In-depth Analysis of PlayStation 5 Pro Specs: Mark Cerny Dispels ‘FLOPflation’ Myths

Yesterday, PlayStation dropped a video featuring Mark Cerny as he guided viewers through a PS5 Pro Technical Seminar at Sony Interactive Entertainment’s headquarters. As the system architect, Cerny delved into the impressive new hardware features of the PlayStation 5 Pro and took the opportunity to address a few circulating rumors about the console. He particularly focused on the talk of “FLOPflation,” a buzzword that arose following the mistaken release of a 33.5 TFLOPs figure. This incorrect number stemmed from a misunderstanding by a leaker who assumed that the console utilized a more advanced RDNA 3-inspired architecture than it actually does.

Cerny clarified that the PS5 Pro actually achieves 16.7 TFLOPs, a significant leap from the PS5’s 10 TFLOPs. One pre-release leak turned out to be quite accurate, predicting that the PS5 Pro scores an impressive 300 TOPS with 8-bit calculations and hits 67 TFLOPS with 16-bit calculations. During his explanation, Cerny highlighted that Sony’s customized AMD RDNA 2 architecture, dubbed RDNA 2.X, incorporates several features from RDNA 3. Yet, it retains enough of its original framework to avoid requiring developers to extensively rewrite code for the new hardware.

In the session, Cerny pointed out that one of the most significant upgrades in the PS5 Pro is its new Ray Acceleration structure, which employs BVH8 (Bounding Volume Hierarchy). This enhancement, combined with improved stack management in hardware, ensures that graphics shader code runs more smoothly and efficiently on this new hardware.

BVH is a concept used in 3D rendering where bounding boxes help with graphic calculations, like reflections. The PS5 used BVH4, which groups bounding boxes in sets of four for real-time calculations. However, the PS5 Pro upgrades this to BVH8, allowing for even more complex calculations. In a similar vein, the Ray Intersection Engine has been upgraded to check rays against eight boxes and two triangles, compared to the four boxes and one triangle handled by the PS5.

These advancements, which capitalize on a highly tailored version of the RDNA 2 GPU architecture found in the PS5, deliver impressive performance boosts, particularly noticeable in the quality of curved and bumpy light reflections. That said, the improvements are moderate when it comes to shadows and flat reflections.

For those eager to dive deeper into the technical aspects, the full 37-minute video offers extensive insights into the evolving console market and the technologies that drive competition within it. It’s a recommended watch for anyone keen on understanding the intricacies and advancements that the PS5 Pro brings to the table.