As expected, CD Projekt RED took advantage of today's livestream to finally present the highly anticipated releases PS5 et Xbox Series X|S de cyberpunk 2077 (among other goodies)!
If the initial surprise effect was sabotaged by a few leaks, the Polish studio had nevertheless kept a few cards up its sleeve which were, all in all, very pleasant to discover.
The future has finally arrived on consoles
They say everything comes at the right time to who knows how to wait, and this maxim could not be more true regarding the latest action-RPG from CD Projekt RED. More than a year after PS4 and Xbox One versions clearly struggling to show Night City in its best light, Cyberpunk 2077 is finally getting the care it deserves on consoles.
Indeed, the happy owners of the next-gen consoles from Sony or Microsoft can already download this new version of the game, put online just after the end of the livestream. The transition to the next-gen will of course be free for those who have purchased the old-gen version of the game. However, you will have to prepare for a rather large download and possibly make room on your hard drive. Yes, the upgrade weighs around 50 GB!
But, as good news never comes alone, CD Projekt RED has split a pleasant surprise, just to be forgiven for this particularly sad year on consoles. The next-gen version of Cyberpunk 2077 is thus entitled to a free trial version for those who have preferred to wait wisely before taking a trip to Night City!
Night City is getting a makeover in your living room
CD Projekt RED inevitably took advantage of this livestream to show what the next-gen version of Cyberpunk 2077 has under the hood. Console gamers will finally be able to fully experience Night City at 60fps in Performance mode. A ray-tracing mode is also included, but at the expense of absolute fluidity, since it will be necessary to be satisfied with 30 ips. The game will be able to be displayed in all its glory in 4K, with dynamic scaling to keep up with the frame rate. The Xbox Series S, however, will have to suffer from its less powerful hardware, with only the Performance mode available, at 30 fps.
We were able to see how Night City is doing on PS5, Xbox Series X, and even on Xbox Series S during a short secondary mission. Even on Microsoft's most modest console, the result is clearly more stable and pleasing to the eye than on older generation consoles. CD Projekt RED even spoiled us with a short action sequence that certainly didn't lack dynamism, on all platforms combined. For owners of the PS5 version, DualSense support will be fully integrated for even better immersion.
Patching you up
In addition to this highly anticipated announcement, the livestream was also an opportunity to learn more about the major patch 1.5, which will concern all versions of the game and which is downloadable now. The first notable change in this patch is a complete overhaul of the talent tree to make it more readable and understandable. It will be possible to launch a game prior to this patch, but it will however be necessary to reallocate all the points earned.
Among the interesting redesigns of the talent tree, we can particularly highlight the completely revised ability of throwing knives, which finally makes the skill viable by allowing us to recover the projectiles once launched. In addition to redesigned skills, the fights should offer a slightly more challenging challenge thanks to a marked improvement in artificial intelligence.
Driving and the open world have also been given extra care. The first should be much more fluid and pleasant, in first and third person view. As for the second, patch 1.5 is particularly interested in the behavior of the crowd and traffic, which will react more realistically to the actions of V. Likewise, we should finally be entitled to more tangible pedestrians who will no longer have this annoying tendency to disappear for no reason. Keyboard/mouse players will also be happy to learn that it will finally be possible to simply walk.
The open world is not the only place where navigation has been significantly improved: the map of the game also gains serious clarity through the possibility of filtering the myriad activities that Night City contains. These will also be categorized according to different colors, to make the whole more digestible.
Major patch obliges, it is only a tiny hidden part of the iceberg, which CD Projekt RED detailed via an image shared during the livestream. You can also view all the changes brought by patch 1.5 via the patch notes available (in English) on the official Cyberpunk 2077 website.
Free facelift
Finally, CD Projekt RED took advantage of this particularly dense livestream to present the new free DLCs that patch 1.5 will include. We were thus able to see two new firearms which can be purchased from the arms dealer Wilson in the mega-building where V nurseries throughout the story.
Speaking of our protagonist's apartment, a DLC will finally make it possible to change V's previously immutable appearance there by going in front of the mirror. New customization options have also taken the opportunity to invite themselves to the party.
The third DLC focuses on V's computer, still in his apartment, which will offer access to different sites. Interior designers will finally be able to express themselves more via the possibility of changing the visual style of the dwelling via one of the new sites added. Similarly, V will be able to get a change of scenery by renting different apartments scattered throughout Night City, via his computer or by visiting them directly.
V's apartment will also play a much more important role via patch 1.5. In addition to small activities such as playing the guitar, it will be possible to obtain temporary bonuses by taking time at home, and obviously to spend more time with the person on whom we have set our romantic sights over the course of time. 'story.
Finally, fans of Keanu Reeves… Johnny Silverhand will be able to enjoy his incredible charisma thanks to a DLC featuring new photo poses. Because we can never have enough Keanu Reeves in Afterlife.
