Doom: The Dark Ages Experiences Performance Bugs on PlayStation 5 Pro

Early gameplay of Doom: The Dark Ages suggests that the PlayStation 5 Pro edition will not deliver quite so silky-smooth a performance as some gamers hope. A comparison of all next-generation first-person shooter console iterations suggests that visual definition on Sony’s new console appears tighter in static images but its frame rate is lagging slightly behind the Xbox Series X.

All four console iterations of the game are targeting 60 frames-per-second. Whereas, the breakdown indicates the Xbox Series X is the only hardware currently running this consistently throughout most of the early levels of the game. Meanwhile, the PlayStation 5 Pro has been said to dip, at times, into the lower 50s frame rate while handling particularly gruesome combat scenarios. This difference, while perhaps not egregiously perturbing to the passing pedestrian, might prove discernible to fans who value having a steadily smooth gameplay experience.

Interestingly enough, even considering the superior hardware of the PS5 Pro, the game isn’t really seemingly leveraging its PSSR AI-upscaling capability. This has prompted some pundits to characterize the Pro updates as less impressive than had been hoped for a showcase title. Whereas the PS5 Pro does boast a maximum resolution of 1800p compared to other consoles, providing a sharper image when in periods of static movement, the loss in performance may be a compromise for gamers that prioritize smoothness over sheer visual definition in moments of frantic action.

The standard PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series S, both targeting 60 frames per second, also seem to have some variability, although the contrast really brings out the relative variability of the PS5 Pro relative to its closest competitor, the Xbox Series X.

Finally, for those with multiple console choices available to them, the question of where to play Doom: The Dark Ages might be one of personal choice between slightly enhanced visual clarity and a smoother frame rate. Whether additional optimizations or developer patches will be able to fix the seen performance disparities on the PlayStation 5 Pro remains to be seen, perhaps optimizing its particular hardware components in the final release even more. The gaming community will certainly keep a close eye on the ball as the launch window draws near.