I played Control Resonant on PC with Nvidia's DLSS Ray Reconstruction — and it beats PS5 Pro hands down

(Image credit: Remedy Entertainment) Some games are made for PC gaming. There are classics like Half-Life, Crysis, Counter-Strike and Diablo, but also ones that push graphics to the limit, like Black Myth: Wukong, Cyberpunk 2077, or Baldur's Gate III. One I'd gladly add to that list? Control Resonant.I got to preview Remedy Entertainment's latest action-heavy sequel, Control Resonant, over the summer on PC, and I was already impressed with the striking visuals and performance it showed off. And that was still when it was a work in progress; as in, lighting and framerate were still being worked on, and I didn't even see the full extent of Nvidia's DLSS 4.5 or its ray reconstruction.Now, after spending over 30 hours leaping between rooftops, pummeling an assortment of warped creatures and generally defying gravity in a distorted Manhattan, I've seen what Control Resonant has to show off.Aside from its tremendously satisfying combat and engaging story, this has some truly outstanding visuals, from its detailed particle effects to its range of lighting and scenery — especially for its semi-open world setting.Control Resonant is an excellently optimized title for PC, only made better by its wide variety of graphics settings to tinker with. So, if you're wondering where to play this action-packed RPG, I'd point you towards PC. And you can find out more below.Control Resonant: PC Requirements (Image credit: Remedy Entertainment)Developers Remedy Entertainment wanted their next adventure optimized on all platforms, including PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nvidia GeForce Now and even macOS down the line. And, of course, PC.Now that it's ready for launch, Remedy has updated its minimum and recommended PC requirements. Fortunately, you don't need the latest graphics cards or parts to get Control Resonant up and running. Just be sure to have a lot of storage space available.Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.Check out the requirements below, along with the PC specs I used. Swipe to scroll horizontally Row 0 - Cell 0 Tested specs Minimum specs Recommended specs CPU AMD Ryzen 7 9700X Intel i5-8500 / AMD Ryzen 5 3500 Intel Core i7-10700 / AMD Ryzen 7 3700X GPU Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Nvidia Geforce GTX 1070 / Radeon RX 5600 XT / Intel Arc A580 Nvidia Geforce RTX 3060 Ti / Radeon RX 6700 XT / Intel Arc B580 RAM 32GB 16GB 16GB Storage 120GB 120GB 120GB Optimization is key (Image credit: Remedy Entertainment)When speaking with Tony Polanco, who wrote the Control Resonant review (give it a read), he said playing on the PS5 Pro was limiting. Sticking with "Balanced" mode, it delivered ray tracing and around 40 frames per second. Not bad, but nothing compared to what I got on PC.I played Control Resonant on my Quoted Tech Frontier gaming PC, equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 9700X CPU, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 GPU and 32GB of RAM. Not a monster of a rig, but more than enough to achieve 4K gameplay with a stable 140 fps. Now that is a visual treat for any Control fan.Even without Nvidia's tools, Control Resonant is a visually stunning game with mind-bending environments and standout set pieces. However, with Nvidia's DLSS 4.5 Dynamic Frame Generation, Ray Tracing for direct and indirect lighting, and DLSS Ray Reconstruction to make each detail even more realistic, it heightens the gameplay experience. (Image credit: Remedy Entertainment)Being able to reach a stable 140 fps (my 4K monitor has a max 144Hz refresh rate) at 4K resolution at High settings, with ray tracing set to Ultra, while still delivering exceptional ray tracing detail, not to mention Nvidia's AI-based Ray Reconstruction for high-quality lighting effects throughout the environment, is impressive. Even better knowing this is how well it will run at launch — not completely common for many PC ports these days.From the sparks flying off Dylan Faden's Aberrant weapon as he beats and slices his way through enemies that explode in a miasma of multi-colored gas, to the quieter moments racing through an upside-down city block with soft red lights reflecting on windows and foggy street lighting, the quality of graphics on PC delivers a strong sense of atmosphere. One I was happy to explore for hours on end.'Control' your visuals (Image credit: Remedy Entertainment)I appreciate when a game gives you a host of settings to tinker with, beyond the simple "Quality" or "Performance" mode. Control Resonant offers graphics settings that let you control (pun intended) visuals to your liking, from shadow resolution to the quality of fog rendering.What I love even more is when there's an explanation for what each option is and what it does. There are simple options like "Texture Resolution" to manage the sharpness of textures on surfaces, but there's also "Volumetric Spotlight," which I wouldn't have known controls the effects of flashlights, stage lights and more for more realistic light cones throughout the environment. (Image credit: Remedy Entertainment)In a game where light sources come from multiple angles, both from realistic city street lamps and supernatural beings, these types of settings play a huge role in making Control Resonant look striking.Even if you aren't a fan of fine-tuning your settings for picture-perfect results at the right frame rates, you can easily select the graphics preset that your system will run with ease. For example, I chose High, as it best suited my gaming PC to reach consistent frame rates over 120 FPS (with frame generation, of course).The cherry on top is that Remedy Entertainment also wants Control Resonant to be optimized for the best gaming handhelds. By selecting Handheld in the graphics preset option, you're getting the right options suited for lower-powered systems without needing to fiddle with settings.A PC triumph (Image credit: Remedy Entertainment)As with the previous Control becoming a benchmark for testing the performance of PCs, Control Resonant raises the stakes by taking full advantage of the latest tools, from DLSS 4.5 to ray tracing, and delivering a game perfectly optimized for PC gaming.While the game has clearly been optimized to run well on all the platforms it's available on, it can be pushed to its limits when playing on PC. It will be interesting to see how Remedy handles its macOS port, but only time will tell once it arrives later this year. Who knows, we may even see it running on phones soon (as with Control: Ultimate Edition on iPhone!).If you have a gaming PC (laptop, desktop, or handheld) and want to see all the mind-bending visuals and splendor this has to offer, I'd recommend giving Control Resonant a go on PC.For an in-depth look at our thoughts, check out our Control Resonant review. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. More from Tom's GuideI wanted to hate Nvidia’s DLSS 5 ‘AI filter’ — but the real DLSS 5 is photorealistic black magicI tested Nvidia’s new DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction — it finally fixes path tracing’s biggest flaw, but here’s the reality checkMarvel’s Wolverine is a playable summer blockbuster — but fades from memory fast Darragh is Tom’s Guide’s Buying Guide Editor and is fascinated by all things bizarre in tech. His work can be seen in Laptop Mag, Mashable, Android Police, Time Out Dubai, Shortlist Dubai, Proton, theBit.nz, ReviewsFire and more. When he's not checking out the latest devices and all things computing and beyond, he can be found going for dreaded long runs, watching terrible shark movies and trying to find time to game.