[GameSpot] - Dead Space Remake Should Look Better In The Dark After Upcoming Update

[343iBot]

A fix for Dead Space's VRS issues is coming, though no exact release window for the patch has been shared yet. The game's implementation of VRS can cause a surprising lack of detail in some textures.

VRS, variable rate shading, is a process which allocates a graphic card's processing across multiple parts of an image. This allows the GPU to use more processing power on complex parts of a render and less on simpler parts. The Dead Space remake usage of VRS has caused some visual issues. Objects or textures that appear in shadow have notably less visual detail than lighted models or other objects in the foreground. In theory, this is fine, but for a horror game that takes place largely in the dark, it can be distracting.

The issue even appears on PC, and there is no option to turn off VRS. For those who haven't played the game, or haven't noticed any issues, Digital Foundry's John Linneman pointed out the problem and shared a few examples on Twitter.

For those curious, this is what VRS does to the image quality on PS5. The actual resolution is much higher (look at Isaac) but VRS causes shadowed regions to basically lose most of their detail. pic.twitter.com/Qx9uEyTWzz

— John Linneman (@dark1x) January 28, 2023

Motive has responded to complaints and promised a fix. An EA spokesperson posted in the Dead Space Reddit and said, "The team is working on a patch that will improve the issue on PS5. This patch will also provide an option to disable VRS on PC." The statement also clarifies that there is "no ETA quite yet."

In other Dead Space news, an Easter egg in the remake might indicate the eventual release of a Dead Space 2 remake. In the GameSpot Dead Space remake review, reviewer Richard Wakeling gave it a 9/10 and said, "Remaking Dead Space in 2023 may not feel especially necessary, but EA Motive has crafted a game that manages to improve upon its excellent progenitor in a variety of ways--even if only marginally so."

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