It is nearly time for the ‘holiday season’, and often in tech, that means new hardware to purchase – and for video game console players, there’s a new PlayStation 5 Pro.
Releasing in two months from now, the Pro will sit alongside the existing PS5, with Sony’s stated aim to minimise the gap between graphics and performance modes typically seen in contemporary gaming.
To hit this target, the PS5 Pro has three key features:
- Larger graphics processing unit (GPU) – 67% larger, 28% faster RAM, up to 45% faster rendering when compared to standard PS5 – “A streamlining and accelerated approach that allows calculation of the rays at double, or even triple, the speeds of PlayStation 5,” said Mark Cerny, Lead Architect of the PS5.
- ‘Advanced’ ray tracing.
- AI-driven upscaling – Using an AI library called PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) to analyse games “pixel by pixel, and can add an extraordinary amount of detail, which boosts the effect of resolution of the games,” continued Cerny.
Sony has showcased several examples. For instance, the level of detail in The Last of Us Part II during 60 frames per second gameplay is akin to that of the 30fps graphics mode on the ‘standard’ PS5.
Gran Turismo 7 is purportedly still able to run at 60fps but now adds ray tracing of car reflections in-race – something that was previously reserved for a 30fps cap and only for replays/menus.
While no specific details were provided at this stage The Crew Motorfest was also briefly used as part of a montage of games purportedly improved by the new device.
The Pro will include a 2TB SSD for storage (which can be expanded) and a DualSense controller. The disc drive is an available optional extra for $79.99/£99.99
The PS5 was released in November 2020, right in the midst of a pandemic. A mix of high demand and chip shortages led to scarce quantities of consoles, and a second-hand market that outstripped the value of a new machine.
Since launch, there have been two versions – one with a Blu-ray drive and one without, but both had the same horsepower. Last year, the form factor was revised for both with a ‘slim’ model replacing the original design.
Sales of the PS5 have far outstripped the nearest competitor, the Xbox Series X|S, with over 50 million sold as of December 2023 – the most recent comparison being 21 million Microsoft devices sold by June 2023.
The PS5 Pro follows a similar pattern to the PlayStation 4’s lifecycle, only slightly later, with the PS4 Pro derivative released three years after the original.
PS5 Pro release date
- The PS5 Pro will be released 7th November 2024, with pre-orders starting 26th September 2024.
PS5 Pro price
- The PS5 Pro will cost $699.99 (USD), £699.99, €799.99 and ¥119,980 JPY.
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