The persistent rumors of a PS5 Pro will not go away, and the latest online whispers of a more powerful PS5 console come once again from Tom Henderson of Insider Gaming.
The same source previously claimed a PS5 Pro is in the works back in March, and the typically reliable industry insider has doubled down on that claim saying they can “report with a 100% degree of certainty that the PS5 Pro is currently in development.”
In the same report, Henderson also claims “ that the first dev kit prototypes will be going to 1st party developers within the next couple of months, with 3rd party developers receiving them by the end of the year.”
If you’re not up to speed on your industry lingo, a dev kit is essentially a specialized piece of hardware that developers use to create software for specific consoles. For example, in order to create games for the PS5, developers will use a PS5 dev kit to ensure the game runs smoothly on Sony’s current hardware.
PS5 Pro dev kits shipping out to developers this year would be significant and would certainly suggest the suped-up console was on track for its speculated holiday season 2024 launch.
PS5 Pro — here's what we know
While there is no official word on a PS5 Pro from Sony, rumors about the console's existence continue to circulate. It’s been previously suggested legendary PlayStation console architect Mark Cerny is involved in its creation and that the machine would have a strong focus on ray-tracing technology. Nevertheless, for now, all information about the PS5 Pro should be taken with a grain of salt as these leaks are technically unverified.
However, if the PS5 Pro is indeed in development, a 2024 release date would make a lot of sense. That would see the refreshed unit launch roughly four years after the regular PS5, and we saw a somewhat similar gap between the launch of the PS4 and the PS4 Pro. The regular PS4 hit store shelves in November 2013, with the PS4 Pro launching almost exactly three years later in November 2016.
Henderson also suggests that Sony has even more hardware in the works beyond the PS5 Pro. The insider reasserts that a redesigned PS5 console with a detachable disc drive is still on the way and also again claims that Sony is working on a new handheld device that is designed for use with Remote Play.
Curiously, Henderson refers to this device, codenamed Q Lite, as “more of an accessory if anything else.” So don’t expect it to be the long-desired PlayStation Vita 2.
