Control Resonant delivers a Picture Perfect PC Port
When the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti first arrived in 2018, many of us were skeptical about the hype surrounding ray tracing and DLSS. Early experiences with these technologies, in games like Battlefield 1 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, often felt like a performance grab—a way to boost frame rates without delivering a truly impressive visual payoff.
It wasn’t until the summer of 2019 that the vision truly clicked, thanks to Control Resonant. This game demonstrated that sophisticated lighting solutions could fundamentally transform an environment, setting a new benchmark for visual storytelling.
The lighting and atmosphere in Control Resonant were simply stunning, moving beyond mere realism to achieve an aesthetic that felt utterly unique. This technical achievement is why the game emerged as one of the most beautiful titles of the year. But the real magic wasn’t just in the visuals; it was in how brilliantly the game scaled.
While other games pushed for uncompromising realism, Control Resonant proved that visual fidelity and performance can walk hand-in-hand. It managed to deliver breathtaking path tracing effects while still being surprisingly accessible across a range of hardware.
This scalability became particularly apparent on handheld devices. When tested on the Xbox Ally X, the game ran smoothly. By simply adjusting the graphics preset and utilizing FSR, the game maintained a great visual experience, delivering playable performance even during intense action sequences.
Even more impressively, the game managed to soften the blow of less powerful systems. While the Steam Deck still showed some limitations, even with tailored settings, the game offered a compelling experience. This demonstrated that developers could create visually ambitious worlds that remained enjoyable and functional on a variety of machines.
For high-end PC gamers, the performance was equally rewarding. Testing the game on a system equipped with an RTX 4070 Ti Super, the results were stellar. At 1440p with medium ray tracing and DLSS balanced, the game averaged 111 fps.
When pushing the limits, the visual quality did not suffer. Even at the Ultra preset with path tracing, the game still averaged a very respectable 70 fps.
And when it came to frame generation, things got even better. Enabling frame generation on the RTX 4070 Ti pushed the frame rate to 118 fps. This provided the buttery-smooth experience needed for a high-refresh gaming monitor.
Remarkably, enabling frame generation often resulted in less latency than leaving it off, further demonstrating the game’s optimization. It felt like the developers had successfully managed to deliver stunning visuals without sacrificing responsiveness.
Ultimately, Control Resonant stands out as a genuine technical masterpiece. It proved that beautiful ray tracing and smart scaling aren’t mutually exclusive; they are the perfect pairing. If you have a solid gaming PC, this game offers incredible visual rewards and smooth performance, making it an absolute must-play on Steam.