Sony has officially revealed the long-rumored mid-generation upgrade model for the PlayStation 5. Dubbed the PlayStation 5 Pro (just like the PS4 Pro before it) the new, more powerful console will be released on Nov. 7 and cost $699.99.
The PS5 Pro is styled like previous PS5 models, except for a triple groove across its flanks. It has the same dimensions as the current PS5 models, but it is only available in an all-digital version; a 4K Blu-ray disc drive will be sold separately.
Sony promises that the machine will run games at smoother frame rates, higher display resolutions, and with better ray-tracing — a technology that creates realistic lighting, reflections, and shadows — than the base PS5.
In a video presentation on Tuesday, PlayStation’s head boffin Mark Cerny said the console design focused on a “big three” of new technologies: a larger graphics processing unit, with 45% faster rendering than the base PS5; advanced ray-tracing that operates at double or triple the speeds of the base console; and an AI-driven upscaler that improves display resolution and the sharpness of the images.
Cerny said the aim of the console was to eliminate the difficult choice between Fidelity mode and Performance mode on current games. In the presentation, he showed games he said were running at “something like” Fidelity mode levels of detail, but at double the frame rate of the base PS5. The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered’s Fidelity mode will run at 60 frames per second on PS5 Pro, for example. Meanwhile, Performance modes on several games boast much sharper, higher-resolution images.
Cerny also showed enhanced versions of Horizon: Forbidden West running with improved graphics, Gran Turismo 7 with ray-traced reflections between cars at 60 fps, and Hogwarts Legacy with better reflections and shadows. Other games getting enhanced versions include Alan Wake 2, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, Demon’s Souls, Dragon’s Dogma 2, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, The Crew Motorfest, The First Descendant, and The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered.
Outside of enhanced versions of games, a new feature called Game Boost “may stabilize or improve performance” on the PS5 Pro across the entire PS5 and backward-compatible PS4 libraries, Sony said. Enhanced Image Quality for PS4 games will improve the resolution on select titles.
Thanks to developer documentation that leaked earlier in the year, the PS5 Pro’s specs were already known and understood. The short, layperson’s version is that PS5 Pro should deliver superb image quality on a 4K TV, and that more games will boast better ray-tracing features when running on the console. But the big gains in frame rate that many gamers will be hoping for will likely be beyond it. Instead, the console will offer smoother, more consistent performance.
Considering the nearly $700 asking price, that might not seem like much. When PS4 Pro launched in 2016, TV manufacturers were pushing 4K displays hard, so there was an obvious market for a console that could support them. There are no such changes happening in the TV market right now, so Sony might have a harder time convincing PS5 owners of the need to upgrade. But, as analysts have pointed out, the release of Grand Theft Auto 6 in 2025 might present Sony with an opportunity to market the PS5 Pro as the best way to play what is likely to be the biggest game of the decade.
