The PlayStation 5 Pro is here. Sony took the covers off the PS5 Pro on Tuesday, revealing an upgraded console with improved graphics capabilities, advanced ray tracing features, AI upscaling for better image quality, and 2TB of SSD storage. The console, which Sony is calling its “most advanced and innovative console hardware to date,” does not come with a disc drive, however. Players will have the option to purchase a disc drive separately and attach it to the PS5 Pro.
The PS5 Pro was unveiled at Sony’s Technical presentation on Tuesday, where PS5 chief architect Mark Cerny outlined the upgrades coming to the company’s current-generation console. Most games on the standard PS5 will require players to choose between one of two graphics modes — Fidelity and Performance, with the former offering higher resolution and more graphical detail and the latter prioritizing performance. The PS5 Pro will essentially offer the best of both worlds, delivering higher frame rates of 60fps on most modern games with improved image quality that’s closer to Fidelity mode.
The PS5 Pro has a similar design to the existing PS5
Photo Credit: Sony
PS5 Pro price and availability
The upgrades come at a price, however. The PS5 Pro has a suggested retail price of $699.99 (roughly Rs. 58,750). That’s $200 more than the $499 PS5 Slim, which comes with a disc drive. Adding a disc drive to the PS5 Pro would bring the effective price of the new console to $780 (Sony is selling the disc drive separately for $79.99). The console comes with a DualSense controller, but the vertical stand is sold separately.
The PS5 Pro launches in select markets on November 7, 2024, and can be purchased from participating retailers or directly from PlayStation at direct.playstation.com. Pre-orders for the console begin on September 26. Sony has yet to announce Indian pricing and availability for the PS5 Pro. The console comes in the familiar two-tone black and white color scheme, but Sony has confirmed that more color options for console cases will be available at a later date.
PS5 Pro Upgrades and Features
Sony is promising three notable performance features on the PS5 Pro that will bring higher-fidelity graphics and smoother framerates at 60fps. Here’s what you’ll get for $700:
An improved GPU: The PS5 Pro’s GPU has 67 percent more Compute Units than the standard PS5. It also gets 28 percent faster memory. These upgrades enable up to 45 percent faster rendering for gameplay, Sony claims.
Advanced ray tracing features: Select games on the standard PS5 support ray tracing in Fidelity mode, which allows for more realistic reflections. The PS5 Pro promises even more powerful ray tracing capabilities that allow for “more dynamic reflection and refraction of light.” According to Sony, this allows rays to be projected at speeds twice as fast, and in some cases three times as fast, than the standard PS5.
PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution: The PS5 Pro also introduces a new AI upscaling feature called PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), which — like other upscaling methods — uses machine learning-based technology to add more detail to the image.
The new PS5 Pro compared to the PS5 Slim model
Photo Credit: Sony
These upgrades essentially promise 4K gameplay with 60fps performance (this will likely depend on the games too). The PS5 Pro also comes with PS5 Pro Game Boost, which, like the FPS boost on Xbox Series S/X, will apply to over 8,500 backwards-compatible PS4 games that are playable on the new console. Sony said the feature “may stabilize or improve the performance of supported PS4 and PS5 games” – so don’t expect a consistent performance boost across all titles. The PS5 Pro also promises to increase the resolution of select PS4 games. The console will support Wi-Fi 7 for faster digital downloads, variable refresh rate, and 8K gaming.
According to Sony, several games will receive free updates that take advantage of the PS5 Pro’s features. Updated games will also have a “PS5 Pro Enhanced” label. The company confirmed a list of first-party and third-party games that will be updated for the PS5 Pro. They include 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.
In terms of design, Sony hasn’t revealed exact dimensions, but the company did say the PS5 Pro will be the same height as the original PS5, but slightly taller than the PS5 Slim. The width of the new console, however, will be the same as the current Digital Edition PS5 Slim model.
