PS4 Pro ‘Boost Mode’ can improve framerates by almost 40 percent
One of the more surprising additions in the PS4’s latest firmware update is a ‘boost mode’ for PS4 Pro that can vastly improve performance.
As well as finally adding external HDD support and custom backgrounds, PS4 update 4.5 surprised players with the aformentioned boost mode.
In practice the new feature offers “improved gameplay, including higher frame rates, for some games that were released before the introduction of PS4 Pro,” by activating an option in the settings menu.
Eurogamer’s Digital Foundry recently put the new technology to the test, and ended up seeing a maximum performance improvement of 35 to 38 percent.
Related: PS4 Pro vs PS4
It appears that enhancements are very specific to the title being tested, with results varying wildly depending on which.
Shooters such as Destiny that are already locked to 30fps see no difference, while Battlefield 4 can now maintain a solid 60fps in high-octane multiplayer matches.
Project Cars saw a 35 to 38 percent increase on PS4 Pro, a significant boost over the base PS4. A massive difference like this would have a demonstrable impact on gameplay, too.
The majority of games on PS4 Pro now benefit from a 14 percent bump in performance, yet they don’t take advantage of any additional cores in the console. For this, a patch must be implemented by the developer.
See also: Upcoming PS4 Games 2017
While the results aren’t exactly perfect, knowing that purchasing a PS4 Pro can provide noticeable improvements regardless of what’s being played is great to see.
The Boost Mode feature is currently only available for beta testers, and there’s no telling if it will be included in the wider release.
Watch: PS4 Pro Review
You can check out Digital Foundry for a more comprehensive write-up alongside some handy video coverage.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
