PlayStation 5 Pro Specs Analyzed and ‘FLOPflation’ Myths Debunked by PS5 Architect Mark Cerny

Just yesterday, PlayStation released an intriguing video featuring Mark Cerny, the mastermind behind the PlayStation 5 Pro, who took the stage at Sony Interactive Entertainment headquarters to give an insightful technical presentation on the new console. In the session, he aimed to demystify some of the rumors that have been swirling around lately. One hot topic he tackled was “FLOPflation.” Due to a mix-up resulting from a leaker’s incorrect interpretation of deeper RDNA 3 architecture usage, an inflated figure of 33.5 TFLOPs had made the rounds.

Cerny set the record straight by revealing that the PS5 Pro actually hits 16.7 TFLOPs compared to the original PS5’s 10 TFLOPs. He also mentioned that one bit of accurate information leaked before launch was that the PS5 Pro achieves 300 TOPS when handling 8-bit calculations; for 16-bit, it reaches 67 TFLOPS. He clarified that the console features a customized AMD RDNA 2 architecture—known as RDNA 2.X—incorporating several RDNA 3 characteristics yet remaining familiar enough to avoid disrupting existing code.

Mark pointed out that one of the key enhancements in the PS5 Pro is the newly optimized Ray Acceleration structure, which now uses BVH8 or Bounding Volume Hierarchy 8. This translates to a more efficient, streamlined handling of graphics shader code—a considerable leap in performance for developers tapping into its potential.

To give you an idea, BVH is all about 3D rendering, particularly regarding reflective surfaces. The PS5 has relied on BVH4 (groups of four bounding boxes for calculations), but the PS5 Pro’s switch to BVH8 means it handles real-time (RT) calculations with double the efficiency. Similarly, the Ray Intersection Engine has improved, boosting from analyzing rays against four boxes and one triangle to eight boxes and two triangles.

The boost in rendering performance specifically benefits scenes with curved and complex light reflections, although improvements in shadow and flat reflections are more moderate. Thanks to a highly tailored RDNA 2 GPU architecture, these visual advances promise a more immersive gaming experience.

For those who crave all the geeky details, I can’t recommend enough catching the entire 37-minute video. It’s a treasure trove of technical insights, shedding light on the console market’s competitive landscape and what it takes to stand out.

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