PlayStation 5 Pro Specs Detailed: PS5 Architect Mark Cerny Addresses ‘FLOPflation’ Claims

Yesterday, PlayStation released an intriguing video featuring Mark Cerny sharing insights at a PS5 Pro Technical Seminar held at Sony Interactive Entertainment’s headquarters. As the lead system architect, Cerny took the opportunity to delve into the advanced hardware of the PlayStation 5 Pro while also setting the record straight on some circulating rumors. One of the key issues he addressed was the so-called “FLOPflation,” which emerged due to a misunderstood leak suggesting the console boasted 33.5 TFLOPs. This mistaken figure was the result of someone assuming a more extensive implementation of RDNA 3-like features.

In truth, the PS5 Pro achieves 16.7 TFLOPs, a significant step up from the PS5’s 10 TFLOPs. An accurate pre-release leak did point out that the new console reaches 300 TOPS for 8-bit calculations. Meanwhile, for 16-bit calculations, it manages to hit 67 TFLOPs. Cerny clarified that the technology behind these numbers is based on RDNA 2.X, a custom version of AMD’s RDNA 2 architecture for Sony. This setup incorporates several RDNA 3 aspects but retains enough original features to prevent the need for rewriting code on the new hardware.

Mark Cerny highlighted that the standout advancements in the PS5 Pro include its novel Ray Acceleration structure, which uses BVH8 (Bounding Volume Hierarchy) and enhanced “Stack management in hardware.” This development results in more efficient, streamlined graphics shader code on the upgraded system.

BVH, essential for 3D rendering, deals with how bounding boxes aid in graphics calculations like reflections. The PS5 relied on BVH4, where calculations involved groups of 4 bounding boxes, but the PS5 Pro now utilizes BVH8 for richer rendering. Moreover, the Ray Intersection Engine has seen improvements, now capable of assessing rays against 8 boxes and 2 triangles, compared to 4 boxes and 1 triangle on its predecessor.

Thanks to these upgrades in the PS5 Pro’s ray tracing hardware, players can expect significant performance improvements when it comes to curved and textured light reflections, while the enhancement for shadows and flat surface reflections remains moderate.

For those eager to delve deeper into the specs and insights, the full 37-minute video is highly recommended. It provides a comprehensive look at the console market and the technologies essential for staying ahead in the game.

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