PS4 Pro's Boost Mode Analyzed In Assassin's Creed, Bloodborne, Batman: Arkham Knight, More

PS4's latest 4.50 firmware update (currently only available in beta) introduces a Boost Mode to PS4 Pro, which, according to Sony, allows for "smoother gameplay on some PS4 games" that haven't already received PS4 Pro patches. Now, a new report from Digital Foundry seems to corroborate those claims, after tests on Bloodborne, Assassin's Creed Unity, and more.

It appears games' base frame rates don't show much--if any--improvement, but more demanding areas and moments in some games no longer cause the dip in frame rate they did before. Bloodborne, for example, is still capped at 30 FPS in Boost Mode, but its frame rate no longer dips to the mid-20s when running through certain sections of Yarnham. Batman: Arkham Knight sees similar enhancements in its driving sections, which now run at a steady 30 FPS with Boost Mode enabled.

Meanwhile Knack, Tomb Raider Definitive Edition, and Killzone: Shadow Fall all show a 14 percent overall frame rate increase in more demanding sections. This reflects the 14 percent rise in GPU clock speed between a normal PS4 and a Boost Mode-enabled PS4 Pro. CPU upgrades, meanwhile, grant Assassin's Creed Unity a 31 percent improvement during frame-dropping parts to 29 FPS.

Most impressive so far is Project Cars, which according to Digital Foundry shows a 35-38 percent improvement in frame rate, meaning the game's targeted 60 FPS is hit much more consistently.

It might not all be plain sailing, however. Sony says you should disable the feature if "you experience unexpected behavior during gameplay."

Results vary from game to game, then. Note that as Sony has not yet confirmed the feature as part of the final 4.50 firmware release, it's possible it may not make it into this upcoming update. Boost Mode's inclusion in 4.50 "is still under consideration," the company told GameSpot.

The 4.50 update also introduces external storage support, a revamped Quick Menu, and more.

For more on the upgraded Sony console, check out our list of every PS4 Pro game that is and isn't getting an upgrade patch.