SEGA of Japan recently revealed the first screenshots from the PlayStation 4 version of Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA X, and we thought it might be a good idea to compare them to their counterparts from the game’s PlayStation Vita version. To accomplish this, I captured screenshots from the PlayStation Vita version and upscaled them to 1080P, in order to compare them to the 1080P PS4 screenshots released earlier. As a result, the screenshots posted below from the PS Vita version aren’t really representative of the game’s graphical quality when you actually see it running on the PS Vita’s small, but high-quality, screen. Nonetheless, the game still looks decent when running on a Full HD TV. But given that the PS4 is a much more powerful system, we should expect a significant upgrade. So without further ado, on to the comparisons!
Screenshot comparison
I compared each PS4 screenshot we have available at the moment to its PS Vita counterpart. In each comparison, the PS Vita screenshot is displayed on the left, while the PS4 equivalent is displayed on the right.
Screenshot 1
In the first comparison screenshots above, the difference in detail between both versions of the game is immediately visible. The bump in resolution in PS4 brings out a lot more detail, and the aliasing is far less pronounced. That said, the PS4 version does appear to be missing some of the lighting sources from the PS Vita version at this point.
Screenshot 2
Aside from the increase in resolution, in this second screenshot we can see one of the points that the Project DIVA Team noted about the PS4 version. Objects like the guitar strap and tie cast dynamic shadows on Luka now, something that’s completely missing in the PS Vita version.
Screenshot 3
Here we can see that the stage in the PS4 version is actually reflecting its surroundings, something that also wasn’t present in the PS Vita version. Note the shadows on Rin again here. Especially here, the difference in resolution also brings out a lot more detail in the background.
Screenshot 4
I couldn’t get a matching screenshot for the PS Vita version here, as the PS4 screenshot appears to be a closeup of a difference scene. However, it’s close enough to show the difference in detail, and again demonstrates the presence of shadows in the PS4 version. You can also see how these shadows contribute to giving the characters more of a 3D look, while still preserving the distinct visual style used in the Project DIVA games.
Screenshot 5
This comparison gives us a good look at the upgrade in textures for the PS4 version, with both the floor and background showing a lot more detail. That said, the actual 3D models in the background appear to be the same in both versions. As a result, the background has somewhat of a typical “HD remake” feel to it, with high-quality textures and a higher resolution being applied to old, relatively simplistic, 3D models.
Screenshot 6
This final comparison isn’t ideal, since SEGA didn’t provide a 1080P version of the image. Instead, the image from the PS4 version is actually in a lower resolution than even the native PS Vita resolution. For comparison purposes, I downscaled the PS Vita screenshot to the exact same size. The intent of SEGA here was to demonstrate the light reflecting on the floor in the PS4 version, something which we’ve also seen in an earlier screenshot.
Conclusion
It’s clear that SEGA is aiming for a bit more than just an upgrade in resolution here. With updated textures, dynamic shadows and added effects (such as reflecting surfaces), as well as double the framerate, Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA X is looking good on PS4. Although some footage of the PS4 version was present in the announcement for the Western release, it only showed the menu and character selection screen, so we’ve yet to see actual gameplay where we can see how much the increased framerate improves the visual presentation.
Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA X is currently available in Japan, and will be releasing this Fall in the Americas. When asked about a potential release of the game in Europe, a SEGA Europe spokesperson noted the following: “We’ve heard all the feedback from Miku fan’s since the announcement last week in America – unfortunately we don’t have any information to share at the time about an EU release…“. We of course hope the game will be announced for Europe as well eventually!