After months of anticipation, Sony has finally lifted the curtain on the PlayStation 5 Pro console, bringing a wave of excitement and scrutiny from the gaming community.
The PlayStation 5 Pro, slated for a November 7 release with pre-orders kicking off on September 26, will set you back £699/$699. This represents a significant £300 premium over the Digital Edition PlayStation 5, which is priced at £390. The new console is digital-only, meaning that if you prefer physical media, you will need to fork out an additional £100 for a Blu-ray player.
What exactly do you get for this hefty price tag? The PlayStation 5 Pro boasts an upgraded graphics processing unit (GPU) with 67% more compute units compared to the original model. This enhancement translates to a 45% increase in graphics rendering for supported games, according to Sony’s claims. The system also features a 28% boost in memory and supports advanced ray tracing for lifelike reflections on surfaces like glass and water. The cherry on top is the 8K mode, available for enhanced games.
Games that take advantage of the new hardware will carry a ‘PS5 Pro Enhanced’ label. This includes several of Sony’s top-tier franchises like Horizon Forbidden West, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Third-party developers are also on board, with titles like Alan Wake 2, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth set to offer Pro enhancements.
To ensure older games don’t get left behind, the PS5 Pro will feature ‘AI-driven’ upscaling, designed to improve performance on the upgraded hardware. Moreover, the PS5 Pro Game Boost promises enhanced visual performance for over 8,500 backward-compatible PS4 games.
Historically, console manufacturers have launched updated versions of their hardware after several years on the market, often opting for more compact designs. However, the previous generation saw notable technical updates with models like the PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X. The industry is divided on how the new PlayStation 5 Pro will perform, especially given the challenging economic climate and lack of groundbreaking new game releases or audio-visual technology.
Analyst Piers Harding-Rolls from Ampere Analysis holds a positive outlook, predicting sales of 1.3 million units during the launch window and approximately 13 million by 2029. One key driver could be the anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto 6 in autumn 2025, likely to be the blockbuster game of its generation. Before Sony’s announcement, many believed the PlayStation 5 Pro would debut alongside this highly anticipated game to maximize its impact.
Meanwhile, the industry is abuzz with speculation about Microsoft’s possible response. Persistent rumors suggest that Microsoft might shift focus towards a portable Xbox version to compete in the growing handheld PC gaming market, currently dominated by devices like the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally X. With some of these handhelds priced as high as £800, consumers could be facing a costly console season ahead.
All eyes are now on how Sony’s PlayStation 5 Pro will fare in the market and how competitors like Microsoft will respond in this hotly contested gaming arena.
Source: Theguardian