Sony has officially unveiled the PlayStation 5 Pro, the worst kept secret in the industry for the last few months. Earlier today, Mark Cerny shared details on Sony’s most advanced and innovative console hardware to date, aimed at running games in fidelity mode at 60fps. To do so, PlayStation discussed the big three: an upgraded GPU, advanced ray tracing, and AI-driven upscaling called PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR).
Before we dive into the hardware details, the PlayStation 5 Pro launches on November 7, 2024, and preorders will begin on September 26, 2024. It is priced at $699.99 USD, £699.99 GBP, €799.99 EUR, and ¥119,980 JPY (includes tax). The price may surprise some, especially since the disc drive and vertical stand are sold separately. Yes, the PlayStation 5 Pro is a digital-only machine for $699.99 USD, but at least it comes with a 2TB SSD. Like the original PlayStation 5, each console comes with a DualSense wireless controller and a copy of Astro’s Playroom pre-installed. If you want to use those physical games you’ve already collected during this generation, you’ll have to shell out another $79.99 for the disc drive that’s currently available.
To determine whether or not that price tag is worth it to you, here’s what PlayStation shared about its newest console. The GPU has 67 percent more compute units than the current PlayStation 5 console and 28 percent faster memory. The result is 45 percent faster rendering for gameplay, leading to a smoother experience. The PlayStation 5 Pro also adds more powerful ray tracing, providing enhanced dynamic reflection and refraction of light. Sony says this technology allows the rays to be cast at double or even triple the speeds of the current console. Finally, PSSR is an AI-driven upscaling technology similar to NVIDIA’s DLSS and AMD’s FSR, using machine learning-based tech to improve image clarity.
Like the PlayStation 4 Pro, the PlayStation 5 Pro will offer Game Boost, which can be used on more than 4,500 backward-compatible PlayStation 4 games that are playable on the PlayStation 5 Pro. This enhancement may stabilize or enhance the performance of supported games. There is also an Enhanced Image Quality feature for PlayStation 4 games, which can improve the resolution on select titles. Sony did confirm the PlayStation 5 Pro launches with Wi-Fi 7 in territories supporting the standard, and the console will support VRR and 8K gaming.
Numerous titles will be patched with free software updates to take advantage of the PlayStation 5 Pro, some of which were showcased in today’s presentation. These are some of the games that will wear a PlayStation 5 Pro Enhanced label: 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. I’m particularly excited to see how Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth looks, since fidelity in performance mode was one of my biggest complaints in my review.
