505 Games and Kunos Simulazioni launched Assetto Corsa Competizione for consoles in June 2020, and shortly after two years of that date, the free update for next-generation consoles arrived with some promises fulfilled and others not.
we tried Assetto Corsa Competition on PS5; it is also available on Xbox Series X/S.
original review: https://bitwares.net/assetto-corsa-competitione-review-puts-first-if-you-have-the-correct-accessories/.
leaving the box
The base PS4 and Xbox One versions turned out to be a slight disappointment at the time due to issues that were, fair to say, expected given the age of the consoles. Their low power meant that the game was limited to 30FPS, sometimes inconsistent, practically a crime when we talk about a simulator that requires extra precision in the controls so as not to end up stamped against a wall. Controls that, incidentally, were not optimized for a joystick, which made it imperative to have a steering wheel. If we add to this various bugs and lack of crossplay between consoles and PC, the thing was already tragic. For all this, this free update arrived on February 22 for anyone who has bought the game on the consoles of the last generation. Let’s see what the changes are.
near the tip
The announced and expected main course of this update are the graphics: 4K textures and 60FPS. I almost never found moments where the game jerked, neither with many cars on screen or in the rain, so the gameplay is extremely fluid at all times. The graphics of the cars both inside and outside are spectacular, each car faithfully virtualized; the tracks also present a great fidelity on the asphalt, in the little pianos and in the various posters that swarm around. The textures in other places have something criticizable: they present the sharpness of 4k at all times, it is true, but some are too basic, especially the elements outside the tracks such as trees, sentry boxes and people. Of course, it is somewhat minor since at race pace you don’t notice it, but they stand out when you take a photo and see your beautiful Ferrari 488 GT3 in the foreground next to a small tree made with 4 polygons.
Speaking of the audiovisual section, it should be clarified that since the launch many players have been reporting bugs of all kinds, such as crashes in the menu, problems configuring steering wheels and save transfers that don’t work, among others. Personally I experienced bugs with the audio (when changing the camera the engine noise is completely turned off), with the pitstops (the speed limiter of the pits was activated automatically… on the main straight!) and the most annoying, During multiplayer games, the position menus during classification or race did not directly show anything, which made it impossible to understand what was happening in each race, added to the fact that when the leader crossed the finish line, he sent us all to the hit menu. the people of 505 Games posted that they are aware and that they will fix the problems soon, but so far there is no new patch (you can read the post in English here: https://505games.com/assetto-corsa-competitione-playstation-5-and-xbox-series-xs-launch-update-and-next-steps/ )
Although this somewhat tarnishes the experience, I must also say that the hours I spent with the game were greatly enjoyed thanks to the fact that on this occasion they apparently took the time to adjust the controls to the most common element: the joystick.
P1 George, P1!
A year ago I had tried the Assetto Corsa Competition for PC with a PS4 joystick. Since I had been playing a lot Grand Touring Sport I thought how difficult can it be? The answer was: impossible, there was no way to control the car, either because it skidded or turned too much or too little. Luckily this is in the past and with the DualSense it is possible to control each car and keep it on track accordingly, and thus I was able to enjoy the reason why so many people love this game: the physical engine. This is impeccable and we can feel the acceleration, the braking, how the surface changes when we run on the asphalt and step on a little piano, and how we lose traction when we go to the grass. All the tracks are spectacular and the weather changes and the night/day cycle make them better. The competition, whether against the AI or against people, is the soul of the game and this is simply brilliant, which makes us forget a little about the problems because, after all, they are temporary, but the charm of Spa, of Monza, Silverstone are timeless.
on the podium
Assetto Corsa Competition It is not a game that can be simply recommended. It focuses only on GT3 cars (GT4 was added with paid DLC), makes no effort to introduce newcomers to the adventures of the world of Endurance Racing and the gameplay is presented as a challenge. But anyone who dares will find an extremely rewarding title, in which mistakes are paid for but from which you also learn. And, over time, thanks to them it gets better.