During a livestream hosted by the Japanese magazine Dengeki PlayStation, Square Enix Producer Yosuke Saito and PlatinumGames Producer Eijiro Nishimura showcased the how NieR: Automata will support PS4 Pro.
The game will run at 60 FPS on both PS4 Pro and standard PS4, but resolution will be different. The PS4 version will run at native 1600 x 900, while the game will run at native 1080p (1920x1080) on PS4 Pro. 4K resolution won't be supported on PS4 platforms.
PlatinumGames opted to further utilize the power of PS4 Pro by implementing better visual effects, as you can see in the screenshots below. Besides looking even smoother thanks to a motion blur effect (first picture), lighting will be more advanced (second picture), including sharper god rays and atmospheric effects. Last, but not least, shadows will be much higher in resolution (third picture), showing small details like foliage and more.
Incidentally, if you look at the wall in the second image, it's quite noticeable that there is a lot less aliasing. Keep in mind that the livestream was in 720p, so the game will look better than in the screenshots, that are intended only for comparison purposes.
The PS4 Pro version was not showcased in motion during the livestream. The game was played on standard PS4 for the whole time.
During the livestream, that you can watch below, we also saw the game played with different level s of difficulty. Easy, Normal, Hard and Very Hard will be available. Easy, Hard and Very Hard were showcased in the video that you can see at the bottom of the post at 00:10:45, 00:16:30 and 00:22:20 respectively.
On Easy difficulty the "Auto Mode" showcased for the first time at Tokyo Game Show, will be available, while on Very Hard difficulty a single blow received will cause the character's death.
We also saw a "2b Parka" that will be solid at Jump Festa in Tokyo between December 17th and December 18th, and the box of the upcoming Nier Music Concert & Talk Live Blu-ray.
After that, more gameplay was showcased at the 00:28:20 mark, introducing some of the RPG element of the game, including the refugee camp that will serve as one of the settlements and a weapon shop, that incidentally sold weapons from the Drakengard series. Incidentally, the Engine Blade, coming from a collaboration with Final Fantasy XV, will be tied to a quest in the game.
The recently announced spear weapon was also shown in action, on top of another glimpse at the use of wild animals as mounts, and a whole lot of action combat.
Crossovers with Phantasy Star Online 2 and Monster Hunter Frontier Z were also announced, with the implementation of equipment and quests dedicated to NieR: Automata. More details will be announced at a later date.
Two dedicated guide books will also be released in Japan by Square Enix and Kadokawa, the first matching the game's Japanese release date, while the second coming in late March.
You can check out the full recording recording of the livestream below.
Soon we'll be able to play the demo of the game ourselves. It will be released for PS4 on December 22nd, while the game will release in North America on March 7th, 2017, while Europe will get it on March 10th.