PlayStation 5 Pro Specs Detailed: System Architect Mark Cerny Debunks ‘FLOPflation’ Myths

Yesterday, PlayStation dropped a video featuring Mark Cerny at the Sony Interactive Entertainment headquarters, diving deep into the PS5 Pro’s latest technology. As the system architect, Cerny aimed to clear up some swirling rumors about the new console. He tackled the topic of “FLOPflation” head-on, clarifying a leaked but incorrect figure of 33.5 teraflops. This number had been erroneously circulated due to a misinterpretation of the hardware’s RDNA 3-inspired architecture by an overzealous leaker.

In truth, the PS5 Pro hits 16.7 teraflops, up from the PS5’s 10 teraflops. Another accurate leak before the official release highlighted the console’s capability to reach 300 TOPS during 8-bit calculations, while 16-bit computations can manage 67 teraflops. Cerny explained that Sony’s custom RDNA 2.X isn’t exactly RDNA 3 but integrates several of its features. Importantly, it retains enough of the original architecture to avoid the necessity of rewriting existing code for the new hardware.

Mark Cerny also pointed out the significant advancements in the PS5 Pro, particularly its new Ray Acceleration structure. By utilizing Bounding Volume Hierarchy (BVH8) and enhancing “stack management in hardware,” the graphics shader code is now streamlined and more efficient.

To elaborate, BVH is vital for 3D rendering calculations like reflections. The PS5 used BVH4, grouping bounding boxes in fours for ray tracing tasks. The PS5 Pro upgrades this to BVH8, effectively handling calculations with eight bounding boxes. Additionally, the Ray Intersection Engine now assesses rays against eight boxes and two triangles, a noticeable improvement over its predecessor’s capacity.

Thanks to these enhancements in ray tracing technology, driven by the tailored RDNA 2 GPU architecture, the PS5 Pro sees impressive performance boosts in handling complex light reflections. However, the gains in rendering shadows and flat reflections are more moderate.

For those interested in more technical specifics, the full 37-minute video is a treasure trove of insights, providing a fascinating look at the competitive console market and the cutting-edge tech driving it.