PS5 Pro: the latest on rumored specs, price, design, and release date speculation
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While the PS5 Pro has yet to be officially revealed by Sony, it's looking increasingly likely that we'll see a mid-generation upgrade very soon - and hear about it even sooner, with many touting an announcement to come this month (September 2024).
Sony has previous form when releasing new mid-generation console variants, of course, having done so since the first PlayStation. Even as recently as last year, we saw the launch model of the PS5 replaced by the PS5 Slim on retailers' shelves. More pointedly however, the last generation saw the console giant release a more powerful variant of the PlayStation 4 - the PS4 Pro - offering a more performant machine, and one that could offer heightened and enhanced experiences with almost all PS4 games.
Allegedly known internally as 'Project Trinity' Sony is keeping officially confirmed details very close to its chest and has not said anything publicly about a new PS5 console, but the rumors and well-sourced information are stacking up, with much of it pointing toward a beefier console, perhaps more capable in terms of frame rates, upscaling, and ray-tracing - to arrive in late 2024. Here's everything we know about the PS5 Pro.
PS5 Pro: cut to the chase
What is it? The mid-generation console successor upgrade to PlayStation 5
How much will it cost? TBA
When will it release? TBA, but likely Fall 2024
What will its upgrades be? TBA, but more powerful hardware with improvements to CPU power and speed, GPU power and speed, and advancements in ray tracing are almost certain. A boost in storage capacity is a valid prediction too.
PS5 Pro: release date speculation
Neither the PS5 Pro release date nor price has been confirmed - we need to say that right off the bat. However, the latest well-sourced PS5 Pro specs leak does heavily hint at a launch in time for, or 'on', Holiday 2024.
Looking back at the PS4 Pro's timeline, that console was announced in September 2016 and then arrived a mere two months later in November 2016. If Sony were to follow that same pattern, we're not far off hearing more concrete news.
PS5 Pro: price speculation
In terms of the PS5 Pro's price, it's much more educated guesswork as we have nothing to go on. We've recently seen the PS5 get a price hike with Sony blaming this on soaring inflation globally, so the PS5 currently costs ￡479.99 / €549.99 / AU$799.95.
If we really had to have an educated guess, given the extra power potentially provided by the leaked specs, we'd think that the PS5 Pro won't follow suit as the PS4 Pro which launched at the original price of the base PS4 - we think the PlayStation 5 Pro could launch at something like $599 / ￡549 / AU$900-1,000.
One rumor in August 2024, from industry commentator Jeff Grubb, suggested the PS5 Pro could cost around $600 at launch which would back up our own instincts and thoughts.
PS5 Pro: Rumored specs
While this was an area that was harder to predict in the past, the most recent PS5 Pro specs leak and information does at least give us something of moderate substance to point to. The leak was reportedly straight from the internal Developer Network so is couched in some genuine-looking authenticity, presenting a list of facts about the new console that informs developers about the particulars of the machine.
One promising line from the source was that "When running on Trinity, PlayStation 5 titles can support higher resolution and frame rate." Beyond that, and in terms of specifics, other specs and details were highlighted:
45% increase in raw rendering power over the standard PS5
Two to four times boost in ray-tracing
Sony's own proprietary upscaling tech - "PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution"
Support for 8K resolutions
"Custom architecture for machine learning"
A GPU offering a massive 33.5 teraflops of power
Potentially a 2TB SSD
PS5 Pro: Latest news and rumors
Sony seems to confirm the existence and design in new PlayStation Anniversary artwork - or at least tease it
Artwork used by Sony to promote the upcoming 30th anniversary of the first PlayStation console seems to at least tease the design of the PS5 Pro, and potentially flat-out confirm its existence. This looks like the first time Sony has officially given a nod to the much-rumored, much-hyped mid-generation console, and the design looks incredibly close to a leak from 'Billbil-kun' (see below).
Leaked design information could give us our first look at the PS5 Pro
New information from reliable leaker 'Billbil-kun', reported on French-0lnaguage site dealabs blog, possibly confirms how the PS5 Pro might look. The leaker claims to have seen the packaging of the PS5 Pro and states that it hints the new console could share a lot in common with the PS5 Slim model.
New rumors suggest PS5 Pro might have 2TB of storage and could run much quieter and cooler than the base console
Industry insider Moore's Law is Dead claims to have seen a PS5 Pro devkit and further claims that the devkit had 2TB of storage - though this doesn't automatically mean the consumer unit will. He also noted that it appeared to have the same power plug so isn't being pushed to the limit or drawing massive power, and could indicate a machine that will run much quieter and cooler compared to the base model.
PS5 Pro still on track for release in late 2024, and could cost a pretty penny
According to recent reports, the PS5 Pro is still slated to come out this year and could cost around $600 at launch. This report came from commentator Jeff Grubb, who also said that there is probably going to be a State of Play presentation in September, but didn't say whether this would feature the PS5 Pro announcement.
Latest rumored PS5 Pro specs suggest a huge leap in power
According to new documents that leaked about the PS5 Pro console, gaming tech experts Digital Foundry reported that its GPU could be hugely more powerful than the base console - by a factor of up to 227% in terms of teraflops increase.
PS5 Pro to reportedly focus on ray tracing with Sony asking devs to prepare games for optimization
Sony has reportedly been asking developers to get their games ready for the PS5 Pro, covering both existing, released games, as well as in-development titles. Apparently the tech behemoth is preparing a "Trinity Enhanced" label (referring the PS5 Pro's internal codename) to indicate a game has been optimized for the upcoming more powerful PS5.
PS5 Pro could offer a significant GPU upgrade per "accurate" leak
According to Tom Warren of The Verge and his alleged sight of development documentation, Sony is preparing for a 10% increase in CPU speed for the PS5 Pro, but a whopping 45% increase in power of the Pro's GPU.
PS5 Pro: Rumored design
Chances are, the PS5 Pro will be physically larger than the standard PS5 if we take the leap between the PS4 and PS4 Pro for example. Given the fact that the PS5 is already a big boy, thanks to its curved side plates and tall structure, a PS5 Pro could be physically taller and thicker to compensate for any beefer hardware inside as well as any required increase in the size of the cooling solution.
This would mirror the PS4 Pro's increase in size over the launch of the PS4 and PS4 Slim consoles. Given the modern console's demands for cooling in particular, it really is a little tricky to guess design features when the specs aren't known.
It's unlikely that Sony would completely abandon the side plate design of the PS5, as it makes the console easy to open up to clean out the fans, and install an SSD for PS5 - surely something that won't be removed in any PS5 Pro design - and allow for customization too with the colored plates available separately.
PS5 Pro: Should I wait?
The matter of whether to wait for the PS5 Pro to arrive before jumping into the world of PlayStation 5 may well be on the minds of many in the run-up to the console's inevitable release. Bluntly, however, this will depend on your specific needs, wants, and desires when it comes to gaming consoles.
If you've waited for the game library of the PS5 to fill out and are solely interested in finding a way to play those existing games then the 'base' or standard PS5 or PS5 Slim will be more than enough for you. It's a splendid console that offers a whole host of attractive features and means to get the most out of games, and presents them beautifully. We're also seeing semi-regular price drops now given the console is nearly four years old (at time of writing) so you can probably save money in the process.
The latter point is particularly pertinent in the face of what's likely to be a relatively high pricepoint for the PS5 Pro. Some of the latest rumors point to a console that'll be upward of $600, perhaps even $700, so if you're working on a budget, a standard PS5 or PS5 Slim for comfortably less than $500 will offer great value by comparison.
If you want the most performant console - a legitimate approach, one shared by myself - and are chasing the best experience and presentation of games possible then it's definitely worth waiting for the PS5 Pro. If you don't own a PlayStation 5 now, then you shouldn't have many months to wait for the opportunity to get something even more powerful, and by the sounds of the rumors, the PS5 Pro will be a very attractive jump upward in specs.
PS5 Pro: FAQs
Do we even need a PS5 Pro?
Technically, no, but in future, we might see developers encounter more hurdles due to the PS5’s aging hardware that results in noticeable compromises in games, like lower frame rates or resolutions. A PS5 Pro could revitalize a lot of older games if they get enhanced as we saw on PS4 Pro, and the additional horsepower should ensure that newer titles aren’t held back, either.
Will the PS5 Pro support 8K?
It wasn't long ago that Sony seemingly started to remove the '8K' logo from the packaging of the PS5 which was a spec or trait of the console that always felt a bit of a reach.
However, could Sony be 'saving' the 8K logo for a PS5 Pro? Maybe, but native or 'proper' 8K gaming seems like a heck of a leap for a mid-gen refresh console to be capable of. Out honest guess at this stage would be that it won't be able to output at a true 8K resolution.
Of course, to be clear, and just like every other home console right now, you can use a PS5 or any future PS5 Pro with an 8K TV - it just won't be a true 8K picture.
Will the PS5 Pro have better graphics than the PS5?
This is a great question that cuts to the core of whether it might be worth upgrading from the PS5 to the PS5 Pro when (and if) it comes out.
Broadly speaking, whenever a more powerful console comes out - be it a generational leap or a mid-generational upgrade - games do generally look better and have the benefit of having better graphics. 'Graphics' comes in a few forms, be it overall quality, photorealistic fidelity, increased frame rates, or even specific things like reflections, lighting, and smoke accuracy. We expect the PS5 Pro to offer a bump in all of those elements, particularly in ray-tracing which will boost the real-time reproduction of lighting and reflections - notorious for being drains on power and resources - without compromising overall quality or performance.
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