Sony Confirms PS4 Pro Boost Mode, Already Improving a Number of Games

I'm slightly confused why this wasn't an option to start with, I've watched a few videos such as Just Cause 3 and they seem to run quite a bit better. Can't wait to try it out on the likes of The Witcher and Until Dawn in particular

Did it fix the foggy island in the Fallout4 DLC or was that already fixed enough? I recall them taking it out and improving frame rates but I can't remember if they got it up to 30 or just 15-20.

I cant wait to play Witcher 3 with boost mode Bloodborne will be nice too

I need a PS4 Pro.

I'm very happy the made the leap to the pro (though my "old" PS4 has taken up residence in the bedroom)

I'm very happy I've made the step up to the pro and 4K (although my "old" ps4 has taken up residence in the bedroom much to the wife's chagrin)

No choppy Bloodborne?
Sheeez! I can't afford to upgrade!
I have medical expenses coming up...

I think going with the 4KTV and Pro over PSVR was the right call for me.

There's a ton of games I need to play that I know will look great on Pro so this is a huge bonus. Looking forward to picking one up.

@rjejr they just reduced the fog hugely to almost none, I don't think they ever added it back.

@glassmusic as someone who thinks Dark Souls 1 & 3 are "decent but a bunch of gibberish" and "Demon's Souls" is "great, but ludicrously hard" I can say that Bloodborne is one of my top 10 games of all time. I started gaming in the 80s.
Morose. Deep. Uncomplicated. Rather challenging, especially solo.
The DLC bosses are rather ludicrous to consider soloing, but the more stable framerate should help with everything (every frame counts!!!).

This should've been day 1. Well, better late than never.

@Bad-MuthaAdebisi Thanks.

Im gonna try this out on Witcher 3 / Destiny this weekend

Nice, the pro can't come soon enough in my country

Extra raw power that doesnt require patching that can make even unoptimised trainwrecks run well? Welp, i can see some devs being lazy and just saying use Boost Mode and letting performance dip elsewhere...which was my fear with Pro from the start.

Boost mode has been great for me so far. It made the evil within payable.

The only issue I've encountered is with soma the game just flat out won't launch.

Never in a month of Sundays did I ever think I would say this but after BAMozzy comments in another post Pro Boost mode could be a game changer.

Having to rely on game developers to patch a game to pro can be a pain now you just push Boost mode.

A Playstation Pro will be my switch this year all I need now is a 4K T.V.

@get2sammyb
"they've decided to just let everyone run wild" oh the freedom

@rjejr They removed te fog not joking.

@gmxs Destiny is locked to 30fps and hits this target with no dips, so boost mode will do nothing in this case.

@get2sammyb As I said around the time of launch, Sony should have had this in from the start and with a 'disclaimer' to state that IF any game does suffer, then to switch it off. Its not that different from the PS2 (I believe). Its not like they are 'forcing' people to ONLY use the full PS4 Pro for all games.

Its not as if the architecture is different. Its not as if the CPU (for example) now has less cores so games that allocate a specific core to a specific task won't work. The higher clock speeds just mean that the hardware can process more information before getting 'bogged' down. In PC's, if you 'overclock' your CPU/GPU , you don't need different drivers to run a game and you can see a direct correlation to the frame rates. This was also evident in the XB1s which only received a slight boost (7% I believe) and this directly increased frame rates by the same amount.

Most games that suffer drops in frame rates or resolution drop because the GPU and/or CPU are unable to process the amount of information quickly enough. This is why 'busy' areas are most impacted because you are putting more load onto the hardware. Increased clock speeds essentially enable the hardware to handle a greater load.

Games don't tend to have consistent number of processes per frame but fluctuate - the more things happening, the more processes that need to be calculated. The higher the clock speeds, the more processes that can be calculated per second.

A drop in frame rate is indicative of a high workload on the hardware. It can't cope with the amount of data to render frames at the 'ideal' rate. Resolution drops (in Dynamic scaling) are a way of reducing that workload to keep frame rates higher. Its less work to draw 1.5million pixels than 2million so allows the resources to be utilised to process other data.

At least Sony has (or will be) giving us the choice. Nothing is more frustrating than having frame rate drops and knowing that you have the hardware there to do something about it but sat doing nothing.

When does this go live?

@BAMozzy I think they planned it from beginning but couldn't make it for holiday launch. I think there can be some problems with games that use low level API. And they couldn't handle it properly. They had to rewrite low level API for ps4pro to handle same code on different frequencies of all components... imho . Otherwise they could turn it on from the beginning. Maybe Sony needed to make more tests on games to be sure there aren't big glitches on the way.

@b1ackjack_ps in boost mode noise and heat levels are subjectively lower then in true pro mode. Tried few games so far and it's really good job from Sony .

@fybyfyby Of course that's a possibility. However this mode is 'optional' and its not like you can't turn it off and run the console as a 'standard' PS4. It maybe that Sony were unsure of exactly how to implement a 'boost' - whether or not to run at full Pro settings/clock speeds, half the GPU but keep the clock speeds, maybe just keep the clock speeds in certain components or even have a 'new' set of speeds somewhere between the PS4 and Pro levels (like have the CPU run at 1.85ghz and the GPU run at 875mhz). We don't yet know the extent of the boost. According to Sony though, both the CPU and GPU run at higher levels than the standard PS4.

Personally I would have preferred this to be in place at launch - with the same disclaimer. Had any game been affected, its not as if gamers couldn't turn it off. On release, the Pro had very few games that actually benefited from the extra power. I know I bought mine with more of one eye on the future, the games that are coming out rather than looking back at the past.

Its possible that Sony may have felt some pressure to add this. Reviews of the PS4 Pro, whilst generally positive, the consensus seems to be there is little reason to buy unless you have a 4k screen and only if those 'few' supported games are of interest. Considering the number of games available and those with support, that's very few games at the moment. Had Sony had this in from the start, I wonder how many more people would consider upgrading - knowing that most (if not all) games with unlocked frame rates could benefit without needing developers involvement.

I was underwhelmed by the Pro overall - that doesn't mean that Pro supported games weren't impressive but the fact that the majority of my games had NO improvements - suffered the same issues as my PS4 despite having all that extra power under the hood. Its like going out and buying a new GPU for your PC and finding it runs 90% of your library at exactly the same level as your previous GPU.

Its not surprising that noise levels are quieter. Most of the noise is generated from Heat dissipation and Heat is generated when the hardware is being pushed. Its unlikely that games without Pro support can push the hardware to its limit.

@BAMozzy yeah exactly! These features from the start could mean higher sales. But it's strange Sony hadn't promoted these features earlier. Like if they didn't want pro to overwhelm slim sales. Assuming Microsoft shouts everywhere Scorpio this and Scorpio that, it's strange sony even denied psvr 3D bluray support and didn't shout these new great features (boost, bluray, ext hdd), although they must have know it then. Sometimes I really don't understand Sony quietness. Maybe they are playing that type of game "we don't need to shout and market new features because we are on top and of course we have best features". Really I'm little confused about that.

Really pleased about this, not that I get hooked up on games performance.

I do wonder if this was always possible but they were looking to test the public reaction to the PS4PRO and whether there would be a vocal outcry from those with the original PS4. Now that it's clear that the two versions can and do exist side by side I think it's safe for Sony to release this added functionality. I think it's probably good management by Sony if this is the case, personally

I just wish they would release a new, upgraded version of Bloodborne so I can get the trophies again.

@fybyfyby The same case with the Pro upscaling all games to 4k Sony never even mentioned it whilst Microsoft made a big deal about theirs with the Xbox One.

Hey, it runs games like they shoud've on release, that's one sort of good reason to get a Pro eventually.

I dont know, seems like a needless distraction when so many great games are releasing in the next 4-5 months. I read about PS4Pro and the---NIOH is releasing next week! Horizon is close! Nier is close! Persona5 is close!---what's a PS4Pro again??

@kyleforrester87 you are maybe right

@fybyfyby I can understand 3D Bluray support (or lack of). In 2016, Samsung dropped 3D support from its new range and now LG and Sony themselves are dropping it too. If this trend continues, I can see 3D Blurays disappearing - at least new releases. Last gen, games were also being developed to utilise 3D TV's but that has disappeared now and replaced by HDR - as well as higher resolutions too.

It seems Sony are often behind when it comes to gaming. Not always as PSVR shows but they have 'copied' features on their competitors - like Achievements (trophies), Move (wii-mote) etc and now adding features that are on XB1 - like External HDD support, custom backgrounds etc. It seems that Sony don't always know what gamers want from their consoles and wait to see if enough people make enough noise before entertaining the idea.

To me it made more sense to have External HDD support added long before the Pro arrived - it would have made it farr easier to transfer all your games across - simply unplug the HDD and plug it in to the new Pro. It made more sense to have a 'Boost' mode at launch - especially as so few games had Pro support. Still better late than never LOL.

@GBMatthew MS never made a big deal about the 4k upscaling of games. They were quite clear that the Slim was an XB1 and ran just like an XB1 but had 4k HDR media functionality. They hardly made any noise about the 'slight' performance boost and actually came out to say Gears 4 should run identically to the original console. They said the boost was primarily for HDR in games. On release though, it was then proven that this slight boost also helped games run a bit better. However with a small boost, the difference is minor a 1-2fps increase on games that run at (upto) 30fps and 3-5fps increase on 60fps games. (10% of 30 is only 3 and the boost is less than that) Which was maybe why they didn't make much fuss of it.

MS make more of their 4k HDR player and Backwards Compatibility. I will admit that MS are very careful with the language used - calling it 'the ultimate games and 4k entertainment system'. They don't say the ultimate 4k entertainment and games system which implies that games are also 4k but they are a bit misleading by not saying that its a HD game and 4k media console.

Sony don't need to mention that its non-pro games are stretched to 4k (in the same way the XB1s games are) as they have games that run in UHD resolutions. UHD stands for Ultra High Def so resolutions above 1080p are UHD - like HD was 720-1080p.

I have been gaming in 4k on consoles for a few years now. My TV upscaled games from HD to 4k to fit the screen. Believe it or not though, games are not better looking on an XB1s or PS4 Pro (non-enhanced) than they were on my XB1 or PS4 and using the TV to upscale.

Anyway that's off topic. I am just glad that Sony have now made the PS4 Pro a much better proposition and not just for those of us with 4k TV's....

@Dichotomy It might be locked but there is some noticeable improvements, there was a certain bit in the cosmodrome level where when always passing through it the game would always freeze while it says loading for 5 - 6 seconds, this hasn't happened at all, and the game in general seems to be loading much faster.

Small things all in all, but definitely enhances the game

@gmxs Didn't consider load times when I typed that, but I can see I probably should have as they are decent QoL boosts.

@BAMozzy Microsoft certainly made more of the 4k support via up-scaling than Sony did. Also I wasn't talking about the tiny boost to the CPU and I'm well aware of all the info about it thanks. In my experience games look noticeably better on Xbox and PS4 since they introduced their up-scalers not a big difference but enough to notice.

im just glad I updated to the Pro now - it pays off more and more, I feel sorry for all the People that are just hating the pspro for whatever reason they really may have all I hear is no real 4k no 4k blueray blabla what really matters is that when connected to a 4k TV the Pro really Shows its power - Uncharted4, FF15, NBA2k17, Ratchet, Titanfall2, Resi7 - they all blow me away by how good they just look on the Pro, they looked awesome on my "PSlow" (lol sorry, had to say this haha) before but they look just SO much better on a 4k and the Pro - even old games and games without a "pro patch" look stellar and the console runs smoothly and fast!
And now with that Boost Mode comin up there will be further improvements - i mean how awesome is that? I cant recommend the Pro enough and I am so lookin Forward to see my collection shine like new again and try out my older games to check how they run in Boost Mode. Great work Sony!

@consolfreak1982 I dont think its a case of most people hating it.
But that initially it didnt seem beneficial outside of 4K.
For example, I dont own a 4K TV and have no need to get one either, do that limits the Pros use.

I know there are some folk out there who dont see that as a neccessity.

@ToOGoodOfAPlaya well, I wouldnt say it Limits the Pros Use but be honest - its like you connect your PS4 to an old Tube TV - of course it works but its not what its meant to be not uses any of the full potential. 4k TVs are pretty affordable by now so Id recommend in just getting one along with the pro since its the current state of the art and all upcomin next gen games will Focus on it (Scorpio for sure, ps5 also). Of course its no neccessity and you can enjoy the pro on a FullHD Screen as well and all games will look great too but you wont even scratch the surface of how great it all Looks on a Fitting Screen. Think about it! Besides, the pro has so much storage, its great to be able to have that much space - I always had to delete so many games again because of simply havin run out of space

@consolfreak1982 thats just it, I dont need to get a 4K TV.
At present I just cant see spending that much on minor improvements because I wont get the full benefits.
Im not knocking anyone that does of course, like yourself, it sounds like youre having a really great experience and thats good.

But when I paid only £80 for a brand new PS4 two days after launch, its hard to see spending 600+ quid (assuming I get a 4K too, as the cheapest I have found is £279) on minor benefits when my current unit does a more than adequate job.
And space I already get once the update drops, as I already own a 3TB hard drive just waiting for me.
When its more affordable and I already own a 4K tele Id absolutely upgrade, but for now, Ill wait.

Edit: Also, my next venture is PSVR.

@ToOGoodOfAPlaya lol well - to each his own