Sony is working on a new “high-end version” of the PS5, codenamed Trinity and likely to debut as the PS5 Pro later this year. The edge We confirmed leaked specs about the PS5 Pro earlier this week, and also got details on how new and existing PS5 games can be “enhanced” to take advantage of the PS5 Pro hardware. Sony is also working on an ultra-boost mode for older games so they work better on the PS5 Pro.
Sources familiar with Sony's plans say so The edge that Sony is asking developers to create a new PS5 Pro-exclusive graphics mode in games that combines Sony's new PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) at 4K resolution with a 60fps frame rate and ray tracing effects . Internal games first reported about some of these details of PS5 Pro's improved gameplay last month.
While Sony wants this new mode in games, the PS5 Pro's “Enhanced” label will still be available for a variety of other scenarios including 30fps gaming. Developers have the option to increase the target resolution for PS5 Pro games running at a fixed resolution on PS5 or even increase the maximum target resolution for games running at a variable resolution on PS5.
That could mean we'll see enhanced PS5 Pro games running at between 1080p and 1440p resolution at 30fps on the base PS5 and between 1280p and 2160p on the PS5 Pro at the same frame rate. A fixed resolution increase from 1440p to 2160p would also qualify as PS5 Pro Enhanced gameplay. Developers could also choose to enable ray tracing effects and get the PS5 Pro Enhanced label without improving resolution or frame rate. If a developer wants to target 60fps instead of 30fps at the same resolution, this may also qualify as a PS5 Pro Enhanced game.
However, simply running a game at a more stable frame rate on PS5 Pro is not enough for the Enhanced label. Sony will also not add the tag to games that run at a variable resolution and will see an increased resolution on the PS5 Pro that does not improve the maximum resolution. So if a game goes from the 1440p–2160p variable to the 1800p–2160p variable, it will not qualify for the Enhanced label.
Developers will need to update their games to Sony's latest SDK to take advantage of the PS5 Pro's features, but some games that haven't been updated yet will benefit from better performance on the upcoming console. I understand that the PS5 Pro will have an “ultra-boost” mode that will help VRR modes run at a higher frame rate, and variable resolution games will be able to play at higher resolutions. Overall frame rates may also be more stable in certain games.
However, Sony warns developers that many unpatched games will not show improvements in this ultra-boost mode. Games running at a fixed resolution and graphics settings for fixed rendering resolutions will not show improvements. Even if developers stay on older versions of Sony's SDK, they can still use PSSR to enhance titles and gain access to the additional system memory that Sony offers game developers.
The requirements for the PS5 Pro Enhanced label seem very similar to what Sony did with the PS4 Pro, and there's clear flexibility here so developers can choose what they want to improve. If a game qualifies for the Enhanced label, it can be displayed on the disc packaging and on Sony's PlayStation Store pages.
