Sony has unveiled its long-rumouredPS5 Pro console. Launching worldwide on November 7, the powerful new PlayStation will cost a whopping £699.99 in the UK — that's £310 more than the most affordable PS5 console.
The PS5 Pro doesn't include a disc drive as standard, so you won't be able to play physical games or Blu-rays without spending an extra £99.99 with Sony. Ouch.
Softening the blow slightly is the fact that PS5 Pro comes equipped with a 2TB Solid State Drive, or SSD, to store digital downloads. It also supports the newest Wi-Fi 7 standard, so downloads from the store should be speedy.
Preorders will begin on September 26, 2024.
The upgraded PS5 Pro console was unveiled in a nine-minute presentation from PlayStation 5 lead architect Mark Cerny, which was announced out-of-nowhere less than 24-hours ago. Streamed live on YouTube and Twitch.tv, Mr Cerny took players through the advances under the bonnet of the new console.
The new PS5 Pro will go head-to-head with the revised Xbox Series X announced earlier this summerduring the all-important Christmas shopping rush. PS5 Pro does not replace any models in the current lineup, Sony will continue to sell a digital-only variant of the PS5 for £389, rising to £479.99 for the standard PS5 console with a disc drive capable of playing physical games and Blu-rays. Both of these models were refreshed last year with a slimmer design and an extra USB-C port for accessories on the front.
PlayStation 5 Lead Architect Mark Cerny says the goal behind building the all-new PS5 Pro was to create a console where players didn't have to choose between Fidelity and Performance Modes. These options have become commonplace in modern blockbuster games, with the former emphasising the graphical capabilities of the console with lush 4K Ultra HD visuals and features like Ray-Tracing, while the latter prioritises a smooth 60 frames-per-second gameplay for faster response times.
Given the choice, most PS5 owners will favour the 60 frames-per-second gameplay, Mr Cerny says. PS5 Pro is designed to offer Fidelity Mode-like visuals while maintaining a consistent 60 frames-per-second.
To do that, the upgraded new console boasts several key enhancements:
- Upgraded GPU with 67% more Compute Units and 28% faster memory
- Advanced Ray Tracing for enhanced lighting effects, up to 3x the speed of the current PS5
- AI-driven upscaling via all-new PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, or PSSR
- PS5 Pro Game Boost for over 8,500 backward compatible PS4 games
- Enhanced Image Quality for select PS4 games
- Wi-Fi 7 support for faster downloads and stutter-free online gameplay
- VRR and 8K gaming support
PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) technology looks set to rival Nvidia's DLSS and AMD's FSR. If you're not familiar with the initialisms, these technologies essentially enable intelligent upscaling — rendering frames at a lower resolution to boost frame-rate (critical for fast-paced gameplay since it can improve reaction time from players) and then using machine learning to upscale the image quality of the frames so that they look as sharp as the native resolution.
This looks to be the secret-sauce that enables the high-quality visuals, despite the smooth 60 frames-per-second gameplay that Sony hopes to offer to players.
Sony says it's planning new console covers that match the refreshed design to allow players to customise their PS5 Pro. This is something that launched in the months following the introduction of the original console
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Ray-tracing capabilities, which maps-out light across a digital scene to calculate where shadows would fall in real-life, is supercharged with 3x the performance of the current PS5 console. This should lead to more realistic lighting, reflections, and shadows in enhanced and upcoming games.
Using the new PSSR system and upgraded internals, Sony will finally some gameplay at 8K resolution on the PS5 Pro — a feature promised with the original console, but later removed from the packaging.
The PS5 Pro stands as tall as the original PS5 console launched back in 2020, while it's still a little slimmer than that model — matching the width of the current-generation PS5 model. There's no disc drive in the box, so you'll need to spend an extra £99.99 with Sony for the Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Drive.
Sony says it plans to launch new console covers soon to unlock new customisation.
The PS5 Pro maintains compatibility with all existing PS5 accessories, including PlayStation VR2, PlayStation Portal, DualSense Edge, Access controller, Pulse Elite and Pulse Explore. This ensures a seamless transition for current PS5 owners looking to upgrade, the Japanese gaming giant says.
Sony's all-new PS5 Pro console doesn't include a disc drive as standard, so you won't be able to play physical games or Blu-rays without spending an extra £99.99
GETTY IMAGESSeveral popular games will receive free software updates to take advantage of the PS5 Pro's enhanced capabilities. These titles will be identifiable by a "PS5 Pro Enhanced" label.
Notable games set for enhancement include Alan Wake 2, Assassin's Creed: Shadows, Demon's Souls, Dragon's Dogma 2, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Gran Turismo 7, Hogwarts Legacy, Horizon Forbidden West, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, and The Last of Us Part II Remastered.
These updates promise to leverage the console's improved GPU and ray tracing capabilities, offering players enhanced visuals and performance across a range of genres.
Every PS5 Pro purchase comes with a DualSense wireless controller and a preinstalled copy of Astro's Playroom.
The console will be available through participating retailers and directly from PlayStation's website.
It's worth noting that, unlike previous generations, PlayStation hardware costs have actually increased over time. The original PS5 launched at £449 in 2020, with prices slowly increasing in the last four years.
Some believe that Sony's timing of the PS5 Pro announcement is designed to capitalise on interest in Grand Theft Auto VI, which will launch sometime in the new year.
GTA 6 is the sequel to the biggest-selling entertainment product of all time — selling over 190 million copies worldwide and generating revenue of $8.5 billion for Edinburgh-based developers Rockstar North and parent company Take-Two Interactive.
Sony didn't confirm whether Grand Theft Auto VI will be optimised to take advantage of the new console.