What is PS4 Pro Boost Mode and how will help improve our gaming experience on Sony’s upgraded console?
Boost Mode is exclusive to PS4 Pro owners and will be available in PS4 update 4.50. A release date for the patch has yet to be announced, but a recent beta test gave us an early look at what we can expect.
How to activate PS4 Pro Boost Mode
As soon as the new PS4 system software update is launched, users will be able to activate PS4 Pro Boost Mode by:
1. Go to Settings from the main menu.
2. Scroll down to Boost Mode.
3. Select the check box and make sure it’s ticked.
This means you can also turn off Boost Mode when not needed.
How will Boost Mode improve games?
According to the Boost Mode setting on PS4 Pro, this new update will allow owners of Sony’s latest console to experience improved gameplay, including higher frame rates for some games before the introduction of PS4 Pro (CUH-7000 Series). The PS4 Pro will run at a higher GPU and CPU clock speed, which should fix some of the frame rate stutter issues in games that weren’t built specifically to take advantage of the more powerful hardware of the Pro, and in some cases improve resolution.
PS4 Pro Boost Mode tests have concluded that many games that haven’t already received an upgrade via a patch have improved significantly. Check out the PS4 Pro Boost Mode games list, which confirms that titles such as Assassin’s Creed Unity, Batman: Arkham Knight and Call of Duty: Ghosts all performed better with more stable frame rates and even the reduction of visual glitches such as screen-tearing.
Digital Foundry also performed an in-depth test on the new feature, which includes showing how Knack runs on a regular PS4, with Boost Mode activated, and with the official PS4 Pro update. The results are staggering with a boost in frame rate from 25 frames-per-second (fps) up to 53 fps with the PS4 Pro update. In Boost Mode it runs at up to 42 fps.
So, although Boost Mode isn’t as good as receiving an official PS4 Pro patch for enhancing performance it does still significantly improve framerates on some games.
The following video shows a comparison featuring The Evil Within between the boosted version and the original.
Can it affect games negatively?
There’s some evidence that some games tested during the update 4.5 beta had the reverse effect, causing crashes. How widespread this is, or whether Sony will continue working on the update to iron out these few issues remains to be seen.
PS4 Pro Boost Mode release date
Sony has yet to officially confirm a release date for PS4 update 4.5.