PS5 Pro hidden feature makes PS4 games look even better
It's not just PlayStation 5 games that will benefit from the PS5 Pro
🆕 A new PS5 Pro feature has been shared online
👀 Sony’s new console can enhance the image quality of some PS4 games
🔎 The difference is subtle, but there’s an improvement, nonetheless
🔜 The PS5 Pro releases on November 7 for $699.99
The PS5 Pro launch is just a few days away, but some lucky buyers have already got their hands on Sony’s new console. And it turns out there are some hidden features that Sony has kept quiet about. Specifically, the option to make some PS4 games look better than before.
A new toggle is available in the PS5 Pro’s ‘Video Output’ setting called ‘Enhance Image Quality for PS4 Games’. According to Sony, the toggle will let users “Improve the image quality of PS4 games to enjoy higher quality gameplay for some games.”
The new image quality enhancement toggle isn’t the same as PS5 Pro’s boost mode, which allows games that run at a dynamic resolution or have an unstable frame rate to reach higher thresholds and offer smoother performance.
The description warns that you should turn off the new feature if you experience unexpected behavior during gameplay, similar to the warning Sony included with the PS4 Pro’s boost mode.
Some users have already shared how the new setting affects PS4 games like Bloodborne, and while it’s very subtle, there is a slight improvement. Online compression doesn’t help, and the differences are probably more pronounced in person.
However, don’t expect a game-changing impact. Unlike the list of PS5 Pro enhanced games, which now sits at over 80 titles, this seems to be a system-level feature that may be temperamental – hence the warning. You won’t see the same obvious upgrades like with games that have been specifically patched to take full advantage of Sony’s new machine.
Still, it’s a nice perk for those who purchased the PS5 Pro, and adds a little more value to the $699.99 console. Sadly, that’s offset by the fact the PlayStation 5 Pro doesn’t come with a disc drive or vertical stand, and we recently found out that PS5 Slim covers won’t work with the new console, either.
The news comes after users shared that the PS5 Pro specs are better than we thought. The console has an extra 2GB of RAM, which should give developers more memory to play with. How that will benefit upcoming PS5 games that are enhanced for Sony’s new console remains to be seen.
Up next: PS5 vs PS5 Pro: how does the standard PlayStation 5 compare?
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.