PS5 Pro games may not always be compatible with 4K resolution or 60 frames per second.

The high-end version of the PS5, expected at the end of the year, could be accompanied by “PS5 Enhanced” games. Is this finally the generalization of 60 images per second? Not so fast.

For several generations, Sony has focused part of its communication on the promise of gaming in 4K at 60 fps (60 frames per second). In reality, it is very rare. Most AAA games offer the choice between a fidelity mode (the best image quality, often 4K, sometimes a little less) and a performance mode (60 fps when possible, with reduced definition). Some developers try to innovate with hybrid modes, but there is always an element sacrificed (ray-tracing for example).

Expected at the end of 2024, the PS5 Pro could bring a rare performance gain for a mid-generation console. We are talking about a transition from a power of 10.28 teraflops to 33.5 teraflops for the graphics part, i.e. a three-fold increase in the possibilities. What finally allows true 4K at 60 fps?

PS5 Enhanced games on the program

According to The Verge, who was able to obtain confidential documents belonging to Sony on April 16, the Japanese manufacturer would have asked developers to work on a special PS5 Pro mode. “PS5 Pro Enhanced” games would have a new graphics mode capable of upscaling the image to 4K with a refresh rate of 60 fps. Sony games, like Spider-Man 2 Or God of War Ragnarokwill undoubtedly benefit from it.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 // Source: PS5 Capture — Marvel's Spider-Man 2 forces you to choose between quality and framerate on PS5. // Source: PS5 Capture

The problem is that the definition of the term PS5 Pro Enhanced is not very clear.

Always according to The Verge, developers will be able to present a game as optimized for the PS5 Pro even if it does not support 4K at 60 fps. It would be enough to improve the definition or the refresh rate on the high-end console to benefit from the label.

In the near future, PS5 games that run at 1080p 30 fps could become PS5 Pro Enhanced games with 1280p 30 fps quality. The simple addition of ray-tracing would even be enough to obtain the qualifier (while games with a variable definition would be excluded from the system). In short, the PS5 Pro will not be a console capable of always displaying 4K at 60 fps.

Lucia in the first trailer for GTA VI. // Source: Rockstar/GTA 6 — Rumor has it that GTA 6 will be a PS5 Pro optimized game. // Source: Rockstar/GTA 6

In addition to optimized games, Sony is banking on an Ultra-Boost mode, developed internally, to itself upscale the quality of certain games. The PS5 Pro is on track to be the most powerful console in the world at launch, but still with technical limitations from one game to another.