In a matter of weeks, the PlayStation 5 Pro has switched around from being one of the hottest gaming devices of the year to a surprising source of controversy.
As we have reported multiple times, PlayStation 5 Pro owners are finding that many games that have the PlayStation 5 Pro enhanced label are actually running worse on the console.
To a certain degree, these issues are understandable. PlayStation Super Spectral Resolution may have had heavy marketing behind it, but it’s not really particularly magical compared to other upscaler tech like DLSS or FSR.
All upscalers need to be adjusted to run games better, and PSSR is simply going to have to go through the same growing pains other upscalers did. But if PC gamers are willing to spend the big bucks to help their favorite component manufacturers get there, year after year, console gamers have different expectations.
Sony created the expectation that gamers wouldn’t have to worry about any of this, so the frustration from gamers is understandable. Mark Cerny himself made three specific claims when he unveiled the console: 45% faster rendering, advanced Ray Tracing, and new AI-driven upscaling.
Prior to launch, the big issue going around the console was that it didn’t have enough power to run modern games at 4K, 60 FPS. Famously, Digital Foundry concluded that the console wasn’t good enough to run Grand Theft Auto 6 at those benchmarks, even with PSSR.
But now that we see that the PlayStation 5 Pro isn’t going to be able to meet even the minimum benchmarks that we expected for all games. While some Sony gamers will be happy to make the same investment PC gamers did years before for the likes of Nvidia and AMD to improve their upscaling tech, it’s definitely unreasonable to expect everyone else to fall in line.
And so we turn to Ben, AKA VideoTechUK. Ben correctly predicted the release of Red Dead Redemption to PC from datamining. Ben is also one of the vocal PlayStation 5 Pro owners who isn’t happy with his purchase.
Ben shared his thoughts on Twitter, saying:
“Speaking from my experience with my PS5 Pro, I don’t recommend it.
A handful of AAA supported titles look worse due to PSSR and nearly a month after launch these games have not been fixed (Silent Hill 2, Outlaws/Jedi Survivor, Avatar, etc)
Wait until 2025 to buy this thing.
If you’re a GTA fan, hold off until Rockstar announces details on PS5 Pro enhancements.
It’s mandatory for Rockstar to support PS5 Pro for GTAVI since it’s part of the new certification policy. It could be simple resolution enhancements or better ray tracing, so wait.”
Ben went on to link to Digital Foundry’s latest video where they discussed the issues surrounding PSSR. Now, Ben made it clear that he doesn’t want his post to be taken as console wars fodder. Of course, he owns this console himself. Any insinuation that he wants to hurt PlayStation’s brand with this is kind of ridiculous.
At the same time, Ben must surely understand it will unavoidably become part of that discourse. Gamers may legitimately be split between buying a new Xbox or PlayStation, and this issue is a real factor in choosing between them.
But really, there’s no harm in holding out on buying a new console until when Grand Theft Auto 6 actually comes out. We’re sure there will be a number of PlayStation 4 and Xbox One owners who are planning exactly that schedule. So it’s now a waiting game to see if Rockstar can do enough to make their 2025 megatitle worth spending $ 700 and above on a new console.
