Today, Sony released a video which served as a replacement for their GDC conference, after that event’s recent cancellation. As expected, the video offers a deep dive into the technical specs of the upcoming PS5, giving gamers a first look at their new hardware. Among the reveals was a revolutionary new system which Sony is calling the PS5 ‘Boost’.
How Sony’s New PS5 Boost System Works
One of the most notable aspects of the PS5’s specs is its sheer processing power, provided by its custom SSD and GPUs. However, while these components are powerful, it’s the PS5 Boost system which really makes the console so impressive. Mark Cerny, the console’s System Architect, called the Boost today a; “completely different paradigm,” and it’s clear why.
Currently, the performance of consoles, PCs, and other such devices is affected by the environment around them; If a console is running in hot temperatures, it’s more likely to see a drop in performance, particularly when it comes to frame-rates. However, the PS5 boost allows the console to get past this issue. “Rather than running at constant frequency and letting the power vary based on the workload,” explains Cerny; “we run at essentially constant power and let the frequency vary based on the workload.”
Internally, every PS5 will have a monitor to adjust frequencies to match the CPU and GPU workloads. This is a radically different approach when it comes to this sort of system, and could be the most significant difference between the PS5 and Xbox Series X. Although the Series X does have a more powerful GPU, the PS5 boost system could actually mean that the PS5 offers better and more consistent performance overall. Of course, it’s hard to know what the case is until gamers get to see actual console gameplay to compare. However, for the time being, it’s worth not jumping to the conclusion that the Series X will have better performance just because it seems to be more powerful.