Tech
PS5 Pro Benefits Games Even Without the Official Patch
Key Takeaways
- The PlayStation 5 Pro improves performance on unpatched games like Elden Ring, running close to 60 FPS on Quality Mode.
- PSSR upscaling technology can enhance PS4 games on the PS5 Pro, potentially justifying its price tag.
- Digital Foundry reports a 30% performance boost on the PS5 Pro, lower than Sony’s claimed 45%, though there is room for improvement.
With the release of the PlayStation 5 Pro right around the corner, Digital Foundry has run a few tests on some unpatched games, showing the new hardware’s capabilities and the performance improvements it has to offer. The PlayStation 5 Pro has been long awaited by devoted fans of Sony, who are expecting the new hardware to justify the considerable price jump that it represents in comparison to the base version.
Since the new console was announced, there have been significant issues around it, including scalpers selling PS5 Pro disc drives for ridiculous prices online. Moreover, the $700 price tag reportedly has many players upset, with a fair number of them claiming that a used PC of the same price could likely do better in many areas.
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With the PS5 Pro’s release date being hours away, Digital Foundry has tested a few unpatched games to see how they run on the new hardware. According to them, titles like Elden Ring, which often struggled in the more graphically challenging areas of the game on the original PS5, can now run close to 60 FPS on Quality Mode, even though there are still some fluctuations. The same can be said for titles like Black Myth: Wukong, and Metaphor: ReFantazio, which also show improvements in performance and deliver a smoother experience overall.
PS5 Pro Shows Considerable Improvement in Unpatched Games’ Performance
It’s important to remember that the games tested are still unpatched, which suggests that, if they’re patched, they could run better and show an even greater performance improvement. While neither FromSoftware’s latest release nor Black Myth: Wukong have been confirmed to be getting an upgrade, Sony has released a list of titles that will be getting the PS5 Pro treatment.
On top of that, there’s the announcement of Sony’s upcoming upscaling technology, PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution), which reportedly works similarly to Nvidia’s proprietary DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) and can make a big difference. According to various reports, PSSR can make PS4 games look better, improving players’ experience and helping justify the PS5 Pro’s alarming price tag.
The results shared by Digital Foundry show that the PS5 Pro yields an average of 30% in terms of performance boost as opposed to the 45% that Sony has been claiming. However, these numbers might improve over time with proper title optimization, a few patches, and the addition of PSSR. Whether this will be enough to offset the backlash of the PS5 Slim’s faceplates not fitting the PS5 Pro and a fair share of other issues that have arisen since the console was announced remains to be seen. At the moment, all players can do is sit back, wait for November 7 to come around, and hope that the new hardware’s performance justifies the investment.