This is, of course, in reference to the foliage cutbacks on Xbox One. As bullet-points in a Face-Off comparison go, we're surprised to find this is in fact the biggest for Grand Theft Auto 5's re-release. The Xbox One version is hardly a barren landscape when taken in isolation, but placed side-by-side with the PS4's woodlands and deserts, it's clear there are distinct contrasts in vegetation density. Some areas are entirely unaffected, but at its most apparent we have grass tufts and ferns stripped from the game world - as shown in one overview of the O'Neil farm.

However, it's fair to say this isn't something which impacts the enjoyment of the Xbox One game; rather, it's a bonus on paper for PS4 owners, but one that players are unlikely to register during play. And to be clear, this affects smaller plant-life only, and no likewise cutbacks are in place on Microsoft's platform for larger flora - larger environmental blocks such as trees and cacti being rooted to the exact same spots across the world.

Also common to both consoles is texture quality, with refreshed maps plastered across each highway and skyscraper. From the fabric of Michael's winter jacket to the pebble-stone lining of his garden, each surface gets at least a tiny ramp-up in map resolution, or better yet, the use of parallax occlusion mapping to really bring an object's form to life. Trees now twist and gnarl visibly - where before their outline was a flat line - and brick walls around villas now pop outwards.

Grand Theft Auto 5 is largely identical on both platforms in terms of the basics visual categories. Each boasts the same quality shadows, textures and geometry here - though with ferns missing to the left on Xbox One.

Lighting effects like lens flare are also dialled back on Xbox One, with PS4 producing a stronger bloom effect across the sun in perfectly matched scenes.

Rockstar's remaster for PS4 and Xbox One features a number of enhancements over last-gen - but shadow filtering remains disappointing. A nasty shadow filtering cascade is the most disappointing part of the package, causing higher quality shadows to swap in past an invisible line. The distance at which this occurs is the same no matter which version you opt for.

Image quality at 1920x1080 with post-process AA is very crisp indeed, for both platforms. Here we see geometry draw distances are identical too, but once again, huge patches of short grass are removed outright on Xbox One.

The Xbox One also features an unusual quirk in lighting, with certain trees appearing brighter - sometimes at odds with the tone of the scene under the same conditions.

Broad overviews of the city are absolutely matched between PS4 and Xbox One, however. The huge reduction in visible pop-in marks a massive upgrade over last-gen releases.

World geometry and character models still have a last-gen look about them. But the gloss over the top, such as their clothes texturing and hair shaders, are radically improved.

Source: www.eurogamer.net