Returnal PS5 PRO upgrade offers a huge increase in resolution and improved performance

To mark its fourth anniversary, the developer Housemarque announced a free upgrade of PlayStation 5 Pro to Retoral, promising to give a superb PS5 game an increase in resolution going up to 2.5x on Sony’s professional equipment. The exact formulation of “up to 2.5x” suggests that a form of dynamic scaling is at stake, to which I will arrive in a minute – but it is a welcome decision which approaches a reproach with the image quality of the basic PS5. Beyond that, are there other improvements to the original experience? Are performance problems solved and what about the light problems of crossing stormy?

As a refreshment, the PS5 base to date uses a fixed 1080p base resolution, which – according to the developer – is temporarily rebuilt at 1440p, then increased to a 4K final output via the checkered rendering. Although the game is brilliantly executed in its basic technology – the particles often filling the screen with a dazzling effect – this unusual configuration causes a certain visual noise on the standard PS5. It is hardly a dealbreaker and the gameplay is king after all, but the high frequency details seem rather grainy in the final resolution. It is certainly far from what the PC version is capable of, even in a native 1440p via DLSS.

To cut the pursuit, the PS5 PRO update gives us a boost at 3072×1728 at the peak, with a dynamic resolution scaling in place to adapt to the load of the GPU. The introduction of DRS is new in the pro version, replacing the static fixed 1080p of the basic PS5 – which has a small case on the frequency of images. The lowest figure ever recorded on PS5 Pro is 2400×1350, captured during intensive boss battles where the frequency of screen filling effects is the most likely to hammer the GPU. Lower figures could of course be possible, potentially in subsequent areas. Despite this, this maximum possible 1728p on Pro is an event surprisingly frequent in the first three biomes that I have tested, and in fact, excessive verses on the promise of Housemarque of an increase of 2.5x. On the contrary, this better case value is closer to an increase of 2.56x compared to the 1920×1080 static resolution from the base of the base, which is a good bonus.

The result by comparing PS5 to PS5 Pro as you can imagine. Admittedly, the rapid rhythm of the return action means that a resolution boost will not always cry, but, assuming that you want to enjoy your vacuum, it is a clear upgrade. By focusing on the stairs or detailed textures of the ground, the moire models present on the basic PS5s are minimized. The sparkle is reduced on the hard edges, and in particular any sudden effects of effects, where the structure of the pixels appears in its raw form for a few frames, you will notice less alias.

Despite the upgrade, the PS5 PRO version always has a certain temporal instability, with a cross effect similar to the base of the PS5 because it increases to 4K – although the artifact is subtle on Pro because of its overall pixel density. It is not perfectly clean in each setting: there are raw edges if you know where to look for, but these are much thinner steps at 1728p. Second, an increase of 2.56x is not durable in each scenario. PS5 PRO offers a 1.45x increase in GPU power on the basic model after all – over 45% – which is ill -aligned with the requirements of this RES increase.

This is precisely where the scaling of dynamic resolution has an impact: we extract the highest quality frames where the space for the height of the GPU allows it, while at its lowest point, the quality of the image is even better than the basic PS5. Regarding the decline, it is a shame that the base of PS5 is not also modernized with the DR. This professional patch does exactly what he says about the tin. No other visual improvement is in place: volume, alpha effects, textures and shadows remain the same as before. It is rather a simple but direct way to buy higher GPU resources of PS5 Pro.

All this brings us to the next point which, in fact, there were alternative routes to the use of PS5 Pro. There are other attractive options that could have been explored, such as a 120 Hz mode – even if it requires a drop in resolution to contain a stable 120. The other road could have added the tracing features of the rays of the PC version. The reflections and shadows drawn by Ray are not essential – and indeed, each is delivered with its own limitations on PC – but would have been fascinating to see on Pro, even in optional RT mode. Here, it is not strangely considered and there remains an exclusive PC functionality. Likewise, many epic PC presets remain enclosed on PC – such as improved volume resolution. What we have left on Pro is just one way to play, without changing graphics to speak – but he offers what he has decided to do.

Performance tests are delicate. The highly randomized nature of the Ruglike design of Returnal means that the 1: 1 tests exact between PS5 and Pro are not possible. To summarize: the PS5 base works well at 60 frames per second, although there are certainly falls under the target. It is rare, but in the right circumstances, the images rates can drop. For example, the first battle of Boss in the initial level of invaded ruins fell into the mid -1950s, and likewise, there is a smaller degree of less than 60 drops during the main battles in the Sisyphe tower. Another aberrant value is the reappearance of the ship: there is often a brief restless passage of the game – getting started in the 1940s for the fate – although this is soon clearing on the basis of the PS5 while Selene stands. Finally, I noticed a very unusual point at a staircase in the first biome – with apparently nothing that happened – dropping us at 55 frames per second constant. These are our real aberrant moments to an experience of 60 images per second solid second, with only crossing drummers between the areas – some frames with a frame – to note.

Jump on PS5 PRO It is possible to recreate at least some of these moments. The good news is that the battles of Boss, like this by reserving the first biome, and on the tower, are entirely eliminated to a 60 images per stable second on Pro. Between its higher GPU clock speed and its greatest flexibility offered by the dynamic scaling, we can lock ourselves closely at 60 frames per second now in the two areas, which is great. Overall, the DRS scale between 1350p to 1728p seems to be well deemed and targets the capabilities of PS5 pro significantly. There is also good evidence that, although there may be falls later, randomized configurations of a level, and with sufficient progress, PS5 PRO fully corrected is theoretically more stable. The distance from a 1080p fixed on a basic PS5 gives it more latitude to adapt to the maelstrom possible effects from one moment to another. That being said, there is a small catch.

Crossing attempts remain, and there is also a slightly higher frequency of coupling at 50 ms on PS5 pro – several abandoned frames – just like an attack landed on the enemy. Perhaps the PS5 PRO needs a fraction of a second to adjust its resolution to an unexpected peak in the load, causing a greater peak on the graph of the time of the frame.

Speaking more generally on professional performance, it should be noted that time may well reveal greater drops. However, after several days to play the PS5 Pro until the third biome – and through the Tower area – I have not yet caught up major drops. This is not the last word: given the randomized nature of the game, more trying areas are certainly very possible. Indeed, the posters on Resetera note hollows of image frequency with the Patch PRO installed with suggestions there, it may have been better worked in a state of pre-treatment on Pro, using the rendering configuration of the basic PS5. This could well be the case while keeping in mind the conservative resolution target of the inherited code which should pass effortlessly. Aside from this, the perspectives are positive on the basis of the evidence of the correspondence of the constraint test zones: PS5 PRO is an improvement compared to the basic model by holding 60 frames per second, and we also obtain a clearer image in the negotiation.

Also unexpectedly that the professional patch is, fans will undoubtedly be delighted that the game receives more attention from Housemarque. Resolution and performance increases may not be the most ambitious use of professional equipment – but the extent of the increase in the number of pixels is surprising. When there is an increase of 2.56x to resolution, we must ask ourselves whether the scaling of dynamic resolution alone explains the difference when the pro itself provides only 45% of additional graphic performance. Despite this, the upgrade is impressive overall: the only minor intake is a higher occurrence of 50 ms of the building at the building only by hitting an enemy, but the advantages prevail over the disadvantages to be reached 60 more stable images per second with a significant upgrade of image quality. Returnal itself remains one of the best shooters ever made and in this spirit, the PRO upgrade is an excellent opportunity to revisit one of the classics of all time of this generation.