When the PS5 Pro was revealed, lead system architect Mark Cerny said the controversially expensive console aims to remove the decision between fidelity and performance mode, but now it seems many games will still have two different modes to choose from.
A new PlayStation blog was published on Wednesday that includes a rundown of 14 major studios — some Sony-owned and some third-party — touting the visual and performance benefits of the PS5 Pro. For example, Remedy communications director Thomas Puha said that Alan Wake 2, a game where “atmosphere and environmental storytelling are key,” will be more immersive thanks to the addition of ray tracing.
Meanwhile, Assassin's Creed Shadows CTO Pierre Fortin similarly said that the PS5 Pro version of the game will have “improved ray-traced global illumination technology” as well as “improved rendering systems and an increase in photorealism and gameplay immersion.”
Capcom said the addition of 120 FPS gameplay to Resident Evil Village will “deliver the best possible user experience” and make “the cast of characters unique and memorable.” [look] Resident Evil 4 Remake will also benefit from “an increased frame rate, making the dynamic action even more intense,” and “ultra-high-resolution technology, which paints vividly realistic images packed with detailed environments and more natural, beautiful visuals than ever before.”
Dragon Age: The Veilguard technical director Maciej Kurowski said the upcoming sequel will have “improved image quality thanks to Sony’s new AI-based upscalers, PSSR.” BioWare also said it has “enabled ray-traced ambient occlusion (RTAO) in 60 FPS performance mode, which was previously only available on the base PlayStation 5 with 30 FPS Fidelity mode.”
One common theme I've noticed when reading through all the developer statements is that many of them confirm that fidelity and performance modes will still exist in their PS5 Pro ports, just at higher frame rates and resolutions than before. Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Alan Wake 2, and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor are among them, while Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has a new PS5 Pro-exclusive “Enhanced” mode with 60 FPS and “a resolution on par with Graphics mode.”
Similarly, Insomniac said that Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and Marvel's Spider-Man 2 will all have a new “Performance Pro” default mode, which will have the ideal trifecta of 4K resolution, ray tracing, and 60 frames per second.
None of this is likely to change many people's minds about whether the PS5 Pro is worth $700, but it does openly contradict Sony's existing messaging about the benefits of upgrading.
Meanwhile, Sony says the PS5 Pro doesn't come with a disc drive because it “gives gamers options,” such as the option to spend an extra $80 to play the physical games that “most gamers” own..