Sony has announced the all-new PlayStation 5 Pro, its latest PS5 version and the most powerful console Sony has made till date. The console is considered a mid-life upgrade with upgraded specifications and features.
The main selling point of the new PS5 Pro is its upgraded GPU, which features 67% more Compute Units than the current PlayStation 5. The memory on the new console is also 28% faster, and this results with up to 45% faster rendering for smoother gameplay. On a PS5 Pro technical presentation by Mark Cerny, it was revealed that the main goal was to provide gamers with a faster performance while having the goodness of image quality. On the contrary, most users choose to always choose performance mode for 60fps performance on the original PS5, because the quality modes sacrifice on framerates locked at 30fps.
The PS5 Pro comes with advanced ray tracing capabilities, resulting in better dynamic resolution and refraction of light. Sony mentions that the PS5 Pro is capable of up to three times the RT performance of the original PS5. Then there is the new PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), an AI-based upscaling technology with machine learning that provides shaper images and details.
While the original PS5 features Game Boost technology, Sony mentions that the new PS5 Pro has its own version of Game Boost, will be capable of boosting performance, and is compatible with over 8500 PS4 games. We will just have to wait and see which PS4 games will benefit from the PS5 Pro’s Game Boost, perhaps 60fps gameplay for games such as DriveClub, The Order 1866, and more. Sony also mentions that the new console comes with support for WiFi 7.
Sony also lists out some PS5 games that will receive PS5 Pro Enhanced upgrades for better visuals and performance, and this includes 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, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, The Crew Motorfest, The First Descendant, The Last of Us Part II Remastered, and more.
Another interesting upgrade is that the new PS5 Pro comes with a 2TB SSD drive. Unlike the previous PS5 editions, the new PlayStation 5 Pro console comes in a digital-only version. However, the company does mention that users will be able to buy the separate disc drive add-on. The console is scheduled to launch on November 7th, 2024, and the price is a bit steep as compared to the original model, costing 699.99 dollars.