The PlayStation 5 Pro has been met with skepticism due to its $700 price tag, but PC gamers might have a new reason to be excited about Sony’s next-gen console. According to Mark Cerny, the chief architect behind the PS5 and PS5 Pro, the updated console features advanced ray tracing technology that hasn’t yet been integrated into any AMD GPUs currently available on the market.
In a recent interview with CNET, Cerny teased the powerful technology behind the PS5 Pro. While he didn’t reveal the exact architecture, he hinted that the new ray tracing capabilities are part of AMD’s future roadmap. Interestingly, even top-tier GPUs like the RX 7900 XTX don’t include these features. Although Cerny didn’t disclose the specifics, Sony appears to have exclusive access to some of AMD’s next-gen ray tracing advancements, making the PS5 Pro stand out from the crowd.
What’s even more intriguing is that Cerny mentioned Sony’s role in “motivating the development” of this technology. While this could be Sony’s perspective, Cerny has long maintained that PlayStation consoles have been key drivers of technological advancements in PC gaming.
Cerny’s comments likely point to ray tracing features that will be introduced with AMD’s RDNA 4 GPUs. While AMD has confirmed that it’s working on these graphics cards, a release date has not been set. Cerny also chose his words carefully, stating that the PS5 Pro leverages “new advanced ray tracing feature sets,” not necessarily new hardware. This suggests that the console may benefit from cutting-edge software optimizations rather than a brand-new GPU architecture.
Sony claims that the PS5 Pro’s GPU is 1.67 times faster than the standard PS5’s, but has yet to confirm the exact architecture. The base PS5 runs on AMD’s RDNA 2 architecture, which is known for slower ray tracing performance compared to the newer RDNA 3. If the PS5 Pro incorporates RDNA 3 technology alongside next-gen features built for AMD’s upcoming GPUs, it could deliver a substantial upgrade in ray tracing capabilities.
Although this news is exciting for both PC and console gamers, ray tracing on consoles still faces significant hurdles. AMD powers both the PS5 and Xbox Series X, but Nvidia dominates the ray tracing space in the PC world. Whether AMD’s latest advancements will shift that balance remains to be seen. All eyes are now on November 7, when the PS5 Pro officially hits the market.