The beta version of PlayStation 4's recent 4.50 firmware update has introduced a Boost Mode to PS4 Pro. According to Sony, the Boost Mode can eventually provide smooth gameplay on selected PS4 games that haven't received PS4 Pro patches. Now, a Digital Foundry report seems to be supporting such assertions after tests have been conducted on "Bloodborne," "Assassin's Creed Unity," and more.
It appears to be that games' base frame rates do not show any much improvement at all; however, more demanding moments and areas in some games no longer cause the dip frame rate they did before. "Bloodborne", for example, although it is still capped at 30 FPS in Boost Mode, its frame rate is expected to be no longer dipping to the mid-20s especially when it runs through specific sections of Yarnham. On the other hand, for "Batman: Arkham Knight", it is said that similar improvements are present in its driving sections, which now runs at a stable 30 FPS with an enabled Boost Mode.
Meanwhile, for "Killzone: Shadow Fall," "Tomb Raider Definitive Edition," and "Knack," they are said to reveal an increased 14 percent overall frame rate in more demanding parts. The mentioned 14 percent increase is said to be in GPU clock speed between a normal PS4 and a Boost Mode-enabled PS4 Pro. More so, CPU upgrades have given "Assassin's Creed Unity" a 31% improvement during frame-dropping parts to 29 FPS, according to GameSpot.
The most remarkable improvement so far is with "Project Cars." As per Digital Foundry, the improvement apparently shows 35% to 38% in frame rate. This particularly means that the game's targeted 60 FPS is being constantly hit.
Substantially, Sony says that as soon as players experience any unpredicted behavior during gameplay, they should deactivate the Boost Mode feature. More importantly, it is possible for any differences in the results on various games. It remains true that Sony has not verified such feature as part of the final 4.50 firmware release; thus, there is still a possibility that it may not make it into the upcoming update.
The company shared to GameSpot that Boost Mode's addition in the said update is what they have been thinking. Furthermore, a revamped Quick Menu, an external storage support, and more are said to be included in the 4.50 update.