Comprehensive Breakdown of PlayStation 5 Pro Specs: ‘FLOPflation’ Myths Addressed by PS5 Architect Mark Cerny

Yesterday, PlayStation released an intriguing video featuring Mark Cerny as he conducted a PS5 Pro Technical Seminar at the Sony Interactive Entertainment headquarters. Throughout the session, the system architect gave us a closer look at the PlayStation 5 Pro’s new hardware and set the record straight on some swirling rumors about the upcoming console. He took the opportunity to explain the concept of “FLOPflation” after a confusing leak mistakenly reported the system to have a 33.5 TFLOPs capability, which stemmed from a misinterpretation by a leaker who misjudged the extent of RDNA 3-inspired architecture involved.

In truth, the PS5 Pro operates at 16.7 TFLOPs, a step up from the PS5’s 10 TFLOPs. On another note, one of the few correct early leaks suggested that the PS5 Pro could deliver 300 TOPS when executing 8-bit calculations, and manage 67 TFLOPS during 16-bit operations. Cerny emphasized that the architecture, RDNA 2.X—which is a Sony-customized version of AMD’s RDNA 2—integrates several features from RDNA 3 but retains enough of its original form to avoid requiring developers to rewrite code for the new hardware.

During the presentation, Cerny spotlighted some of the most significant enhancements in the PS5 Pro. He pointed to the new Ray Acceleration structure, which uses BVH8 (Bounding Volume Hierarchy), and an improved method of “Stack management in hardware.” This upgrade means that the graphics shader code is now more efficient, straightforward, and performs better on this new system.

BVH refers to how certain bounding boxes—essential in 3D rendering—facilitate graphics calculations like reflections. While the PS5 used BVH4 (groups of 4 bounding boxes) for RT calculations, the PS5 Pro steps it up to BVH8, effectively doubling the capacity. In a similar vein, the Ray Intersection Engine has been upgraded to check rays against 8 boxes and 2 triangles, compared to the 4 boxes and 1 triangle setup on the PS5.

These hardware advancements in ray tracing for the PlayStation 5 Pro, achieved through an intensely customized version of the RDNA 2 GPU architecture similar to that in the PS5, bring substantial performance improvements, especially with complex light reflections over curved and textured surfaces. However, the gains are somewhat more moderate when it comes to shadows and flat reflections.

For those with a keen interest in the technical nitty-gritty, the complete 37-minute video is well worth watching. It offers an in-depth glimpse into the console market dynamics and the necessary technologies to stay competitive.

If you’re eager to stay updated with the best news and in-depth reviews from the gaming world, consider subscribing to Tom’s Hardware newsletter to get all the latest straight to your inbox.