After a six month delay the Wii U version of Watch Dogs finally launched last week. We've already shown you what the game looks like and how it uses the Wii U GamePad, but now we're going to illustrate how it stacks up against the other versions out there.
We recorded footage of the Xbox 360 edition — arguably the best of the last-gen ports — as well as the PS4 iteration, and then spliced everything together to give an impression of how each compares. You can view the results below and make up your own mind, but be warned — the game features some swearing, and this is present in the videos below.
Our review will be going live soon. Have you already purchased the Wii U version of the game? How are you finding the visuals and overall performance? Let us know by posting a comment, and don't forget to subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube to catch more original video content.
Comments 68
The ps4 version is now 20 bucks on amazon.... so yeah
So the only noticeable difference is... lighting? Hmm, I'll stick to Splinter Cell for that kind of gameplay, I'll probably buy it when it's $20 though
The Wii u version is awful it drops to 16fps at some points that is truly shocking. Makes you wonder why they spent an extra 6 months to release it, clearly UBISOFT did jack sh#t with this version. The gamepad use is no better than Mario Kart 8s infact Mario Kart 8 does more lol!!
They could have done so much more. Once again its down to Nintendo to prove that big open world games can look beautiful and run at an excellent frame rate, when Zelda U gets released next year. Ubisoft are a joke company that shouldnt be aloud to release the games they do. Why people buy there buggy games is beyond me.
The frame rate is unfortunately poor. But graphically it looks quite nice I think. Like Assassins Creed Black Flag. Looks nice, but Ubisoft just can't seem to get the frame rates good on multi-platform titles. Which is a shame, because ZombiU's frame rate was fine. Which shows they can do it when they try.
Maybe a 14.99$ purchase just like any other ubisoft game, what a waste this game should have been much better to bad!
Looks the same to me but Digital Foundry insists it's worser than the last gen versions yet that's not the case with comparison videos i've seen. However comparison sites like that are a lie
@kensredemption exactly my point
Hey, putting in that lag for the Wii U version was due to Ubosift's totally "serious" effort for the system.
I'm less interested in comparison videos ...what I'd like is a review...that's what's important..
@kensredemption That's hilarious. What possible motive could they have for fabricating the test results?
I work with these people and know for a fact that they don't make anything up.
I've long ago started treating Ubisoft like a studio that produces B Movies like "Army of Darkness" or even a C Movie studio that produces stuff like "Sharknado". Both can be fun and entertaining, but their product is not worth the same price as a true AAA title. So I wait until the price hits the B Title or C Title level that they are worth and purchase then.
Everything I've seen and read about Watch_Dogs puts it firmly in the $20-30 pricepoint for me. (High C Title/Low B Title pricing).
So basically the PS4 version is identical, just 1080p with zero ambient lighting.... if I bought a PS4 for Watch Dogs i would be downright ANGRY they downgraded it so far. The PC version on the other hand looks drop dead gorgeous once you mod you ini file to bring back all the bells and whistles you are missing on the console versions.
If I didn't have a PC I think I rather play the Wii U/360 versions than PS4 version... The lighting looks far superior on last gen.
@NbaJunkie You aren't wrong there, and I'm sure the review will be available here very soon
@Xiao_Pai Nah, I think the occasional 16 fps was added to give the game a more cinematic feel.
PS4 version is now a lot cheaper to buy so its a hard sell for me to buy the wiiu version.
In fact the only reason id buy it on the wiiu is to show i support the console
I still haven't seen any footage of WD that looks like it has a worse frame rate than Lego City.
Oh noes! They make it all up! Conspiracy...booo....anti-Nintendo etc.etc.
Meh... the game sucks either way on all versions. Just pick up Bayonetta 2 instead.
It is such an uneven game in general. I have the pc version and looking at the textures of the comparison videos...yeah I don't think there was much ubi could do with it.
@DiscoGentleman
This is true, but NintendoLife and many others wouldn't exist if the world had any intelligence..
I just bought Watch Dogs - Dedsec edition on PS3 for only 20 bucks.
That release contains a big Figurine, Art book, Soundtrack CD, DLC, AR 3D cards, 3 buttons, city map and maybe more.
@DiscoGentleman No way of "thumbing up" your post here (another dumb concept), so I´ll gladly have to agree the old-fashioned way:
I agree fully.
None! Not my cup of tea. No support from me. LOL
@retro_player_22 nuff said
Graphically, it looks the same as the X360 version, though the framerate drop on the Wii U is pretty noticeable here during the driving sequence.
The PS4 version obviously has a higher FPS and more antialias, fog, and dynamic lighting, but it really looks waaay overexposed for me. They completely lose the dark mood.
Have yet to play it so I know nothing of the gameplay. Maybe I'll pick it up if it goes on sale some time.
Ubi, I liked Loved ZombiU and Splinter Cell and liked Rayman Legends, AC 2 and 3. But AC4 Was not my flavor, or maybe I just lost interest in playing the SAME damn game over and over... I hear Unity is more of the same, but ridden with bugs. Time for a little reinvention Ubi.
So the difference is in the PS4 version the houses all use 100w bulbs as opposed to those environmentally friendly ones? The fact I can't tell them apart explains why I prefer Nintendo games.
But I would love to see this sort of thing so you could see if you tell the difference between Watch Dogs, Assassin's Creed, and Far Cry.
@DiscoGentleman This kind of video can be interesting just in order to compare something. But is actually, like you said, very dumb and annoying, because it's an argument about fireworks. It's been almost 2 years since this started (?) and I'm still surprised that IGN does this until today. There are really dumb people in the world.
On a technical note, this is really interesting, and I like these kinds of comparisons to see how much the performance of one game can fluctuate across platforms.
But this is the internet, so people are gonna bite each other over anything, regardless of whether a game is enjoyable, anyway. I, for one, do get annoyed if consoles I own get butchered ports of interesting games, but as long as the game is still playable (and fun), it's only point for discussion, not purchase questions.
I'd play it on the Wii U just because of GamePad usage - map usage is enough, it is incredibly fun when done right, but I'm not paying full price for it, even with the DDP. Hopefully it will drop one day in price big time on the eshop then I'll get it.
I would like to see more attention to lighting and shading effects. To me they are the most important part of the impression that the developers are trying to create.
But the lack of gyro controls made this no buy for me anyway. Last gen controls makes it even look bad (@0:33), let alone how clumsy it feels.
@Jahir no the framerate on the Wii U version is joke.
Underpowered console which 3rd parties struggle with. Nintendo need to get 3rd party input when building next consoles.
I've not played the Wii U version, but the PS3 one is terrible. This isn't a case of them just doing an up-ressed version on the PS4 and Xbone, but rather it's a game meant for those consoles which they've tried to get running on older machines.
And people shouldn't be so quick to judge Ubisoft for being lazy. Countless developers have said the Wii U is hard to port to. Not hard to DEVELOP for, but hard to take your 360/PS3/Xbone/PS4 game and get it running on the Wii U which is set up very, very differently inside. Nintendo will be able to get the best out of it because they can make games build purposefully for the Wii U, designed to play to it's strengths and avoid it's flaws, and when a game is built that way it can look and play incredible. A multi platform game will never do that, and no third party is going to do that either due to how bad the games sell. Ubisoft could have spent 4 years making a Watch Dogs ground up for this console but that would be a sure way to lose millions upon millions.
The PS4 version is more blurry...
The 360 version isn't quite as good....
Let's just put it like this. They all look like the 360 version
@Peach64 So in other words they're lazy because they just want to copy and paste?
I've read the DF comparison article from yesterday/today. As usual, IMHO, they give far too little weight to the Wii U version having zero screen tearing, while the other versions tear constantly. Yes, I can feel that the frame rate is a big juddery when I play WD on the WiiU, but I must say that from a gameplay stance, the difference is far less important in this game than in AC 4, for example. And I don't get why the author of the DF piece spent time drawing so many comparisons between the U edition and the PS4. OF COURSE the PS4 trounces the U.
@liljmoore Pretty much, which is why most people who own a Wii U aren't going to buy this game.
Still in denial that the Wii U is underpowered I see..
It looks terrible on all three consoles.
@Peach64 They should be selling it cheaper that £50 if all it is, is a copy/paste port released 6 months after the host release
@Mega719 @kensredemption Why would they just lie?What would they gain?And this isn't hating on Watch Dogs or you guys.I'm just asking why would they do this is they have nothing to gain from it?
I'll nab it for $7 in a future steam sale.
I dont get picking a game to pieces just to be so negative about it . I think it looks and plays great on Wii U not to mention the lack of third party games on Wii U at this point I would think mature gamers would be happy to get what seems to me to be a good port of a dare I say a good game .
So from what my (not-so) trained eye surmises, it seems that the wii u graphics are very slightly better than the xbox's (mostly in models i think) but worse than the ps4 port by a little (again, higher res models and slightly better lighting). If I had to picka version, id go with wii u because the ps4 lighting is really bright comparatively, but honestly I would rather spend my time playing better games.
When will you review this Nintendo Life? I still have hope for this game & still have it on my Wii U want list.
I've bought the game at launch and I have nothing to compare it to. I know the price will drop rapidly very soon, but I didn't really have the patience to wait any longer (I predict that it will drop by at least 50% after the holiday season) and I don't have a PC fit for playing contemporary games (and I don't plan on getting one any time soon as I am swamped with 3DS and Wii U games as it is).
I hadn't even read any reviews of past versions (aside from taking a brief look at the scores) prior to buying the game and I'm having quite a lot of fun with it (even though I'm absolutely terrible at it). Just the other day, I played for nearly 4 hours straight, which is a rarity as very few games can hold my attention for so long. I was stuck on the Two For One side mission, and despite the sheer number of times that I had failed, I was having a ball figuring out how to beat it, and I think that this mission alone has changed the way that I feel about stealth shooters (which I have never been interested in before).
Concerning the frame rate, yes, it is inconsistent, particularly while driving; and while driving, and this could just be my imagination, the textures take a turn for the worst to compensate (and I was reminded of the visuals of The Godfather: Blackhand Edition on Wii) and the draw distance is a bit of a joke as you can discern precisely when the cars are entering the frame. I would not have judged the draw distance as harshly if the game looked amazing, but Need For Speed: Most Wanted U this ain't. In fact, Most Wanted U felt more like a "current" gen game than Watch_Dogs, which both runs and looks like a last gen 360/PS3 game.
On the plus side, unlike the other consoles, the game doesn't require a hefty installation to play (PS4/One require a mandatory 20GB installation, while the last-gen systems require an installation of around 8GB, with the 360 version shipping on two discs). On the other hand, the Wii U version requires about 64MB of data by default, plus another 64MB or so for each player, so it can even be played on the Basic Wii U.
Up close, the character models do not appear to be all that detailed (the lip-syncing is just embarrassing IMO), though from a distance, the environments, and especially the lighting, look really nice (the mornings and night look particularly beautiful). I couldn't help but feel underwhelmed by the visuals as I constantly felt as if I were playing a port of a 360/PS3 game as opposed to a game that has been adequately optimised for the Wii U. But… I'm hardly a graphics junkie here. The game looks fine for the most part, and while the frame rate fluctuates, it has never dipped to the point of affecting gameplay, plus, to date I haven't experienced any crashes (though Most Wanted U has crashed many, many times on me).
I'm disappointed by the lack of Gamepad functionality, but Ubisoft have made up for that somewhat by implementing smartphone and Uplay connectivity (though I wish that they had instead programmed the smartphone app for the Gamepad so that we can enjoy the full experience "out of the box" instead of having to download a separate app from the App Store/Android marketplace, which may not be available in the future). While it would have been preferable to see the likes of GTAV on Wii U, sadly, I feel that Watch_Dogs will probably be the meatiest realistic open-world experience that we will ever have on Wii U.
All things considered, I'm happy with the game. Those seeking a GTA-style experience on Wii U may however, find the game to be a tad stifling as the game places a greater emphasis on serving the path of good (though I'm still very early in the game so I don't know if the game takes a different direction later on), and it certainly does not feel as anarchistic as the former franchise. Police are considerably less forgiving, and civilians will report almost any crime that you commit (firing weapons, even if you do not harm, or even intend to harm anybody, constitutes an offence). Just something to think about if you intend to buy this game purely to wreak havoc in a real-world setting.
In short, yes, I would recommend it, and despite the price disparity between the Wii U and other versions, I feel as if I've gotten my money's worth. Whether you choose to support or boycott Ubisoft as a matter of principle is ultimately in your hands, and I respect that. For those who are still uncertain, it wouldn't hurt to wait a couple of months for the price to plummet (which is common practice with Ubisoft titles). It's just a shame that we probably won't see another game like this on Wii U unless it becomes a runaway success like the original Wii was (and I strongly doubt that at this point).
@kobashi100 what do you mean by underpowered console? Genuine question by the way; I'm not trying to pick a fight.
@Hy8ogen What are you talking about? The PS4 version is $50 on Amazon, not $20. Not even Black Friday sales have the game for that low.
I know people were using the "oh it's dropped in price" argument against this version, but the truth of the matter is the game really hasn't dropped in price. Not by much anyways
I bought mine for AU$69, however, the DeadSec edition on other platforms was around AU$44 or so, if not less. The standard edition (the ANZ version) is still around AU$50 or so, but in terms of pricing (and DLC), we're definitely getting the short end of the stick here.
The Wii U is not underpowered , we got a PS4 and from my observations if you are only after graphics get a PC , the Wii U has alot of beautiful and fun titles at this point and I have to say Pikmin , Super Mario 3D World , Donkey Kong TF , Mario Kart 8 , Bayonetta 2 , Super Smash Bros. , etc.., look as good and even better as what I've seen on PS4 so as a consumer and a gamer I don't see the big difference .
@DiscoGentleman true very true ..
@Will-75 : It's worth noting that all of the games that you have mentioned were developed from the ground up specifically for the Wii U, so they would have been optimised to take full advantage of the Wii U's strengths.
The downside of multi platform titles is that ALL versions (with the possible exception of PC, but even multiplats occasionally suffer performance issues on high-end PCs) will need to make compromises so that the experience is relatively identical between the different platforms, and considering that a large portion of currently available PS4/One games are multi platform titles, it is no wonder that relatively few games are showcasing what these systems are capable of. Perhaps it would be best to judge the strengths of any console by the games that are exclusive to those systems.
i havethe wii u version, and so far i dont notice any drop
@mercurio2054 : Do you have the retail version or did you download it via the eShop?
@Peach64
When the Wii U launched Ubisoft boasted about how easy and cheap it was to port games over from the 360. So they'll just have to find a different excuse.
Smh...ZombiU was sooooooo good...
@sillygostly
With the PS4/XBO both being very close to mid range PCs in terms of architecture I doubt that there will be the same kind of improvement that we got with past generations. So what you see now is pretty much as good as it will get.
@JaxonH Apologies. I meant 20 bucks cheaper.
@kensredemption
Ubisoft doesn't have an excuse they just don't want to make games for the wii u
Get Bayonetta 2 instead. A game built from the ground up for the Wii U. It shows what the console really is capable of. The port of the first Bayonetta game is also brilliant btw.
Ubisoft dumped on nintendo big time with this game. It was marketed and previewed as being awesome, offering revolutionary functionality with the gamelan! Gone.
Graphically stunning! Failed to construct a consistent frameable of even 30fps.
Ubisoft are done for me.
@element187 I think you've sold it for me, I was thinking about getting it on the WiiU but £40+?!! I think ur right I'll just get on PC for half the price and get double the gfx/performance/pleasure
@Damo & @kensredemption
Being totally honest and putting things in perspective: I don't believe Digital Foundry "make things up" or falsify data. There is no proof and I don't see any reason to make such accusations.
However, I do believe they have biases like any group of people might, and they tend to play up aspects of their benchmark tests that will draw attention to themselves, more then address the performance a typical user will experience.
Two examples of this:
@Action51 Thats basically whats going on with the whole industry at the moment.
People rely on "facts" rather than play games themselfes. They focus solely on technical spects, if they affect the game or not, and judge the game accordingly.
The whole FPS / Resolution debates really sicken me to no end.
Weve played games with 30FPS for ages, and all of a sudden its "unplayable" ?
The same goes for resolution. If it doesnt affect the game, i dont even care if its 720, 900 or 1080. The differenece is so marginal, if i get a clear, clean picture, thats all i could ask for.
If the drop of a single frame per second is such a big deal (MK8), then there are bigger problems among gamers than that.
Fun and games are over, its now a technical arms race. Its not important how great your game is, whats important is how many FPS it renders on what resolution....
Meanwhile, im having fun playing games, not paying attention to these things in the slightest. And trust me, its much more enjoyable and fun that way
@BarryDunne
While I think that Ubisoft could remake Red Steel 1 for the wiiu and improve the graphics and somehow incorperate the touch screen pad (think fruit ninja controls for sword play) but then use a traditional control system for everything else. But as far as Red Steel 2 goes it already works so well using the backwards compatibility, the art style still works well on the wiiU, just like Mad World. It would probably be just as good to pick up a second hand wii copy and play it through compatability mode instead of forking out for a shinier version... but Red Steel 1, yeah, they could really improve that.
Frame emirate is bad, but yes the graphics all look the same except the lighting which really could if have put more time into as the Wii U has really nice lighting affects, at least in the first party.
So, okay. They all look the same, except everything is brighter on PS4. Woo-hoo.
exactly what I expected. The 360 and the wiiU versions look identical. Ubisoft couldn't be bothered optimising the wiiU port like the lazy barstewards they are. At least they pu some gamepad features in the wiiU port. Here's hoping they aren't completely shallow.
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