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The holidays are fast approaching, and we’re expecting a big upgrade for the PlayStation 5. Sony is reportedly planning to announce a Pro version of its PS5 console, promising significant improvements to visual graphics and gameplay. One of the major changes rumored to come with Sony’s PS5 Pro is a technology called upscaling, which uses artificial intelligence to create images with greater detail and lighting effects without as much need for raw performance.
If quoted by Tom’s GuideBillbil-kun, a leaker from Dealabs, reports that Sony will officially announce the PS5 Pro in the first half of September, so… is it that time already? Insider Gaming Reports that Sony will be attending the Tokyo Game Show from September 26-29 and suspects that Sony could use that event to make its announcement.
Sony did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The upcoming release of the PS5 Pro isn’t the sales slam it seems, however. Consoles are designed to last for the better part of a decade, give or take, and the PS5 only came out in 2020. This upgraded Pro and similar step-up versions of consoles that Sony and other console makers began releasing in the middle of that decade are designed to offer a super-muscle-car version of the standard model.
The new console will have to do a lot more to convince people to part with their money this time around. Industry watchers believe that Sony is hoping that the decade-plus run-up to Rockstar’s 2025 release of Grand Theft Auto 6 will be enough to convince people.
“The look and feel of GTA 6 is undoubtedly a huge effort from everyone involved,” IGN wrote after the game’s first trailer was released in December.
Check this out: PlayStation 5 Pro leaked: everything we know
And that’s without even mentioning rumors surrounding Sony’s next big PlayStation update, the PS6, which is expected to launch before the end of the decade. Here are the PS5 Pro rumors, including when it could launch, pricing details, and potential features.
When will the PS5 Pro be released and for how much?
Rumors are now consistently positioning the PS5 Pro’s launch in the run-up to the holidays, partly to get ahead of growing interest in GTA 6.
Price is a little harder to estimate, but Sony has indicated that it wants to focus more on “profit” while the PS5 is in stores.
Read more: Sony’s PlayStation 5 is entering the ‘final phase of its life cycle’: What that means
Sony is currently selling the PS5 for a starting price of $449 for the driveless model, which means you’ll have to purchase and download games from Sony or its partners.
When Sony announced the PS4 Pro in 2016, just three years after the PS4 hit store shelves, the company charged $100 more for the device’s added capabilities. It’s unclear whether Sony will take a similar approach this time around, but if it does, the PS5 Pro could cost around $550.
What features does the PS5 Pro offer?
Sony’s plans for the PS5 Pro appear to boil down to consistently high performance. YouTuber Moore’s law is deadwho has been leaking information about Intel, AMD and Nvidia’s upcoming chip production and performance for years, says he learned from anonymous sources that the new PS5 Pro will feature much faster rendering and ray tracing. The result will mean that the PS5 Pro can effectively create game visuals and simulate more realistic lighting.
One way Sony is expected to push out big performance improvements is through a technology called PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution Upscaling, or PSSR, which is said to use AI to help the console render images much more efficiently. It’s similar to Nvidia’s popular Deep Learning Super Sampling, AMD’s FidelityFX, or Intel’s Xe Super Sampling, each of which are major selling points of the best gaming cards for gamers and creators.
Insider Gaming said it confirmed Moore’s Law is Dead reportingreferring to a secret letter Sony sent to third-party game developers.
What happens to the PS5 after the PS5 Pro launches?
When Sony announced earlier this year that the PS5 was entering the “final phase of its lifecycle,” the company didn’t explain how its approach to the device would change beyond a cryptic promise to “place greater emphasis on the balance between profitability and sales.”
Rumors suggest Sony won’t be cutting prices by much, instead focusing on convincing existing PS5 owners to upgrade to a PS5 Pro, or convincing non-PlayStation owners to buy a PS5.
One way Sony will make its case is by offering many years of support for its older consoles. The PS5 can “an overwhelming majority” of PS4 games, whether they were purchased on disc or digitally. It would be a genuine surprise if the PS5 Pro deviated from that approach. And while we don’t yet know if the inevitable PS6 will offer the same capabilities, it’s likely Sony wants to keep the feature around.
Sony continued to make and sell PS4 consoles, more than a year after the launch of the PS5 in fall 2020.
Microsoft and Nintendo on the horizon
While many gamers will be paying attention to the launch of Sony’s PS5 Pro later this year, it’s not the only device people are excited about. Microsoft accidentally leaked its Xbox plans in a series of legal documents last year, giving gamers a glimpse at its own planned Xbox upgrade, codenamed “Brooklin.” Shaped like a cylinder — not a trash can — the device should offer more storage and be less power-hungry.
Nintendo is expected to announce an update for its popular Switch console, which has been in stores for a while now. over 139 million units and over 1.2 billion games since its launch in 2017. Industry rumors have suggested that the Switch 2 will be an improved version of the current console.
