Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Steam Deck Impressions – Open World Performance, PC Port Features, and More

The much-anticipated Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is now playable on both PC platforms, Steam and Epic Games Store, unlike its predecessor, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, which faced a delay on Steam. Contrary to the rocky start of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade’s PC release, Square Enix has been emphasizing the quality and features of the PC port for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, highlighting visual enhancements, graphics settings, and even securing Steam Deck Verification.

The initial release of Final Fantasy XVI faced issues such as incompatibility with Steam Deck and limited promotion before launch, except for a strong demo. In comparison, the PC version of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth hasn’t received much pre-launch hype either. Given the impressive performance of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on PS5, I was intrigued about its potential on Steam Deck despite possible visual downgrades. After investing more than 25 hours into the Steam version of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on Steam Deck, it’s clear that the game can run on the platform, but it still requires some refinement to become a solid recommendation for Valve’s handheld at this point.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth PC port features – shader compilation and more

As a dedicated fan, I must say that the PC port of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade felt rather fundamental with just a few adjustable settings like texture resolution, shadow resolution, resolution, frame rate, display mode, and HDR. However, it seemed to struggle quite a bit on Windows, with noticeable stuttering issues. Fortunately, these concerns were somewhat alleviated in the Steam Deck version.

But for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, it appears Square Enix is really upping their game. Upon launching the game, I was greeted by a “Preparing shaders” screen which is promising since this is an Unreal Engine game on PC. The progression wasn’t long and soon enough, I found myself delving into the game’s actual graphics settings. It seems they are taking the PC experience more seriously for Rebirth.

In simpler terms, the PC version of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth offers a variety of customizable features to enhance your gaming experience. These include Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) support, adjustable graphics quality presets, dynamic scaling options, and numerous other options for tailoring visual elements like background models, ocean detail, character models, effects, texture resolution, shadow quality, fog quality, and anti-aliasing methods. You can also choose the number of characters displayed, control the display distance of character shadows, and opt for a low-resolution font to improve text readability at lower resolutions.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth PC options

In the hopes of making it possible, I’d like to suggest incorporating FSR 3 (Fastest Ray Tracing), frame generation enhancements, and possibly TSR options into the PC version. The current upscaling method seems to cause a noticeable amount of ghosting in certain scenes and lacks sufficient sharpness.

In terms of controlling the game, you have the flexibility to utilize both controllers and keyboards along with mice. This setup allows you to customize numerous options, ranging from in-combat moves, outside-combat functions, and menu navigation.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Steam Deck performance in the open world and towns

Before diving into Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on Steam Deck, let me provide some background regarding the visual settings of the PS5 version first. Initially, I wasn’t satisfied with how Final Fantasy VII Rebirth appeared in performance mode on standard PS5 at its launch. The Quality mode was decent, but the camera movement caused me motion sickness. Consequently, I played around 15 hours using the performance mode and eventually paused the game, waiting for possible updates to enhance visuals. However, even after an update that introduced two options for the performance mode, it still wasn’t satisfactory. As other games were released, I temporarily halted my progress with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on my PlayStation setup, where it offered a fantastic experience tailored to my specifications.

After learning about the PC version, I chose to postpone playing it and anticipated trying it out on Steam Deck instead. Frankly, I wasn’t too optimistic about the performance of the PC release on Steam Deck due to the performance issues observed on PS5. However, Square Enix’s confirmation that the game was being optimized for handheld play gave me some encouragement.

Final Fantays VII Remake save data bonus in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on Steam Deck

If you’ve played Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on the Steam Deck, you won’t find the in-game bonuses carried over when you start Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Instead, you need to download both games onto your ROG Ally for the bonus save data to be recognized correctly. After completing this, I launched the game on my Steam Deck again to confirm that I had received the bonus summons in my main save file.

As a devoted fan, I must say that my initial excitement for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth was palpable during the first hour of gameplay. On the Steam Deck, it managed to maintain its 30fps target quite admirably, and the visuals were pleasingly decent. However, as I ventured into more bustling locales, the performance took a noticeable dip, which was rather disappointing.

Regarding its compatibility with the Steam Deck and essential features, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has been Steam Deck Verified. However, this label doesn’t give a complete picture since Valve may omit certain crucial details during game testing for the Steam Deck Verified rating.

Here are some additional details:
– Final Fantasy VII Rebirth supports 16:9 aspect ratio on the Steam Deck.
– It offers Steam Cloud support, which I’ve tested successfully across my ROG Ally and Steam Deck.
– The game also supports High Dynamic Range (HDR) on the Steam Deck.
– Upon initial launch and after updates, it compiles shaders effectively.

In this game, the open world performs smoothly with a 30fps target, but objects like foliage and other geometry elements tend to load quite close to you as you explore. For me, the Steam Deck defaulted to the low settings, which is a bit restrictive, but I’ll share my preferred settings later. What stood out to me most was that the motion blur in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth seems to have been optimized more effectively than the PS5 version, where I still experience motion sickness at 30fps. Interestingly, when I connected my Steam Deck to the same screen I use for playing PS5 games, the camera movement didn’t cause me as much discomfort.

Reaching Junon was crucial for stress testing, and much like Kalm, the game’s performance often falls short of hitting its 30fps target on Steam Deck, with frames per second (FPS) fluctuating between the mid to high 20s. Lowering the dynamic resolution below 66% may help, but even at 50%, it doesn’t guarantee a steady 30fps. It was pleasing to observe that during boss fights like Midgardsormr with summoned assistance, there were hardly any drops below 30fps.

In summary, playing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on Steam Deck can serve as an enjoyable secondary experience alongside your primary PC gameplay for open-world activities and optional content. However, the performance issues, particularly in towns and certain situations, currently make it unsuitable for a full playthrough unless you have no other viable options. If that’s the case, be aware of the potential difficulties you might encounter.

In gaming, a persistent problem is an effect known as “ghosting.” This issue was noticeable even on the original PlayStation 5, but it’s more pronounced here, particularly at lower resolutions and with complex scenes. I encountered this issue while using both Temporal Anti-Aliasing (TAA) and Temporal Anti-Aliasing Unified (TAAU). Regarding the stability of the gameplay, I didn’t encounter any crashes on Steam Deck; however, I did experience a glitch where the ground seemed to load parts of other areas, causing Cloud, Aerith, and Tifa to appear as if they were stuck in the ground. I managed to resolve this issue by saving the game and reloading back into it.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Steam Deck recommended settings

When playing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, it’s crucial to remember that open areas, dungeons, and closed environments run more smoothly than bustling towns. I’ve spent a good amount of time tweaking various settings, such as dynamic resolution targets, in Kalm and Junon, given the frame rate issues I encountered during my approximately 25 hours of gameplay in these areas. For the best experience on Steam Deck with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, consider using every setting on low, maxing out dynamic resolution scaling at 100%, setting minimum dynamic resolution scaling to 66%, opting for TAAU anti-aliasing, and displaying characters at 2 with a character shadow distance of 2.

In my experience, when I set the scaling target at 66% minimum, the graphics appear significantly improved in open environments, dungeons, and confined spaces. It managed to maintain its 30 frames per second (fps) goal quite well, but there are occasional minor drops. Junon, for instance, may have difficulty reaching 30fps unless you adjust the minimum scaling target to 50%, and even then, it struggles to provide a locked 30fps. Despite these frame rate dips and inconsistent timings in these hub areas, I accepted them because they performed smoothly during actual gameplay and boss battles. For the record, my testing for the recommended settings included using summons like Ifrit, Shiva, and others as well.

In my tests, I too activated HDR, and without adjusting any settings, it seemed visually appealing right out of the box in scenarios such as leaving the mines and heading towards Junon initially. Moreover, the summon battles with special effects displayed admirably on the Steam Deck’s screen. Although the resolution isn’t as sharp as Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on Steam Deck, it’s important to note that this game is noticeably more taxing, as evidenced by its appearance on PS5 compared to the initial release.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth at 1440p docked on Steam Deck

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth PC release improvements over Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade

From what we’ve seen thus far, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth appears to have a superior PC version compared to Final Fantasy VII Remake. This is due to enhanced port features, graphic options, shader compilation methods, and a variety of visual presets. These are essential elements for a modern PC game, but it’s always important to remember that not all games deliver on these expectations. I haven’t personally played Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on a desktop PC, but given its performance on the ROG Ally – which is more powerful than the Steam Deck and runs Windows 11 – it seems promising.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth ROG Ally impressions

As a gamer, I recently gave Final Fantasy VII Rebirth a spin on my ROG Ally (Z1 Extreme) to compare its performance against Steam Deck. Unfortunately, my first playthrough wasn’t as smooth as I’d hoped. It could be due to the latest Windows 11 update, general Windows 11 issues, shader-related problems, or perhaps specific hardware quirks on the ROG Ally. Regardless of tweaking the settings, I kept encountering regular stutters during open-world exploration.

In contrast, my experience with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on Steam Deck was far more seamless in the same areas. To improve things on the ROG Ally, I managed to resolve some of the issues by limiting the game’s dynamic resolution range to 50-100% at the low preset while maintaining a 1080p resolution. I experimented with both V-Sync and VRR settings on my device. However, I haven’t had ample time yet to extensively test this handheld console.

I’m hoping that the problems I encountered with the ROG Ally, such as the ghosting issue which is similar to what’s seen on the Steam Deck, can be fixed, as the visual quality of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth appears significantly better on the ROG Ally when aiming for a 30fps target compared to the Steam Deck.

After Square Enix announced enhancements to the lighting for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on PC, my curiosity was piqued. To get a sense of these changes for some basic comparisons, I visited the same location in Kalm using the ROG Ally with the graphics settings maxed out and playing at 1080p resolution (as shown in the screenshot comparison above). I turned off dynamic resolution and disabled TAAU, but TAA is mandatory. This method of comparison isn’t ideal for showcasing lighting differences, but it provides some insight nonetheless.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on Steam Deck vs ROG Ally vs PlayStation Portal

In essence, playing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth via PS Remote Play on your PlayStation Portal or the PC version on your Steam Deck offers the best handheld gaming experience at this moment, given that you can stream it from your PS5. I find myself returning to the game on my PlayStation Portal as it provides superior DualSense support and a smoother performance compared to my Steam Deck and ROG Ally. The future holds intrigue, especially when considering how the game might scale on more powerful PC handhelds like the ROG Ally X (with increased memory) and perhaps in a potential Nintendo Switch 2 version. I’m eagerly anticipating any optimization updates on the PC version and testing the game again once they are implemented.

Following the enjoyable journey of Final Fantasy VII Remake on PS4, its upgrade to PS5, and its availability on Steam Deck, it’s unfortunate that technical issues hinder the game’s performance on PS5 in performance mode, and there are several limitations to how it operates on Steam Deck currently. While it’s impressive that the game runs at all on the Steam Deck, it’s important to note that this might not provide an optimal experience for those intending to play the entire game exclusively on the Steam Deck.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has been confirmed to run on the Steam Deck, and while it offers a better portable experience than many other AAA Verified games, there are still some visual and performance hiccups at lower resolution. In my testing, the open world and dungeons were playable but not optimal. I suggest using the Steam Deck as a companion to your main PC gameplay. Concentrate on the main story and town exploration on your PC, while using the Steam Deck for completing minor games or open-world tasks. Additionally, you can use the Steam Deck’s right trackpad as a mouse for precise aiming when needed. Fingers crossed that Square Enix continues to improve the PC port so it can offer a smoother experience on the Steam Deck in the future.

2025-01-22 17:26