'Cyberpunk 2077' is getting a second chance at the limelight with a next-gen update.
The game, which was the subject of perhaps one of the biggest scandals in gaming history upon its disastrous launch in December 2020, has received significant updates for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X line of consoles.
The patches are now live for the game.
Patch 1.5 will add ray tracing, 4K resolution (with dynamic scaling), faster loading times, and “a variety of other visual and technical improvements” for PS5 and Xbox Series X, CD Projekt Red said.
Both the PS5 and Xbox Series X have "Performance" and "Ray-Tracing" settings, both of which feature a 4K resolution. The former offers 60FPS "with small and rare frame-drops", while the latter offers 30FPS. On Xbox Series S, only a "Performance" mode is available which is 30FPS and 1440p.
The full list of updates in the patch can be found here.
The PS5 version adds support for the DualSense controller’s adaptive triggers and haptic feedback features.
Patch 1.5 represents the last roll of the dice for the Polish developers; despite the game selling well and turning a profit before players got their hands on the finished product, the game's launch went down in history as one of the biggest blunders in the world of gaming.
Patch 1.5 will also bring a reworked perk tree, improvements to AI, changes to crowds and traffic, and improvements to the game’s driving model, per CD Projekt Red.
The developers halted the development of the next-gen upgrade until the games numerous bugs and glitches were fixed, with the gaming receiving over 10 updates since launch in December 2020, but 'The Witcher' developers now feel they are in a position to bring the game to next-generation consoles.
It's not entirely out of the question for 'Cyberpunk 2077' to become the generation-defining game critics and fans expected, but big-budget titles have overcome rough launches before becoming successes.
'No Man's Sky' was lambasted at launch for not featuring the amount of depth and complexity that was promised in the marketing.
'Rainbow Six Siege' famously suffered from a disastrous launch, before a drastic re-invention and pivot to a live service model ended up helping that game become one of the most pre-eminent games in the world.
It seems that not every game learned the lessons from the 'Cyberpunk 2077' launch, with 'Battlefield 2042' the subject of the latest row between consumers and developers.
Time well tell if 'Cyberpunk 2077' can salvage the pre-launch hype the game had built up.
