Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Sony unlocks seventh PS4 core

By

ps4, game console, Sony
Image used with permission by copyright holder
According to data buried in a recent update for the FMOD audio tool, Sony has quietly released an SDK that will maintain Playstation 4’s supremacy over Microsoft’s Xbox One as far as graphics are concerned. Initially, two of Sony’s eight Jaguar cores on the PS4 were reserved for the operating system and other vital console tasks. Now, if this update report is accurate, Sony has opened up one more core to developers for use in games.

This comes after a similar move by Microsoft to try and close the performance gap between the two top-tier gaming consoles that have dominated the console gaming space since their respective releases. Microsoft released an update for Xbox One last year that unlocked more GPU bandwidth and another of the system’s cores, giving developers access to a coveted seventh out of eight. This meant a 10 percent improvement in GPU performance, but it also meant sacrificing some Kinect performance like voice commands — one of the features for which the system was so famous.

Recommended Videos

Both consoles use semi-custom eight-core AMD processors. While the Xbox One clocks its version higher than the PlayStation 4, technically giving it more CPU horsepower, the PS4 often performs better than the Xbox One due to its more powerful GPU and unified GDDR5 RAM architecture. Sony’s console hosts a GPU that hits 1.84 teraflops of raw power, while the Xbox One’s serves up 1.31 teraflops.

The first reports of Sony’s change to PS4 function came from the line in the FMOD Studio API revision history from November 17:  “Added FMOD_THREAD_CORE6 to allow access to the newly unlocked 7th core.” However, Sony has yet to make an official announcement about this, and debates continue to rage on various forums.

PS4 players — and end users — won’t see anything different immediately, but unlocking an additional core could help game performance in the future, and give developers the little bit extra they need to stuff more detail in their virtual worlds.

The PS4 has been selling twice as much as Xbox One, leaving Microsoft to make up ground. We’ll have to wait to the close of the holiday season for more concrete updates on the state of the console wars, but Sony’s latest move will make it just a bit harder for Microsoft to catch up.

Updated 12/1/15 correction to Xbox release date

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Aliya Barnwell
Aliya Barnwell
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Aliya Tyus-Barnwell is a writer, cyclist and gamer with an interest in technology. Also a fantasy fan, she's had fiction…
GTA 5 cheats: codes and phone numbers PS4, PS5, Xbox, and PC
The main characters of Grand Theft Auto V stand side-by-side.

A slam-dunk of a game for the talented developers at Rockstar, Grand Theft Auto V has been out for several years now, but it’s still an extremely popular title. We’re also guessing there’s some renewed interest in the game because the world knows we’re getting a Grand Theft Auto VI in the somewhat-near future. If you’ve ever played a GTA game, you’ll know the going can get a little tough from time to time. This is why it’s nice to live in a world with cheat codes. 

Whether you just want to have a ton of fun with unlimited health and ammunition, or you’re seriously struggling with a certain section of the game, we’ve rounded up all the cheat codes you’ll need to know for GTA V, for platforms including PS4, PS5, Xbox, and PC.
How to use GTA 5 cheats
There are a few ways to enter GTA 5 cheat codes. The first and easiest is to use your cellphone. You can open your cellphone by pressing Up on the D-pad. From there, enter the corresponding number, and the cheat will fire. You can also classically input cheats by following a specific button combination. The combinations are the same across PlayStation and Xbox, but we've split them up to account for their different button-naming conventions, so it should feel more natural reading and entering them.
GTA 5 character cheats
Max Health and Armor

Read more
PS5 Pro: news, rumored release date, price, and specs
A PS5 standing on a table, with purple lights around it.

Rumors are running rampant about a supposed PlayStation 5 Pro, or PS5 Pro for short. Just like we got a mid-generation upgrade with the PS4 Pro  during the last console cycle, many people are expecting PlayStation to release an incrementally more powerful machine to bridge the gap between the launch unit and an eventual PlayStation 6. Leaks have been coming out from some fairly credible sources, with a lot of juicy and very specific details about what a hypothetical PS5 Pro could look like. As credible as these sources may be, we do still need to take everything we see with some skepticism until Sony officially confirms that this system even exists. Until then, here are all the rumors out there regarding the PS5 Pro.
Rumored release window

A constant release window that all leaks have pointed to is sometime in Fall of 2024. That's right around the corner, probably in the September through November range, meaning we should be getting an official announcement on the console if that is indeed the plan. It appears that PS5 Pro dev kits are now in the hands of more developers, who have been asked that PS5 Pro-enhanced games be submitted for certification in August. These developments point toward a 2024 release.

Read more
3 underrated PS Plus games you should play this weekend (May 3-5)
The main character of Tales of Kenzera: Zau stands with two elemental items.

PlayStation Plus Premium and Extra have been around for almost two years, and during that time the subscription service has established itself as an ample competitor to Xbox Game Pass. That means there is a wealth of great games for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 owners to check out if they're looking for something to play this weekend. I think PS Plus subscribers should be looking toward some of the more underrated games in the subscription service this weekend too.

I have three particular picks in mind. The first is an enjoyable Metroidvania that came to PS Plus' game catalog when it launched just a couple of weeks ago and deserves a lot more attention than it's getting. After that, there's an action-platformer that pays homage to series like Ninja Gaiden that you should check out before it leaves the catalog. Finally, there's a PS2-era Star Wars game that fills the niche a recently canceled game would have.
Tales of Kenzera: Zau

Read more