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Fresh PS5 Pro Report Reiterates Sony Demands for Upgraded Games

2 weeks ago

1 17 minutes read

Fresh PS5 Pro Report Reiterates Sony Demands for Upgraded Games

Building on an article published overnight, The Verge has another post that largely reiterates past reporting from Insider Gaming covering what Sony has planned for its PS5 Pro and the upgrades it will bring to current games. Reported first at the start of April but now confirmed through more sources, Sony is reportedly allowing developers to tag their titles as “PS5 Pro Enhanced” after applying one of a few different upgrades.

For getting the most out of a PS5 Pro, the hardware manufacturer is supposedly asking studios to “create a new PS5 Pro-exclusive graphics mode in games that combines Sony’s new PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) upscaling to 4K resolution with a 60fps frame rate and ray-tracing effects”. This would see developers get the most out of the base PS5 to PS5 Pro upgrade, but the “PS5 Pro Enhanced” label can still be applied for more minor updates.

These other requirements may include:

Increased target resolution on PS5 Pro where the base PS5 has a fixed resolution
Increased target maximum resolution on PS5 Pro where the base PS5 has a variable resolution
Enabling ray tracing effects
Increased frame rate target

The report goes on to suggest that even if a developer doesn’t go back and update its older titles, they may still see a slight improvement on a PS5 Pro by way of an “ultra-boost mode”. Games with a VRR (variable refresh rate) mode will run at higher frame rates, variable resolutions will output at a higher resolution, and frame rates in general may be more stable. If these settings are fixed rather than variable, though, then the upgrades on PS5 Pro won’t come naturally. Sony is said to have warned developers about this situation, according to The Verge reporting.

Where are you at with a potential PS5 Pro? Are you interested in getting one should it be real or are you not interested? Post your thoughts in the comments below.

[source theverge.com]

Liam grew up with a PlayStation controller in his hands and a love for Metal Gear Solid. Nowadays, he can be found playing the latest and greatest PS5 games as well as supporting Derby County. That last detail is his downfall.

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1
3Above
6h ago

It’s a bit sad that Sony and others have to make mandates to get devs to take advantage of new hardware. But at least it means we should get a better experience.

2
Bionic-Spencer
6h ago

If nothing else, Sony can tout itself as having ‘The most powerful console in the world’, but I am still waiting to see what the PS5 can actually do since it’s been held back by the PS4/5 crossover. I think I’ll wait until PS6 for a new console!

3
Snackfood
6h ago

This generation has been all about load times for me and I love it so much. I’m not really all in on graphics, but I’ll end up buying the Pro at launch.

4
Godot25
6h ago

We know how it will go.
Sony will demand something and then dev reality will hit.
Just remember that Sony/Microsoft were talking about 4K 60 this gen. And even cross-gen games can’t hit that most of the times. Native next-gen games like Immortals of Aveum can barely run in decent resolution on those machines.

So, Sony claiming 4K/60 with ray tracing is just sad at this point.

5
Kidfunkadelic83
6h ago

Im hoping that if they do release a pro model the origional isnt kicked to the kirb because theres no way on earth the OG ps5 has been pushed to its limit but ive got a feeling it will be downplayed to make it look like everyone NEEDS the new pro version.

6
Hamst88
6h ago

I’ll be buying one at launch. Not waiting another 4 years for the next upgrade / PS6. I’ll probably be too old to lift a controller by then!! 🤣🤣

7
Tomato_Goose
6h ago

@Godot25 listening and trusting all those marketing things like “4K @60FPS all around” is silly. Even high-end PC rigs struggle to maintain those numbers and require some kind of scaling technologies. And the games themselves become hungrier for system resources every year.

8
guardianoftime
6h ago

Not interested. Happy with my PS5 slim on LG C2. Runs like a dream

9
AK4tywill
6h ago

Having more power is all well and good, but if developers don’t actually utilise it it’s all for naught, and Sony themselves have a less than stellar record in this department.

Sure, when the PS5 launched Sony drip-fed us PS5 performance updates, but they left most of their games untouched and stuck at a disappointing 30 frames-per-second. Elsewhere, while Microsoft developed their own FPS Boost feature to allow games a performance update without the need for developer support (useful for titles they don’t have dev access to like third party games), Sony didn’t even attempt to match the effort.

They’re also notoriously quick to give up the goose if they don’t immediately see a strong profit forecast (even if there’s strong potential). PSVR2, Dreams and PS Vita can attest to that.

The PS5 isn’t a PC where we can immediately tap into the power increase. With consoles we’re entirely at the mercy of developers and publishers to see if we can utilise the extra power for our favourite games. I’m sure Spider-man 2 and a couple of other heavy hitters will great some great performance, upgrade, but else-where I’m very hesitant to have optimism.

10
itsfoz
6h ago

I’ll be waiting a year before purchasing to check developers are actually making use of the console.

11
Shepherd_Tallon
6h ago

@3Above Is it a mandate?
It all sounds optional, but necessary if you want that tag on your game.

I ask because I was hoping that they would allow the devs to make their own decisions on what way they want to upgrade their games, if at all.

12
Shepherd_Tallon
6h ago

@Hamst88 Saaaaaame.
Once I hit 40 my perspectives changed on a lot of things.
I was doing those piano mission in FF VII wondering how much longer my fingers will be able for games like that.

13
Czar_Khastik
6h ago

If I see a game labeled “PS5 Pro Enhanced” drop from 60fps to 59fps during gameplay, I will return the game and console immediately.

14
OldGamer999
6h ago

For a good few years now I have had TVs with VRR support, top end TVs.
Started with the Xbox one x mainly.
And now with this generation I could recommend VRR tv even more. It so helps with frame rate variability and smooth gameplay, seems to remove any previous screen tearing.
VRR is great to have.

15
3Above
5h ago

@Shepherd_Tallon As I understand it which features they implement or how many is up to the devs. It’s just required that at least some are implemented to get the “Pro Enhanced” stamp.

16
NEStalgia
5h ago

Step 1: Toggle to set uncapped framerate.
Step 2: Apply “PS5 Pro Enhanced” label.
Step 3: ?
Step 4: Lose money!

17
ArcticSin
5h ago

Why these mid-gen upgrades/refreshes aren’t the base launch system is beyond me

18
redd214
5h ago

I’ll be ready whenever it gets revealed. Hopefully we get news this summer!

19
thefourfoldroot1
5h ago

@3Above
It’s inevitable when most devs have to go multiplatform to be profitable. This is why platforms making exclusive content is still important. Unfortunately we seem to be moving the other way.

20
3Above
5h ago

@thefourfoldroot1 I’ve heard some (DF) complain that this gen the consoles were “too similar” or “basically the same box” to be interesting but fact is that without exclusives the actual differences are not obvious and it seems like they are the same. Not sure why people hate exclusives other than Console warriors.

21
Slippship
5h ago

Nope, last playstation for me. PC bound after a day 1 adopter I. The 90’s

22
StrickenBiged
4h ago

Seems fair enough to me. Devs that think that their game won’t sell any more with or without the label won’t bother patching their game – that’s their prerogative – and those that do do the market analysis and conclude the costs of patching the game are worth it get a little kitemark to put on the store and their marketing materials.
I know I’ve ignored games because they didn’t hit 60FPS this generation. Sorry, but I’ve been spoiled by the games that have managed to hit that performance and can’t go back now.

23
PSme
4h ago

@guardianoftime same-ish here. Day 1 PS5 and LG C3(2023). Perfect combo. Will wait until PS6. 👍🏻

24
NEStalgia
4h ago

@3Above @thefourfoldroot1 With the cost of modern game development, it’s just not possible to spend the kind of money required and actually make a good return without hitting every possible corner of the market you can hit. That’s really always been true. We’ve kind of got used to a quirk of history as a business practice from an era where the hardware and the storage media were so custom and different in terms of capabilities that games made for one rarely ported well to another. It helped set the stage when Nintendo (illegally) mandated that every game published on the NES MUST be exclusive.

But the hardware matured. They’re all just various forms of x86 PCs or ARM tablets these days. Publishers wanted a generic hardware platform to publish their games to as many markets as possible finally. It’s not a “bad” thing but the era of exclusives doesn’t make sense anymore. Most of the “exclusives” back in the day weren’t really business strategy exclusives other than the mascot exclusives that, arguably, Sony never even participated in other than Crash/Spyro association now owned by MS, they were “exclusive” to a platform because the game used unique capabilities of one platform that didn’t exist on others. Square for example, jumped to PS-only because only PS had the storage medium for the music tracks and FMV they wanted to include (and because Yamuchi kicked them out of Nintendo because they dared put a game on Playstation…that too.)

That’s why the PS Mini’s kind of sucked. A lot of the classic “PS exclusives” weren’t actually Sony’s games. And they weren’t actually paid for to be exclusive. They just happened to be exclusive by coincidence because the games needed physical attributes of the console they couldn’t get on other platforms, but now they can put it anywhere.

They’ve tried for a while to keep that environment going, at first with exclusives being tech demo showcases that sold at a loss to move hardware to sell more mulitplat games on. But then they ballooned their budgets and need to make money on a game same as any 3rd party publisher, and thus was the end of (most) exclusives.

We’re just seeing the boringness of a tech reaching maturity. Consoles existed because graphics capable generic computing devices were extremely expensive. Now it’s all commodity and is flavors of the same thing. Even VR, the last real frontier, the headsets have a gimmick or two that’s unique, eye tracking vs not, but ultimately, they all do the same thing similarly, they’re all compatible mostly.

It’s not a bad thing, but it’s more boring than the early frontier. We just have to accept we are Arthur Morgan. The old days are never coming back.

25
thefourfoldroot1
4h ago

@NEStalgia
Whilst not disagreeing with most of that, I stand by the fact that it is a sad state of affairs. Even small things, like MS not having proper haptics and motion controls in their controllers, has held devs back from fully utilising those options. On the console level it hasn’t been evident due to devs having to support last gen/Series S, but I guarantee things like the immense PS5 I/O throughput wouldn’t have been utilised anyway in most third party games as it would have required an entirely different development model for the Series X and S (I’m sure PS5 would have held back Series X in its way too before anyone piles on, I’m just not as familiar with that architecture).

Fact is, only exclusives allow us to fully utilise our consoles so I wish the business case was there for more of them. Alas, that’s no longer the case (and yes, I realise I say this from a privileged position of being able to get all the consoles if I wanted all the exclusives, but that doesn’t change the main point just because there are also disadvantages).

26
BIG3
4h ago

Yeah. My next console will be ps6 or ps6 pro.

27
Rodimusprime1313
4h ago

It seems that Sony despite the sales it has, despite likely launch a new console in about 3 years they want to sell even more ps5 and expect developers to enchant there games so they might sell a few more copies. Doesn’t make sense to me but Sony must have a reasonw

28
Zenos
4h ago

@BIG3 PS6 is around 4 and a half years away

29
SystemAddict
4h ago

The “upgrade” means something akin to PS5 exclusive. Meaning not cross-gen!

30
Dad
3h ago

I feel like devs still making games cross-gen with the PS4 has held back the PS5 more than anything else.

31
NEStalgia
3h ago

@thefourfoldroot1 Definitely agree on motion controls. “Haptics” are fine. I go back and forth between all 3 console controllers, they all rumble, and while playing the all rumble the same. Yeah if I’m paying attention I can feel differences but while playing, no. It’s like you and 30fps lol.

But motion controls is my pet peeve with Xbox. I simply assumed the xsxs would have that and I’m so mad it doesn’t. Totally agree there. I can’t play fps without motion after splatoon. Though I can’t really play fps without VR control at this point so maybe it doesn’t matter. If Xbox would just supports Quest I’ll never complain about motion again

I’m some ways ps5s success is already holding back xsx. They do have differences. Xsx strength is in having a lot of features that require use of more efficient development tool use. PS5 is just built for brute force. Microsoft bet on improved Dev techniques. A dumb bet. Devs just targeted the bigger market of PS5, let the PS4 dev methods stick and let the raw grunt handle it. So PS5 generally wins because it’s better at being a more powerful Gen 9 console, ironically.

But even there were mostly taking about performance differences, more resolution, some more shiny shiny. Nothing really magically exclusive. As people point out, Spider-Man and other games have less physics than PS3 games did. Heck breath of the wild has more physics on a 2011 tablet than any 9th Gen game. It’s not about exclusives. All these games are just pc games now. But creativity is gone, it’s just about graphics now. People lining up for a better GPU with no CPU upgrade for likely much more money than psvr2, actual innovation in gaming that just sits there. I know vr can never be for everyone. But the thirst for nothing but even shinier metal, more reflective water, and denser grass gets so tiring. But that’s all the market cares about.

32
Corc11
3h ago

@ArcticSin because of the millions of people worldwide who will buy a base ps5 on release – followed by a ps5 pro on release

33
thefourfoldroot1
3h ago

@NEStalgia
But the bit about haptics just supports the point – there is indeed no difference, but not because it isn’t actually a discernible difference as you think, but because it simply isn’t utilised, even in PS5 games, because it would put off people from buying an Xbox version even if that’s all they have access to (in the same way I don’t buy censored PS games even though I wouldn’t buy them on switch anyway). Nobody wants to get a game if they are hit with a second best version.

I’m the same about VR though. Not completely on topic, but I got Ancient Dungeon at the weekend. Really fun game, although I do wish there was more progression possible in your stats and abilities. Not really feeling like I’m getting stronger, but I haven’t unlocked the anvil yet i guess.

34
BIG3
3h ago

@Zenos Sounds good to me.

35
NEStalgia
2h ago

@thefourfoldroot1 Nah, I mean Nintendo first party with “HD Rumble”, Sony first party with “Dual Sense” or whatever their rumble tech is called, and XB with a good quality normal rumble pretty much feels the same in play. I think it’s an overblown tech started by Nintendo. Actually one thing XB does cool is separate rumble motors for triggers and main. I think the motorized triggers on PS5 kind of emulate that but not actually as well. Of course PS5 has the motorized triggers but I generally don’t actually like them. Spiderman wants to give you arthritis. Games like XVI that use it for “opening the doors” just seem stupid. It’s used well in some VR games, and it makes more sense in VR when you’re actually simulating grabbing objects.

I mean, yes, the rumbles technically can feel different, but not meaningfully so unless used as a gimmick like Astrobot/1-2-Switch.

IMO I think “rumble tech” is a thing that the added sensory input of “motion” in your hand helps your brain track the action that’s occurring, but the fidelity of the exact feel of that motion isn’t something your brain actively processes, really even in real life. It’s not the detail of the motion your brain processes secondary to visual/auditory inputs, it’s that the motion exists at all. I think the “HD” rumbles are one of the silliest gaming “advancements” of the past 10 years. Motion triggers aren’t far behind. What I still want is motion STICKS though. We had that on 90’s PC flight sticks. How do we still not have that on consoles?

But no instead we get ever worse potentiometers that drift more easily.

OT: I’m still stuck on Cyube because I wandered away looking for iron deposits, got lost, and can’t find my base anymore. And the patch that adds teleport to base never seems to happen. My new plan is throw myself off a mountain and sacrifice my on-person inventory to respawn at the base. It’s my only way back to base, lol.

36
BAMozzy
2h ago

@NEStalgia I do tend to agree with you with regards to gaming/game design. I don’t really feel gaming has actually changed in the past couple of Generations – the type of games we were getting over a decade ago are still the games we get today.

Open world for example maybe has become ‘more’ open as streaming/loading has significantly improved meaning you have less ‘dead’ areas designed for longer loading/streaming times. But that’s also benefited other games – less/no Door opening/lift based loading screens for example.

However, the basic game-play loops haven’t really changed – the Physics and AI is still quite limited – maybe even less Physics in some games (Battlefield for example) which has virtually no physics destruction today. AI still doesn’t seem significantly different and worlds seem equally as Static despite looking increasingly more dense and/or realistic.

It doesn’t surprise me that games from a decade (or more) ago still hold up well today – whether they are playable via BC or have been ported to modern hardware with more ‘modern’ visuals. I’d still rather play games like Mass Effect, Dead Space, Uncharted, Tomb Raider etc than many ‘new’ releases that may ‘look’ more modern/impressive, but have ‘generic/bland’ characters, stories, game-play loops etc.

Arguably circumstances back in 2012-3 (another Financial crisis with people predicting the ‘death’ of Consoles) and the decision to go with ‘weak’ CPU’s to keep costs down and GPU’s to make 360/PS3 era games ‘Look’ next gen and ‘full’ HD affected game design we are still feeling today. Games like AC: Unity with all that unique AI or Just Cause with its Physics Destruction really Struggled and why I feel AI/Physics maybe worse than the PS3/360 era.

Graphics are our ‘first’ impression – we either see Screenshots or Trailers long before we get any ‘hands-on’. Even little changes between trailer and release (Puddles) set people off and a game that ‘looks’ dated, especially AAA+, is almost dead before it releases. So I can understand why it maybe a priority over Game-play, writing etc (Immortals of Aveum) Style over Substance.

As for Haptics, that’s a personal thing. I’m OK with some rumble but I hate the Adaptive Triggers on the DS5, loathe gyro-aiming or Gyro controls etc. I also don’t want to be blowing on, being heard by mics built in to controllers so I’m OK with it only being on Playstation. I never finished Astro’s Playroom because I hated these features. Each to their own – but if they were ‘standard’ then chances are, some games wouldn’t give you the Choice to turn them off.

37
Vaako007
2h ago

@Godot25 It’s not sad. Developers just need to scale back their graphics for whatever genre of game they are making. As the PS5 and XSX aren’t capable for some of these ambitious graphical titles at 4K60. Perhaps 1440k60 with up scaling should be the way. As 4K requires a lot of raw power. Perhaps next generation Sony or Microsoft will build consoles that are worth at least 1300$ with more bespoke hardware that is strong and charge more from the get go so the consoles have enough grunt for many years. Just like the PS3/X360 era.

38
Mikey856
2h ago

@3Above I can give you the perfect test. Play the same game on a ps4 then load it up on the ps5 and the improvements will be stark bro

39
Vaako007
2h ago

I’ll be getting this model to replace my OG PS5. For those that don’t have a PS5 I’d urge them to get this one as I don’t see next generation changing with cross platform games for the first few years of next gen. So the pro will carry one at least a quarter into next generation if not longer. Unless the PS6 is truly bespoke and designed with an impressive SOC like the PS3 era, one won’t have an incentive to get a PS6 initially.

40
Fiendish-Beaver
2h ago

I never buy the Pro models, and truthfully, I don’t play enough PlayStation games to warrant upgrading midway through a generation anyway.

I will watch with interest what Sony bring out, and most importantly what value they put on such a device. I suspect it will be pretty pricey, and also that Sony will not think that they need to swallow the price increase themselves, as they did with the PS5 at launch because at that time they needed to match the Series X in price (particularly so because the Series X was actually slightly more powerful).

The situation that Sony will find themselves in is one of market dominance (currently holding a roughly 75% market share), and with a large userbase meaning that likely as not Sony will be relatively comfortable selling the Pro at either cost, or possibly at a slight profit. I think the console will retail at at least £600, and possibly even £700, and that Sony will feel that they will garner enough interest in the console, even at this price, to warrant not selling it at a loss.

Personally, I shall await the PS6, which I think will arrive around 2027/2028, and which will likely supersede the Pro in both specs, and potentially even cost! I just don’t have the funds to afford a Pro and then the PS6 just a few years later. The PS5 works perfectly well for me, and I can wait for the PS6. I’m interested to see how the PS5 Pro performs, but that is about as far as it goes…

41
thefourfoldroot1
2h ago

@NEStalgia
Maybe it’s just one of those things different people are more or less able to detect as you suggested before. The only time I can’t feel a difference between monotone rumble and true haptics is when the devs haven’t implemented a difference (which is most of the time these days for reasons stated above).

Regarding cyube, it sounds like you should just kill yourself to teleport back lol. I take it the draw distance isn’t good enough to climb to the highest mountain peak and spy it from a distance?

42
sanderson72
1h ago

Not using the existing Tub o’ Lard so damned if I’m going to pay another £500 for another glorified paper weight.

Going to keep the PS4 Pro going and hopefully the PS6 will be out when it expires and proper Sony will be back in the room.

43
3Above
52m ago

@Mikey856 Preaching to the choir on that one, I’m still impressed by the loading in Rebirth and it’s not even cross gen. I was just saying that some people complained about the similarities. But for me personally playing Forbidden West on PS4 then playing Burning Shores on PS5 at 60fps was all it took.