After months of rumors, speculation, and leaks from game developers, Sony has finally unveiled the PS5 Pro. It is what everyone expected it to be; a more powerful version of the standard PlayStation 5. But having watched the announcement, and viewed comparisons of games running on both the PS5 Pro and ordinary PS5, I’m thoroughly unimpressed.
Sony Finally Unveils the PS5 Pro
In a 9-minute presentation that Sony teased on Monday, Mark Cerny, the Lead Architect of the PS5 hardware, took the wraps off the new PS5 Pro. After talking up the existing hardware, he then revealed its more powerful sibling, the PS5 Pro.
In both the live stream and subsequent PlayStation Blog post, there is plenty of talk of an upgraded GPU, advanced ray-tracing, and AI-drive upscaling, but given that it’s always better to show rather than tell, the focus has to be on how these improvements will impact how PS5 games actually look and play.
What to Expect From the PS5 Pro
There are three key factors that Sony has sought to improve with the PS5 Pro:
- An upgraded GPU means “67% more Compute Units” and “28% faster memory”. The overall effect of that is “up to 45% faster rendering for gameplay”.
- Advanced ray-tracing means “more dynamic reflection and refraction of light,” with the rates doubling or even tripling the speeds of the standard PlayStation 5.
- AI-driven upscaling arrives in the form of what Sony calls PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution. This adds extra pixels to provide “super sharp image clarity”.
Going forward, all games will support the PS5 Pro hardware. There will also be patches for several games, and they will come with a PS5 Pro Enhanced label attached. There’s also a PS5 Pro Game Boost feature making sure that all past PS4 and PS5 games are not only compatible with, but may also be improved by, the technology.
In terms of the console itself, it looks very much like the existing hardware except for three black stripes running around its midriff. The PS5 Pro is the same height as the original console, and the same width as the PS5 Slim. The PS5 Pro does not include a Disc Drive as standard, with gamers needing to purchase one separately. It does, however, come with a 2TB SSD.
The PS5 Pro will be available to buy from November 7, 2024, with preorders being taken from September 26, 2024. The price is higher than anticipated though, with the PS5 Pro costing $699.99 in the US, £699.99 in the UK, and €799.99 in the EU.
My Initial Reaction? Underwhelmed
As I said at the top of this article, my initial reaction to the PS5 Pro is one of disappointment.
This console is what it was always going to be; a more powerful version of the existing hardware for those who want games to look as good as possible. However, I can barely notice the differences between individual titles being played on the PS5 and the PS5 Pro, even when they’re being pointed out. Which suggests I’m not the target audience here.
Having said that, if you have enough money to buy a PS5 Pro, and would appreciate the improvements in the visual department, it’s good to have the option. And with this console generation likely to last 8-9 years, the PS5 Pro gives the PlayStation 5 a mid-generation bump in power and performance.
