Sony’s PlayStation 5 outsold Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and S in 2023, shipping a whopping three PS5s for every Xbox. For reasons like this, many agree that the PS5 has won this generation’s console war.
Sony hasn’t used this domination to put its feet up, however. Just like with the PS4 before it, Sony is apparently planning to release a Pro model of the PS5, based on the flurry of press reports and rumors that have popped up in recent months.
Leaked reports suggest that the PS5 Pro is going to be strapped with a more powerful GPU, enabling “enhanced” versions of games, and could possibly be hitting shelves by the end of the year. We’ve rounded up all the news, leaks, and rumors about the upcoming console.
What is the PS5 Pro?
The PS5 Pro is expected to be an upgraded revision to the current PS5. Although its existence has yet to be confirmed directly by Sony, many news outlets have reported leaked specs and details about the console.
The PS4 saw Pro and Slim revisions launched a few months apart. While the Pro version enabled 4K rendering, alongside other things, the Slim model… well, slimmed down its profile. We’ve already seen the launch of the PS5 Slim, so a PS5 Pro is a natural next step for Sony.
Tech YouTube channel Moore’s Law is Dead claims to have gotten its hands on a technical document for the PS5 Pro. Codenamed Trinity, the technical document includes details about seriously improved computing power and what graphics card Sony is planning to use, as well as a scheduled release date.
When is the PS5 Pro coming out?
The PS5 Pro is set for a 2024 “holiday” release, per the technical documents leaked to Moore’s Law is Dead and cross-referenced by Tom Henderson at Insider Gaming.
That said, this date is tentatively set and reportedly could be changed due to a lack of first-party games released on the PS5 this year. It’s been reported that Sony’s first-party studios have been testing PS5 Pro dev kits since September, and that third-party studios were granted access in January.
How much will the PS5 Pro cost?
There’s only speculation at this point, but we can look back to history for potential clues here.
For the previous PS4 Pro, the console cost $100 more than the Slim version. Using this logic, the PS5 Pro may cost $550, given that the PS5 Slim was released at $450. That’s $50 more than the regular PS5 (with a disc drive) cost at launch. Or perhaps Sony will rejigger the pricing structure and knock down the Slim price to accommodate a Pro model at $500.
How powerful will the PS5 Pro be?
If the leaks are real, then the PS5 Pro is going to pack some serious power.
The Pro version of the console is rumored to be 45% faster than the regular PS5, with twice the rendering speed. It will also be strapped with a much faster graphics card, which The Verge suggests is up to three times faster than that of the standard PS5. With this, the PS5 Pro could offer up to 4x more powerful ray tracing capabilities for dynamic and ultra-realistic lighting effects, Insider Gaming reported.
The PS5 Pro aims for games to consistently hit 60 frames per second (fps) at 4K resolution, with a “performance mode” allowing for games to run in 8K resolution. Aside from the improved hardware, the console reportedly plans to use a new upscaling/antialiasing solution called PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution Upscaling).
Reports also suggest the console could have 28% more system memory, and pack the same CPU but clocked up to 3.85GHz to pull more performance out of it. Also reportedly on the agenda are a custom machine learning architecture and an AI accelerator.
What games will the PS5 Pro run?
Of course, you can surely expect every game that runs on your regular PS5 to also run on the PS5 Pro—that’d be an incredible misfire if not. But it appears that we’re also going to get remaster-style updates specifically for the Pro, called “Enhanced” games.
The Verge was told by sources familiar with the plans that Sony is asking developers to create exclusive graphics modes in games for the PS5 Pro. In this mode, the game will use PSSR to upscale to 4K with added or increased ray-tracing capabilities, all while hitting 60 frames per second.
Games that meet Sony’s requirements will be plastered with an “Enhanced” label. Unlike remastered games, it appears Sony is expecting these improvements to come in the form of a patch, rather than releasing a whole new game. Equally, Sony expects game developers to start releasing games that support both the PS5 and the PS5 Pro consoles.
It’s also rumored that Sony is working on an “ultra-boost mode” for games released before the Pro’s launch that will make them run at higher and/or more stable frame rates, and possibly higher resolutions on the PS5 Pro.
What will the PS5 Pro look like?
When the PS5 was announced, the looks caused a stir online. Aside from aesthetics, its big and bulky design made it an inconvenient console for many gamers to house. This was largely addressed with the release of the PS5 Slim, which is arguably less awkward to fit into your living room decor.
As for the PS5 Pro, we’re yet to get any leaks or rumors regarding its form factor. Looking back at the PS4 Pro, the console was slightly larger than the regular PS4 with a very similar design. This comparison should be taken with a pinch of salt, however, as the PS4 never had the same level of scrutiny about its size.
It appears that we’re not far away from a new PlayStation console hitting the shelves. If the rumors and reports are true, then the console will be packing more of a punch than ever—and potentially hold players over until the PlayStation 6 and next-gen Xbox come along.
Stay tuned, as we’ll be updating this story with further leaks and reported details—and perhaps an official confirmation at some point this year.
Edited by Andrew Hayward
