New PS5 Feature Will Limit Performance In Some Games To Save Power

Sony has announced that a new beta firmware update for the PlayStation 5 will begin rolling out to select users starting this week. One noteworthy aspect of this update is that it will include a feature that lets you cut back on your PS5’s power consumption while playing games, though doing so will come at a hit to performance.

On July 23, Sony outlined a new PS5 console update that will begin rolling out to a limited number of users tomorrow. Users will be notified of their involvement via email and can opt in or out of the beta. One big feature being added in the update is the ability to have your PS5 controller sync up to multiple devices and switch between them quickly, no resyncing needed. It’s a nifty feature present on current-gen Xbox controllers and will make it easy to use your PS5 gamepad wirelessly on both your PC and console. But the more interesting news is an upcoming PS5 feature Sony is calling “Power Saver.”

Power Saver won’t be active in the beta, but will go live for everyone in the future. If users turn the optional feature on, the PS5 console will “scale back performance” while playing certain games in order to lower its power consumption. If games don’t support the feature, it won’t kick in.

Sony doesn’t go into great detail about what “scale back performance” means, but it does mention in some small print text at the bottom of the post that Power Saver won’t support VR games and that some “gameplay features may be limited.” To me, that seems to imply that you won’t be able to run some games at higher framerates when using Power Saver. And because VR demands high framerates to work, that would make Power Saver unusable. I also wonder if we might see some games turn off raytracing or other intense visual options when Power Saver is activated.

“At [Sony Interactive Entertainment], we are committed to Sony’s ‘Road to Zero’ environmental plan, launched in 2010, which includes achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2040,” said Sony in the blog post. “We are always exploring how we can contribute to these goals through our products and services.”

Sony says it will share more details in the near future about Power Saver mode and how it will impact games as we get closer to the option going live.

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