When NHL 22 launches on October 15, we already know that there will be full feature parity between the games release for last-gen Xbox One and PlayStation 4 and the next-gen PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. But because of the different hardware capabilities, there are sure to be differences between the versions of the game.
Thanks to an interview with Gamespot, we now know what those differences will be. According to producer Clement Kwong, they’ll primarily be in the way of the game’s visuals.
Last- and Next-Gen Visuals
- Deferred lighting everywhere
- Improved VFX
- Post FX
- Particle FX
- Ice improvements
- Shadows
- Dynamic Ambient Occlusion
Next-Gen Only Visuals
- Dynamic lighting + enhanced shadows
- Microdetails
- Enhanced effects
As far as the “microdetails” are concerned, Kwong told Gamespot that it means things like stitching in jerseys, facial animations, dynamic lighting on clothing and players, and more.
Last- and Next-Gen Visuals
- Overhauled player likeness
- Uniform improvements
- Hair shader upgrades
- Eye shading and eye animation upgrades
- Enhanced procedural awareness
- Improved skin shading
- Cloth animation
Next-Gen Updates
- Facial animation on all heads
- Micro detail on gear
- Higher fidelity cloth simulation
- Dynamic lighting on cloth and characters.
So, What About NHL 22 Cross-gen?
With the major differences in the game being visual in nature, it again raises the decision for no cross-gen play. The NHL community is set to be split into four sections with the release of NHL 22. Though, there will be the ability to play with last-gen players if you install the last-gen version of the game on your next-gen console.
SGO has continued to reach out regarding the decision, but all requests have failed to receive a response.
NHL 22 launches on October 15. Those who pre-order the X-Factor edition will get access to the game three days early on October 12.
What do you think about the differences between NHL 22 on different consoles? Let us know in the comment section below.