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Sony is releasing a more powerful version of the PS5 console, known as the PlayStation 5 Pro, in November.
The new hardware is designed to make game visuals pop and gameplay run more smoothly, with faster, more responsive action on the screen. Basically, gaming on a big 4K TV is about to look better than ever.
It also has more than double the storage space of the standard PS5, providing ample room for games and apps.
Alas, all this cutting-edge tech doesn’t come cheap. When it lands, the PS5 Pro will be the most expensive console you can buy, comfortably beating the high-end Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch OLED and Steam Deck.
Here’s everything you need to know about Sony’s new gaming machine, including its price, release date, and compatible games.
What is the PS5 Pro?
The new PS5 Pro console is a graphics powerhouse in a similar-sized package as the original (not the slim version).
Thanks to a beefier GPU, the new hardware delivers three key upgrades: two to three times more ray tracing for more realistic lighting in games: automatic AI-assisted game upscaling for 4K visuals; and a new Pro mode for games that delivers 4K resolution at a smooth 60fps (or frames per second).
Notably, the new console doesn’t come with an optical disc drive, meaning it can only play digital games out of the box. In its place is a whopping 2TB solid-state drive (SSD), along with the usual support for expanded storage. WiFi 7 also enables you to download games even faster, as long as you have a compatible router.
Of course, you can buy an attachable disc drive separately if you want to play physical games, including those you’ve already purchased (more on that below).
The PS5 Pro is intended to be sold alongside the base PS5 instead of replacing it. Hence, new games will still be playable on the older hardware, and vice versa for older titles on the new console. It is also not a next-gen console in the vein of the future PS6, but a mid-cycle upgrade like the PS4 Pro before it. As such, it mimics the design of the PS5 (adding some black grooves down the middle) and packs the same CPU and SSD speed.
PS5 Pro price
The PS5 Pro will cost £699.99 in the UK ($699.99 in the US). By comparison, the PS5 Slim console with disc drive costs £479.99, while the latest Xbox Series X with 2TB of storage costs £549.99.
The extra trimmings, including the attachable disc drive and a vertical stand to keep it upright, will cost you an additional £100 and £30, respectively. That brings the total cost to a wallet-shattering £830 – but you don’t need those add-ons to use the PS5 Pro.
Ultimately, the new console’s steep price may put it out of reach of many consumers, and may not be worth it for casual gamers who aren’t as nitpicky about visuals and frame rates.
To put it into perspective, the PS4 Pro, which launched for £350 in 2016, would cost around £465 today when adjusted for inflation. Of course, the individual parts used inside the PS5 Pro are far superior and cost a lot more to manufacture compared to its predecessor.
Sony and Microsoft have also said that they sell their consoles at a loss, often subsidising them in the hopes of recouping their investment through game sales, accessories and subscriptions like PS Plus and Xbox Game Pass.
PS5 Pro release date
The PlayStation 5 Pro will initially be available to pre-order directly from PlayStation on September 26, before being offered through other retailers on October 10. It’s official release date is November 7.
PS5 Pro specs
Before we drill into the new console’s features in more detail, here’s a quick rundown of what you’ll get out of the box:
- Larger GPU (67 per cent more compute units and 28 per cent faster memory)
- Advanced ray tracing (two to three times faster than PS5)
- AI-powered upscaling (known as PSSR)
- 2TB SSD for storage
- WiFi 7 support
- PS VR support
- DualSense controller
- Ports: USB-C (x2, front), USB-A (x2, rear), HDMI 2.1 output, Ethernet.
PS5 Pro in detail
Most of the PS5 Pro’s perks are made possible by its larger GPU, which is believed to be built on the same AMD RDNA 2 architecture as the original PS5, but with far more graphical horsepower. We’re talking 67 per cent more computing cores, 28 per cent faster RAM (or memory) and 45 per cent faster rendering.
As for those big three upgrades touted by Sony, the first is a a lot more ray tracing, which is an advanced graphics technique that mimics how light behaves in real life, making games look more realistic.
Then, there’s an AI-assisted upscaling mode, called PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (or PSSR), that uses machine learning to boost lower resolution images up to 4K (or even 8K). The PS5 also promised the latter, but Sony’s follow-up could actually do a better job at delivering the crystal-clear visuals. Of course, you’ll only be able to take advantage of it if you own an 8K TV, which are obscenely expensive to begin with. Initially, the only game that has been shown to support 8K resolution is Sony’s prized racer, Gran Turismo 7.
Finally, there’s a Pro Game Boost mode that will also improve the image quality on more than 8,500 backwards-compatible PS4 games and also PS5 titles. Sony is also promising to apply the PS5 Pro’s tech to enhance PSVR and PSVR 2 games in the future.
PS5 Pro compatible games
A console is only as good as the games it offers. To that end, the PS5 Pro will be flanked by around 40 to 50 enhanced games when it launches in November. These will be patched with free software updates in the vein of PS4 games updated for the PS5.
For its part, Sony has name-dropped the following PS5 Pro games from its internal studios and external developers:
- 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
There have also been rumours that Hideo Kojima’s next opus, Death Stranding 2, will be enhanced for PS5 Pro. GTA 6 would also be a no-brainer, and Sony is expected to leverage the highly anticipated game as a means of marketing the PS5 Pro.
In addition, Sony’s chief PS5 architect Mark Cerny told Cnet that PS5 Pro makes it easier to port over PC games, so expect to see more of those in the future, too.
