PS5 Pro: Powerful GPU, Stunning Ray Tracing

PS5 Pro: A Deep Dive into Hardware and Vision

Sony’s PlayStation 5 Pro reveal, unlike previous generations, lacked extensive detail. Months later, a deep-dive presentation unveiled the console’s innovative design and future vision. A key aspect is the enhanced role of machine learning in console design, alongside significant advancements in ray tracing capabilities.

GPU Overview: RDNA 2.x Power

The PS5 Pro boasts a 16.7TF GPU based on AMD’s RDNA 2 architecture, incorporating features from RDNA 3 and 4. This maintains shader code compatibility with existing PS5 games. The GPU features 30 WGPs, 60 compute units, and a max boost of 2.35GHz. It also includes an extra 2GB of DDR5 memory, with over 1GB available to developers, and faster GDDR6 memory (576GB/s).

Ray Tracing Enhancements

Ray tracing performance is significantly improved, allowing for more liberal use without sacrificing image quality or frame rates. The PS5 Pro speeds up ray tracing calculations and supports BVH8, improving efficiency. It handles more divergent RT calculations better than its predecessor, opening doors for more complex reflections.

Machine Learning and PSSR

The PS5 Pro utilizes custom RDNA for machine learning, particularly PSSR upscaling. Sony focused on speed, using the GPU to combine vector registers, achieving high bandwidth. While not yet a fully-fused CNN, PSSR’s speed has potential for future improvements and higher frame-rate upscaling.

The Future: Amethyst and Beyond

Sony’s collaboration with AMD, “Amethyst,” focuses on creating hardware architectures optimized for machine learning in real-time game graphics