PS5 Pro Upscaling & Ray Tracing in Elden Ring—Is It Worth It?

Stirring excitement and argument is Sony’s new PS5 Pro. The new PS5 is more powerful, has new features and upscaling technology, called PSSR for game performance. So how does it really hold up with grunt work like Elden Ring?

Below, we breakdown the PS5 Pro’s performance, frame rates, and the pwnage of high end graphics settings like ray tracing.

PS5 Pro Performance

Key Features of the PS5 Pro

The PS5 Pro brings several significant improvements, including:

  • PSSR Upscaling: Sony’s new upscaling technology yields higher resolutions while still maintaining smooth frame rates.
  • Enhanced Hardware: Considering its price, it’s got better processing power but it doesn’t reach the level of high end gaming PCs.
  • Ray Tracing Capabilities: Enriched with improved lighting effects for creating more visual realism.

Elden Ring’s PS5 Pro Performance

Recent tests with Elden Ring provide a closer look at the PS5 Pro’s real-world capabilities:

  • Performance Mode (3684 x 2072 Resolution): The console’s average is around 58 – 59 FPS while it dips to 54 FPS from time to time.
  • Quality Mode (3840 x 2160 Resolution): The frame rate sits at 55 FPS on average, dipping as low as 51 before reaching 60 on occasion.

Ray Tracing Challenges

Sony’s ray tracing upgrade adds realism but also challenges the hardware:

Ray Tracing Enabled (2880 x 1620 Resolution): Beautiful, ray tracing drops far too much FPS though, averaging 44 FPS, maximum of 50, and minimum of 37.
Performance Trade-Offs: Though still limited to 30 FPS, this is an improvement over that, though the console still has trouble keeping FPS at a high rate when using ray tracing.

Final Thoughts

Sony’s PSSR upscaling may be the only way to love upscaling on the PS5 Pro; it brings smooth frame rates and more pleasing graphics. Nevertheless, ray tracing enabled games like Elden Ring are graphically demanding to the console. The PS5 Pro is a massive step up for gamers looking for top performance and visuals, but it won’t reach the top end of PC gaming power.