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PS4 firmware 4.50 add Boost Mode for PS4 Pro.

kyser73

Member
Just thinking, this Boost Mode is fantastic, but obviously it's held back in some respects because no devs knew it was going to exist and never programmed their games for it, so the differences can vary dramatically from game to game from no difference to significant ones.

I'm liking the concept of the Pro more and more now and I hope this is something copied with the eventual PS5. Except: Make it known, even if only to devs, that this is going to happen, let them design their games to be able to effectively take advantage of extra power down the line. It should just be in the DNA of the PlayStation from now on.

It is sort of taking console gaming yet closer to PC gaming.. but I feel we still keep the benefits that consoles bring, so long as the games are designed diligently enough not to screw up when they get taken forward onto the next updated version of the platform. It's nice having that premium experience for those who want console simplicity but also don't wanted be limited to what is the most consumer friendly price point for the base system. It's still more powerful and impressive than whatever you could build for the same price in the PC world. It really is incredible value to be honest.

I honestly don't think there'll be a PS5 Pro unless 8K TVs start to become a thing. IMO Pro is a unique event for Sony and one the fulfills a number of roles:

Allowing customers who are EAs of 4K TVs to utilise their new toys better.
Allows developers space to experiment with Faux/4K rendering techniques in a safe commercial environment.
Fully realises PSVR on a current gen console.
Stopping the bleeding edge non-fan users from migrating to PCs.
 

Metfanant

Member
I honestly don't think there'll be a PS5 Pro unless 8K TVs start to become a thing. IMO Pro is a unique event for Sony and one the fulfills a number of roles:

Allowing customers who are EAs of 4K TVs to utilise their new toys better.
Allows developers space to experiment with Faux/4K rendering techniques in a safe commercial environment.
Fully realises PSVR on a current gen console.
Stopping the bleeding edge non-fan users from migrating to PCs.

You're crazy!...there will be a PS5 WAY before 8k TVs lol...

I fully expect the PS5 to at the very least be announced by 2020...
 

Electret

Member
You're crazy!...there will be a PS5 WAY before 8k TVs lol...

I fully expect the PS5 to at the very least be announced by 2020...

PS5 Pro.

And I partially agree with Kyser, though I think the existence of PS5 pro is tied more to another die shrink offering a substantial enough boost over 7nm than it is 8K displays.
 

Md Ray

Member
Hey guys. I'm new here :) this is my first ever post.

EDIT: Can't wait for DF or NXGamer to do their analysis on boost mode.
 

liquidtmd

Banned
Hey guys. I'm new here :) this is my first ever post.

Welcome Stranger!

9210e13803d820e94bb0c31d942dbc49.gif
 
i am thinking this boost mode as a 'turbo' button in the old pc days...

remember that turbo button? It boost the speed for some programs but a number of software will be glitched when it is enabled.
 

Md Ray

Member
Welcome Stranger!

9210e13803d820e94bb0c31d942dbc49.gif

Thanks :D

i am thinking this boost mode as a 'turbo' button in the old pc days...

remember that turbo button? It boost the speed for some programs but a number of software will be glitched when it is enabled.

Yes, boost mode is just using the full capability of the PS4 Pro hardware for games that haven't been patched. For e.g. say, Project Cars runs at 40-50fps on base PS4, and without boost mode, it runs exactly the same on PS4 Pro as well because:

1. It hasn't got a Pro patch
2. Pro's APU is downclocked to base PS4 level i.e. CPU and GPU will run at 1.6 GHz and 800 MHz respectively and half of the CUs (Compute Units) in the GPU are deactivated (18 out of 36 CUs)..

With boost mode enabled, the APU will now run at full speed. CPU at 2.1 GHz and GPU at 911 MHz with all 36 CUs activated and what was 40-50fps on base PS4 will now be locked 60fps or close to it on PS4 Pro.
 

kyser73

Member
PS5 Pro.

And I partially agree with Kyser, though I think the existence of PS5 pro is tied more to another die shrink offering a substantial enough boost over 7nm than it is 8K displays.

Die shrink is actually one scenario I hadn't considered for a putative 5Pro, but agree with your post on it being a possible reason for another mid-gen upgrade.
 

Joey Ravn

Banned
Has anyone tried Let it Die with the Pro boost? I know the game was running at (mostly) constant 60 FPS, but the loading times were dreadful.
 

-hadouken

Member
Holy hell at BF4 performance. Night and day.

Indeed! I confined myself strictly to 32 player modes prior to the update - pleased to finally have access to smooth running 64P matches. Boggles my mind that people would play CQL with such a variable, chuggy framerate.
 
I honestly don't think there'll be a PS5 Pro unless 8K TVs start to become a thing. IMO Pro is a unique event for Sony and one the fulfills a number of roles:

Allowing customers who are EAs of 4K TVs to utilise their new toys better.
Allows developers space to experiment with Faux/4K rendering techniques in a safe commercial environment.
Fully realises PSVR on a current gen console.
Stopping the bleeding edge non-fan users from migrating to PCs.

By the time the PS5 comes out in 2019/20, 8K TVs will probably be in the same position 4K TVs were in 2013.

But regardless, I think you missed one of the main reasons why mid-gen upgrades in general are a good idea: Avoiding the long generation fatigue we suffered last gen. New hardware injects a bit more life into the market for hardcore gamers like us.
 

SaberEdge

Member
All the devs would have to do is make and uncapped framerate option. as long as the physics or something like that isn't tied to framerate then it should be an easy patch.

Personally, that doesn't interest me. Uncapped framerates have way too much stutter and it completely kills the look of a game to me, not to mention the irregular controller response. What I like about boost mode is that it allows games to hit their framerate target (30fps or 60fps) much more consistently.
 
Been playing Witcher 3 for the past month and since I activated Beast Mode™ yesterday the difference is dramatic. I haven't noticed a single hiccup in frame rate and load times feel a lot faster. Only one problem so far, foglets would not materialize during a quest which made them impossible to kill.
 

SirNinja

Member
For the sake of just trying stuff, I compared P.T. with boost mode on and off. Boost mode seems a bit smoother to me, especially camera movement.

Haha, nice. I hope I can get into the beta for this, as there's a lot of old stuff that I want to test out.
 
Been playing Witcher 3 for the past month and since I activated Beast Mode™ yesterday the difference is dramatic. I haven't noticed a single hiccup in frame rate and load times feel a lot faster. Only one problem so far, foglets would not materialize during a quest which made them impossible to kill.

Had the same thing happened to me last year while playing lol.
 

Symphonia

Banned
I'll be recording some footage later of Far Cry 4, Sniper Elite 3, No Mans Sky, Bioshock Collection, Heavy Rain, BEYOND, and Until Dawn. I'll be using my Elgato to record it so expect it by later tonight.
 

NXGamer

Member
Well, Pro is in the house and all setup alongside 4:50 8)
Sweet, you enjoying your new "boost"?
Still no DF/NX analysis videos?

NDA fear is real, it seems.
I understand the frustration here but I also respect rules/agreements and NDA's are important. I have asked Sony for permission, if you know anyone from Sony you could also ask ;-)

Sorry about that.
 

Mascot

Member
Sweet, you enjoying your new "boost"?

I understand the frustration here but I also respect all rulea and NDA's are important. I have asked Sony for permission, if you know anyone from Sony you could also ask ;-)

Sorry about that.

Is the analysis all ready to release once Sony give the green light?

And are you bound by NDA if you got the update through indirect means?
 

NXGamer

Member
Is the analysis all ready to release once Sony give the green light?

And are you bound by NDA if you got the update through indirect means?
I have covered multiple titles and have a few videos ready to go..but yes once you install the firmware you have to agree to its contents and T&C's.
 

marciocdb

Banned
This is so awesome!! I believe Scorpio will have the same approach towards current Xbox One games that will not be patched to run on it...

Best feature of this new firmware and not even advertised... c'mon Sony... Do we have to show you the ropes?
 

black070

Member
I have covered multiple titles and have a few videos ready to go..but yes once you install the firmware you have to agree to its contents and T&C's.

While we all impatiently wait on that - could you maybe give us a tease i.e one big name game that benefits greatly ? :p
 

JP

Member
I'm really impressed with the Boost Mode improvements that I'm seeing.

The improvements in Just Cause 3 really are game changing for me, I had to stop playing it due to the poor performance absolutely getting in the way of the game.

I'd completely avoided The Evil Within due to the incredibly poor performance even though I did want to play it but it's available for under £9.99 in the PlayStation Store with the season pass at £4.99. The improvements in performance have sold it to me and I'm even tempted top pick up the season pass at that price.

What I've really liked about this update is that I now have an additional 2TB of hard drive space to re-download that I haven't looked at for some time which means they've just been forgotten about. Just cause 3 was the first thing I downloaded.

I'm not trying to remember games that didn't perform so well previously that I'd like to try again to see what sort of improvements there are.
 

Panajev2001a

GAF's Pleasant Genius
Certainly would be preferable.

This may actually encourage some developers to put Pro patches for the few games boost/beast mode breaks out. On the flip side many games that developer would have likely not worked on a Pro patch as a priority now get improved for free (albeit not as much as if the developer had put a proper Pro mode for their games).

Win-win IMHO :).
 

d9b

Banned
This is so awesome!! I believe Scorpio will have the same approach towards current Xbox One games that will not be patched to run on it...
Maybe, but not straight out of the box on release... unless they want to break things. This kind of thing takes extensive testing and fine tuning I would assume.
 
Has anyone tried Star Ocean 5?

That game already had a small issue when played on a ps4 pro (it had more frequent framerate drops than on a regular ps4)
 

TLZ

Banned
Sweet, you enjoying your new "boost"?

I understand the frustration here but I also respect rules/agreements and NDA's are important. I have asked Sony for permission, if you know anyone from Sony you could also ask ;-)

Sorry about that.

Damn :(

No wonder you guys have taken longer than usual (apart from the fact trying to get hold of a beta first AND testing games AND making videos, of course).
 

Dynomutt

Member
Certainly would be preferable.

Agreed. Kinda feel bad that the question even had to be posted to the developer. They may have not been fully aware. Technically the "Boost Mode" is not even listed in the Beta Release. What if Sony decides to hold it back longer?

We need to remember "Boost Mode" is not the preferable mode for upcoming games. We want optimized "Pro" patches at 1080/4K either towards FPS or quality/resolution. Brute force although it works if not efficient.
 

marciocdb

Banned
Maybe, but not straight out of the box on release... unless they want to break things. This kind of thing takes extensive testing and fine tuning I would assume.

Agree! I think the approach on the PS4 Pro is different than what Xbox One S did... there might be under the hood settings that force games to run better and use the extra power...
 

Audioboxer

Member
bought sleeping dogs de for £3.99 off store now that it's a stable 30fps on boost

Thanks for pointing this out. Had just over £2 in my wallet so steal! Never touched it previously due to everyone saying there were performance issues and it was a shoddy port.
 
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