A new boot method using Linuxmade available last month, increased to the possibilities for PlayStation 5 owners that maintained old versions of the console’s firmware.
The tool allows convert the system into a functional PCand technology experts from Digital Foundry exploited this capability to conduct a test of path tracing which revealed unexpected results for hardware originally designed for gaming without this feature.
PS5 behavior with path tracing in the three titles analyzed
You three games selected represent different generations of path tracing implementation on PCs, and all performed the technique on Sony’s console. The experience, however, varied significantly depending on the title.
| Game | Resolution and reconstruction technology | Frame rate | Technical note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quake II RTX | native 4K | 10 FPS | Default settings, average global illumination |
| Quake II RTX | TAAU to 4K (50% scale, 1080p base) | 40 FPS (average) | Significant improvement over native 4K |
| Quake II RTX | Dynamic Resolution Scaling (DRS), 25% lower limit (540p) | 60 FPS | Visual quality would support an official release for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S |
| RTX Portal | TAAU for 1080p (540p internal) | 30 FPS (maximum) | Noise removal; dedicated upscaler would mitigate the problem |
| Cyberpunk 2077(RT Overdrive) | 1080p with XeSS Performance | 22.6 FPS (average) | Respectable result for hardware without path tracing design |
| Cyberpunk 2077(RT Overdrive) | 1920×800 (348p internal with XeSS Performance) | 26.9 FPS (average) | Reduced output resolution for performance gains |
| Cyberpunk 2077(RT Overdrive + PT Optimized mod) | 1920×800 (348p internal with XeSS Performance), lightning bounce reduced from 2 to 1 | 35.5 FPS (average) | 32% improvement with mod optimization |
| Cyberpunk 2077(RT Overdrive + PT Optimized mod + AMD FSR 3.1 Frame Generation) | 1920×800 (348p internal with XeSS Performance) | 70 FPS (reported) | Interpolated frames do not display adequate visual correction; lower real rate perception |

Technical difference between the games and the role of each one in the experiment
Quake II RTX marks the first major commercial launch to adopt path tracing and despite the age of the base game, the renewed lighting transforms the experience.
Soon after, RTX Portal debuted the use of the platform RTX Remix from the NVIDIA for remastering classic titles. And, the (today) darling Cyberpunk 2077with the mode RT Overdriveis positioned as the most demanding test among the three.
THE Quake II RTX behavior on the console indicates that indie game developers, working with assets that do not require cutting-edge technology, could enable path tracing support in the system with satisfactory results.
In turn and no less important, RTX Portal demonstrated technical feasibilitybut the combination of unrefined visuals and frame rate at the limit of acceptable it cannot be recommended as an experience that players would choose with goodwill.

How the PS5 Pro and the future PS6 would look in these tests
The experts from Digital Foundry pointed out that the result of this test would have different results in PS5 Pro (or simply PlayStation 5 Professionall, how they like to play).
Enhanced ray tracing hardware, combined with PSSR 2 technology (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution), would change the level of performance, as demonstrated by technical presentation with path tracing of F1 25 during the GDC 2026.
And talking about the next generation, the PS6predicted to deliver a significant leap in ray tracing performance combined to PSSR updatedcreates real expectations that next-gen games will support path tracing in some form.
And there? What did you think of the news? He believes that, with the positive results in PS5 Amateurthe PS5 Pro Could it really make path tracing possible on consoles? Share your point of view in this post and continue following the Adrenaline!
Source: WCCFtech
PS5 with Linux runs games with almost native performance on the console
Source: www.adrenaline.com.br
Source link
