have always seemed to shy away from in rally titles.

 

[mika haka]

Yeah its more the narrowness which makes it more challenging.

I like codemasters games and there physics are ok but their stages are just so boring. Codemasters have done long stages but they are just boring.

You dont really need to brake in their games as the track is so wide and corners so long you just let off the gas a little bit turn and then go again with plenty of room for error.

Where as wrc is seat of the pants stuff and feels like proper rallying. The narrow stages force you to concentrate the whole time.

 

[tunaphis]

"The current WRC spec cars are so agile both mechanically and aerodynamically that they do seem at times 'unrealistic' when your baseline comparison is either an older spec WRC car or a R5 spec machine."
2016 Finland average stage speed: 126kmh (Meeke)
2019 Finland average stage speed: 130kmh (Ogier)
Most of the WRC cars still only do around 200 kmh flat out but just get there quicker.
Atm my fun consists of seeing how high I can push the 20yo Corolla up the leaderboards.
The one big thing that bugs me about DR 2.0 is the strange filter/colours.

@PJTierney Call it checking out the competition cause your missing out mate.

 

[Johnnn]

OK, good to know, I will try it when they fix it. But I didn't use WRC cars. My WRC career is completely new and I had to do everything before with weaker cars. I think it was around three different cars before WRC.

 

[PJTierney]

@PJTierney Call it checking out the competition cause your missing out mate.

I’m sure those that are working on future rally titles are checking them out

I’d play it but I’ve got enough racing games on the go as it is.

The one big thing that bugs me about DR 2.0 is the strange filter/colours.

Can you give some examples/comparisons, just for curiosity’s sake? I know DiRT Rally 2.0 tends to have high colour saturation.

 

[Johnnn]

I’d play it but I’ve got enough racing games on the go as it is.

Exactly, that's the problem. I started to play racing games again recently and it's in the best time I gues. It's unbelievable good. So many great games.

 

[tunaphis]

Maybe it was just high colour sat. as you say though DR 2.0 took some tv tuning to negate the vaseline type filter/tone which differed from both Dirt Rally and Dirt4.
Banking on a new PS5 to give all these games a new lease on life.

 

[Johnnn]

I finally tested 120 mode and it's great. Balanced mode is broken on XSX but 120 looks after short testing very good. It's time to test the physics again. 120 was my dream on consoles

 

[Johnnn]

After some testing in testing area, 120 mode on XSX is perfect. Kylotonn are my heroes WRC 9 is my first WRC because it always had 30 FPS on consoles and I don't play 30. So I gave it a try with 60 and currently have 120! Really good game now.

 

[danardif1]

"The current WRC spec cars are so agile both mechanically and aerodynamically that they do seem at times 'unrealistic' when your baseline comparison is either an older spec WRC car or a R5 spec machine."
2016 Finland average stage speed: 126kmh (Meeke)
2019 Finland average stage speed: 130kmh (Ogier)
Most of the WRC cars still only do around 200 kmh flat out but just get there quicker.
Atm my fun consists of seeing how high I can push the 20yo Corolla up the leaderboards.
The one big thing that bugs me about DR 2.0 is the strange filter/colours.

@PJTierney Call it checking out the competition cause your missing out mate.

4kph average over a long stage is quite a big difference. I understand what you mean there hasn't been a giant step forward when the new regs came in it was more just loosening up what the cars could mostly already do... the horsepower gain is the biggest advantage I think.

I've been doing the same with the older cars, the Toyota and the Xsara both drive pretty well so with a well put-together stage you can get them well into the mix with current-spec cars.

 

[tunaphis]

@PJTierney
The one big thing that bugs me about DR 2.0 is the strange filter/colours.
Can you give some examples/comparisons, just for curiosity’s sake? I know DiRT Rally 2.0 tends to have high colour saturation.
Bloom is the term I was looking for.
https://forums.codemasters.com/topic/35145-too-much-bloom-sliders-for-this-and-how-about-hdr-too/

 

[Johnnn]

I was always thinking it's just different color palette. Main designer of the game chose it. It's not bad, it's different than DR1. You don't need real colors for a game it needs to be consistent only.

 

[Aegis]

Xbox One Series X, Balanced Mode (60 FPS) is now worst than before the update. It was silky smooth, now there's stuttering (as if it was dropping one or two frames from time to time). It's noticeable during gameplay and during replays (sometimes even during the stage intro). The sound issues aren't fully fixed and seem more common now than before the update...

There's a new update (900MB) that seems to fix the 60FPS glitches/stuttering. I've only played one race but seems silky smooth again in Balanced mode on Xbox Series X.

 

[Johnnn]

Wow, I am downloading it and will try soon. There was some very small in 120 mode too so I will try it there.

edit:
120 mode is the same. I can feel something there but I am not sure what it is. It's like slight version of stuttering which is not problematic at all but it's visible.

 

[MrCrynox]

This is the only game so far that makes me want an SX. Shame there isn't any available

 

[Johnnn]

This is the only game so far that makes me want an SX. Shame there isn't any available

120 FPS is awesome for rally because you slide often.

 

[xX Jojje Xx]

After the latest patch:
There is some occasional tearing ( dash view ) in balanced mode but no big deal.
Now it's only the lighting in dash view that need some fixing.
If they fix that this game is truly amazing on PS5 with T300.

 

[Johnnn]

My biggest problem are pad controls and it's not that bad. They are very lazy which is OK for gravel but bad for tarmac. So I like gravel parts but hate tarmac ones No game is perfect...