The Future of Ray Tracing: A Breakthrough on PS5 Pro
The gaming industry is buzzing with the news of a groundbreaking achievement by Codemasters. In a recent presentation at GDC 2026, the developers unveiled a path-traced prototype of F1 25 running smoothly on the PS5 Pro, pushing the boundaries of what we thought was possible on current-gen consoles.
Path tracing, a highly demanding form of ray tracing, typically requires beefy PC hardware and low resolutions to achieve playable frame rates. So, getting it to run on a console like the PS5 Pro is no small feat. It's like fitting a square peg in a round hole, but somehow, they've managed to do it!
The presentation, 'Path Tracing at 200mph', reveals that the RX 9070 XT graphics card can handle path tracing surprisingly well, delivering a solid 30fps at 4K resolution during a night race. This success sparked curiosity about how less powerful hardware, like the PS5 Pro, would fare.
Console Ray Tracing: A Surprising Turn
The real surprise came when Codemasters showcased a video of F1 25 with path tracing on the PS5 Pro. The game runs at an internal resolution of 1080p, upscaled to 4K using PSSR. Initially, a direct port from the PC version struggled with frame rates, but a more advanced prototype, 'ORCA', achieved an impressive 43fps on average.
This is where it gets interesting. The performance was tested during the day at Imola, a relatively less demanding scenario. The real challenge would be maintaining this performance at night or on wet tracks, where dynamic light sources crank up the computational cost. It's like trying to run a marathon in the Sahara Desert; the conditions can make or break your performance.
Implications and Possibilities
Despite being a research project, this prototype opens up exciting possibilities. It suggests that path tracing on the PS5 Pro, and potentially future consoles, is more feasible than previously thought. The fact that PS5 architect Mark Cerny is acknowledged in the presentation hints at a possible special release of a path-traced F1 game for the PS5 Pro in the future. Personally, I think this could be a game-changer for console gaming, offering PC-like graphics experiences on living room TVs.
What many people don't realize is that this achievement is not just about faster cars and prettier visuals. It's about pushing the limits of console hardware and exploring new ways to enhance the gaming experience. The techniques used here, like DDGI for stable lighting, could find their way into other games, revolutionizing the way we experience interactive entertainment.
In my opinion, this development is a glimpse into the future of console gaming, where the line between PC and console graphics continues to blur. It's a testament to the relentless pursuit of innovation in the gaming industry, and I can't wait to see what comes next. The future is bright, and it's running at 200mph!
