‘Fallout 4’ PS4 Pro Patch Vs Boost Mode: Should You Update?

With the PS4 Pro patch for Fallout 4 here, is it better to update right away, or are you better off roaming the wastelands on that phenomenal Boost Mode?

We have been waiting for this and now it’s finally come. Game Spot reports that a pair of new updates for Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Special Edition and Fallout 4 have just landed and the much-awaited PS4 Pro patch for Fallout 4 is included in this update.

Fallout 4 update 1.9 includes, in its 460 MB update size, a sizable amount of features and fixes, which includes:

• Enhanced PS4 Pro Support
• Support for High Resolution Texture Pack (PC only)
• Added Featured category for mods
• Added ability to sort Highest Rated and Most Favorited filters by day, week, month and all time
• Added number of ratings count to Mods Browsing Menu
• Added number of favorites count to Mod Details page
• Added required dependencies to Mod Details page
• Added latest version number and notes to Mod Details page
• General performance and stability improvements
• Improvements to Reporting mods categories
• Fixed occasional crashes while scrolling through Load Order menu
• Improved Bethesda.net error messaging

So let’s zoom in on the single most important feature of this update for Fallout 4, which is the PS4 Pro patch.

When PS4 Pro came out, it wasn’t one of the best-received updates to console gaming. Its hefty price tag did not come with a substantial boost in performance. But all of the negativity about the PS4 Pro was laid to rest when Boost Mode—or rather, Beast Mode—finally landed.

Boost Mode has been phenomenal. Inquisitr previously reported how more than a handful of PS4 games without PS4 Pro patches were already so much better when played with the PS4 Pro, thanks to the Boost Mode. Frame rates were better, load times were quicker, and gameplay was generally smoother. Fallout 4 was, of course, one of the many games that finally saw the sunshine with Boost Mode. This Gen Gaming reported that, upon testing Fallout 4 on the PS4 Pro with Boost Mode on, Fallout 4 ran smoother and load times were significantly better.

But the PS4 Pro patch is finally here. Will there still be a need for Boost Mode for Fallout 4? We have yet to hear from Digital Foundry, one of the most (if not the most) credible sources for performance and frame rates, but those hardcore gamers at Reddit already have their own opinions about the PS4 Pro patch in comparison to the Boost Mode. So before you jump on that horse and update to Fallout 4 1.9, hear them out first, because downgrading will not be an option for you.

Apparently, those at Reddit who have tried Fallout 4 on Boost Mode and have eagerly downloaded the PS4 Pro patch that came with update 1.9 are not too pleased. Reddit user MartyHD, for one, already noticed that Fallout 4 with the PS4 Pro patch does not play as stable as it does on Boost Mode.

A lot of gamers think that 60 fps should be a standard for AAA games at this point but a lot of titles continue to disappoint, releasing games that run lower than 30 fps until further updates. And Fallout 4 is not an exception. When Fallout 4 came out in 2015, it had one of the worst dropping frame rates. Some players experienced it drop to single digits, WCCFTech reported. And while constant updates from Bethesda fixed this, it really still wasn’t the smoothest game to play—until Boost Mode, that is.

But with a lot of Fallout 4 players already satisfied with Boost Mode, is there even a need for the PS4 Pro patch, when some players report stuttering and unstable plays on the new patch? Boost Mode has made Fallout 4 Far Harbor, an extension made available to Fallout 4 in 2016, so much smoother to play (if not entirely playable), but reports from gamers are coming in that the PS4 Pro patch just made this new-found stability go away.

Kotaku, however, reports that the PS4 Pro patch for Fallout 4 delivered 1440p resolution, increased draw distances, and enhanced God Ray effects, which made for enhanced graphics and resolution.

But the thing is, you can’t just choose Boost Mode anymore when you’ve got the PS4 Pro patch installed. Boost Mode is only available for PS4 games that have no PS4 Pro patch installed since PS4 Pro-supported games already run at the 2.1 Ghz CPU and 911 Mhz GPU clock speeds that the Pro supports.

So should you upgrade your Fallout 4 to the latest 1.9 update if you’re on the PS4 Pro? Maybe not just yet. Let’s wait for Digital Foundry to come out with the official number. Until then, you can watch this guy roam around his own PS4 Pro-patched Fallout 4 wastelands below.

[Featured image by Bethesda]