PS4 Pro Boost Mode Tested on The Witcher 3, Bloodborne, and More

Booster pack

by Robert Ramsey Mon 13th Feb 2017

As expected, the techies over at Digital Foundry are having a blast with PS4 Pro and its Boost Mode, which is available as part of firmware 4.50's beta. If you've been living under a rock for the last week or so, Boost Mode basically allows older PlayStation 4 titles to take advantage of the Pro's extra processing power if they don't have a dedicated Pro patch. This can lead to things like more stable frame rates, better texture pop-in, and shorter load times.

Anyway, the aforementioned publication has put numerous games to the test in the video that we've embedded above. Titles such as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Bloodborne, The Evil Within, Dark Souls III, and Until Dawn all benefit from Boost Mode, although some fare better than others. The Witcher 3, for example, enjoys faster load times and an almost perfect frame rate. Bloodborne also sees a worthwhile frame rate boost, but its frame pacing issues sadly aren't corrected.

Will you be putting Boost Mode through its paces once firmware update 4.50 has officially launched? Be smooth in the comments section below.

Robert (or Rob if you're lazy) has been a fan of PlayStation since the 90s, when Tekken 2 introduced him to the incredible world of video games. He still takes his fighting games seriously, but RPGs are his true passion. The Witcher, Dragon Quest, Mass Effect, Final Fantasy, he's played 'em all — a little too much, some might say.

1
Bread-Not-Toast
Mon 13th Feb 2017

I wanna see if Just Cause 3 is playable now, I remember the framerate use to drop whenever there was an explosion.

2
AdamNovice
Mon 13th Feb 2017

@PlaytendoGuy A YouTuber called NXGamer recently tested it, says it's so much better now.

3
wiiware
Mon 13th Feb 2017

I'll wait until ps4 pro sold at $400 ish on my country before I buy it. A couple of days ago ps4 pro asia is sold at $480 ish on game store, but just in a couple of hours the stock is gone. The other option to buy ps4 pro asia with warranty is to buy it on mall where's the price is $540 ish

Why the hell ps4 pro stock is so limited, it can't be that hard to make it, it's not a ps vr

4
Ralizah
Mon 13th Feb 2017

30 fps isn't a "perfect" frame rate. It's the bare minimum of what should be acceptable on the PS4 in terms of game performance.

5
GamerDad66
Mon 13th Feb 2017

Call me crazy, but the video doesn't really make the case for the Pro as indispensable for older PS4 games.

If anything, game performance was improved more by simply patching your games for free.

The Industry needs to deal with broken/un-optimized games, which hurt their Day One sales.

As it is, there's no reason not to buy a 'better game' for less, later on (typically used).

That's my Pro Upgrade...

6
ShogunRok
Mon 13th Feb 2017

@Ralizah Well, yeah, but everything's contextual, innit.

7
get2sammyb
Mon 13th Feb 2017

@GamerDad66 I don't really understand what you're trying to say. This is just a new firmware feature that marginally improves unpatched games. That's all it was ever going to be.

What did you expect?

8
Bobbycuckoo
Mon 13th Feb 2017

I just hope it speeds up the inventory menus in witcher 3.

9
GBMatthew
Mon 13th Feb 2017

@get2sammyb I think that most of us were hoping for a solid 30fps in a lot of these older titles. It's not really at lot to expect is it.

10
GBMatthew
Mon 13th Feb 2017

@Ralizah Agreed and the fact that we get that with some of the consoles best looking PS4 titles shows that it is predominantly due to poor optimisation and lazy developers.

11
Ralizah
Mon 13th Feb 2017

@GBMatthew I'm a bit more forgiving with multiplats, but there's no excuse for a game built from the ground up for the PS4 like Bloodborne to suffer from sub-30 fps dips and horrendous frame pacing that makes the game feel janky.

12
themcnoisy
Mon 13th Feb 2017

@GamerDad66 The pro is a nice upgrade, completely unessential but great none the less. I'm yet to hear anyone with a pro dislike the kit, but that also goes for anyone with a ps4 scrubs.