Sony has finally announced the worst-kept secret in video games: the PlayStation 5 Pro. It costs $700, doesn’t come with a disc drive, and launches this November.
PS5 lead architect Mark Cerny confirmed the mid-gen refresh during a PS5 Technical Presentation in which he said the new console lets Sony give players the high frame-rates they prefer. The GPU is much larger, ray tracing is improved, and there’s custom hardware for machine learning (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution).
Design wise, the PS5 Pro lines up with the leaked information and images that recently hit the internet. It looks a lot like a PS5 Slim, but with stripes along either side. Check out how the PS5 Pro looks in the slideshow of images below.
In a post on the PlayStation Blog, Hideaki Nishino, CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Platform Business Group, outlined the PS5 Pro’s performance features:
- Upgraded GPU: With PS5 Pro, we are upgrading to a GPU that has 67% more Compute Units than the current PS5 console and 28% faster memory. Overall, this enables up to 45% faster rendering for gameplay, making the experience much smoother.
- Advanced Ray Tracing: We’ve added even more powerful ray tracing that provides more dynamic reflection and refraction of light. This allows the rays to be cast at double, and at times triple, the speeds of the current PS5 console.
- AI-Driven Upscaling: We’re also introducing PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, an AI-driven upscaling that uses a machine learning-based technology to provide super sharp image clarity by adding an extraordinary amount of detail.
Sony also confirmed the PS5 Pro price at $699.99 / £699.99 / €799.99 / ¥119,980, with a release date of November 7, 2024. It includes a 2TB SSD, a DualSense wireless controller, and a copy of Astro’s Playroom pre-installed. The vertical stand is sold separately.
PS5 Pro is available as a disc-less console, Sony clarified, with the option to buy the currently available disc drive for PS5 separately. PS5 Pro also launches with the latest wireless technology, Wi-Fi 7, in territories supporting this standard.
Games that take advantage of the PS5 Pro features include a ‘PS5 Pro Enhanced’ designation within their title. Sample games that will be PS5 Pro Enhanced 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 2 Remastered, and more.
Games that are playable on the PS5 console will be playable on PS5 Pro, and use the same user interface and online community for multiplayer gaming and network services.
Other features include PS5 Pro Game Boost, which can apply to more than 8,500 backward compatible PlayStation 4 games playable on PS5 Pro. Sony said PS5 Pro Game Boost “may stabilize or improve the performance” of supported PS4 and PS5 games. Enhanced Image Quality for PS4 games is also available to improve the resolution on select PS4 games.
Current accessories available for PS5 will also be compatible with PS5 Pro, including PlayStation VR2, PlayStation Portal, DualSense Edge, Access controller, Pulse Elite wireless headset, and Pulse Explore wireless earbuds.
Expect PS5 Pro to be available at participating retailers and directly from PlayStation at direct.playstation.com. Pre-orders begin on September 26, 2024.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.