IGN Claims Ultra Settings Are for Screenshots, High Settings Are Enough for Most Players

Summary

Recently, an IGN hardware editor used a top-tier PC equipped with a Ryzen 9 7950X3D and RX 7900 XTX to run graphics tests on four AAA titles: Cyberpunk 2077, Alan Wake 2, Hogwarts Legacy, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. The editor proposed a controversial view: Ultra graphics settings are more like a "screenshot tool" for marketing purposes. In actual gameplay, the visual difference between Ultra and High settings is barely noticeable, but the performance cost is enormous. Test data showed that Cyberpunk 2077 with path tracing and FSR Quality mode at 4K managed only 20 FPS, making it nearly unplayable; switching to Balanced mode produced almost no visible difference while making the game run smoothly. For Alan Wake 2, maxing out all Ultra settings crashed frame rates to 1-3 FPS, completely destroying playability; lowering to High settings and disabling ray tracing restored playable frame rates, with barely perceptible quality degradation during dynamic gameplay, and the dark atmosphere remained intact. This opinion quickly sparked heated discussion among players and the industry. For players, it suggests not blindly chasing maximum graphics quality; rational adjustment of settings can achieve a better balance between visual fidelity and performance. For developers, it highlights an optimization direction: rather than stacking extreme visual features, improving performance…