For months, the gaming community has been debating how far Sony has gone with the PS5 Pro truly moving towards high-end graphics. Now, of all people, Gaijin Entertainment – the developers behind – is delivering. War Thunder – An interesting answer: Yes, the console can technically display path tracing. But whether that happens in practice is another matter.
László Perneky, lead programmer at Gaijin, explains to WccftechThe PS5 Pro is fundamentally powerful enough to support Path Tracing Global Illumination (PTGI). However, the performance has to be adequate, and currently the focus is on implementing classic ray tracing effects. Only once it's clear how much GPU budget remains will they evaluate whether PTGI is feasible.
In other words, the hardware is ready, but the software fine-tuning is what makes the difference.
Between theory and reality
What sounds like a minor technical detail is actually a fascinating indicator of the PS5 Pro's capabilities. Path tracing is something like the pinnacle of lighting calculations: realistic, but extremely computationally intensive. On PC, games like Cyberpunk 2077 or Alan wake 2 Impressive examples, but only with high-end GPUs and often massive support through upscaling technologies.
Sony itself has remained tight-lipped on this issue so far. Mark Cerny, architect of the PS5 Pro hardware, had already emphasized that it wasn't a simple yes-or-no question. Every engine handles ray tracing and path tracing differently, so a blanket performance promise would be irresponsible.
Gaijin indirectly confirms this. Only with targeted adjustments to the engine could the PS5 Pro handle the feature cleanly.
Realistic expectations instead of wishful thinking
Even if War Thunder If path tracing gets "light" in the future, meaning an optimized version like PTGI, it will likely remain more of a technical experiment than a standard feature. Full-fledged path tracing in games will probably only arrive with the next generation. PS6 to the real stage.
Nevertheless, the developers' statement is interesting. It shows that Sony is actually getting closer to PC graphics with the PS5 Pro than many skeptics believe. The hardware is capable of more than has been seen so far; someone just needs the courage to truly push it to its limits.
The PS5 Pro could theoretically support path tracing. In practice, the feature remains a distant prospect for now. But the mere fact that developers like Gaijin are seriously discussing it is a good sign. Perhaps we'll soon witness the moment when the console reveals its true potential.
