Meet the PlayStation 5 Pro: Sony’s High-Octane Upgrade with Advanced Graphics and AI Magic

The PS5 Pro has officially entered the spotlight! Sony just unveiled it in a nine-minute tech deep dive, showcasing all the juicy upgrades in performance, the sleek new design, and the all-important price and release date. This new iteration promises to deliver top-tier graphics and smoother frame rates for even the most demanding games, but it’s going to cost you. With a launch price of $699.99 / £699.99 / AU$1,199.95 on November 7, 2024, let’s dive into the details that emerged from the big reveal.

Sony seems to be banking on the PS5 Pro’s enhanced performance to persuade gamers to upgrade their current systems and invest in more games. Mark Cerny, the mastermind behind the PS5, proudly proclaimed that this is “the most powerful console we’ve ever built.” The PS5 Pro aims to resolve the perennial dilemma faced by gamers: choosing between “fidelity mode” for better visuals or “performance mode” for smoother gameplay. According to Cerny, this new console is designed to eliminate—or at least narrow—that divide.

This trend of “pro” models isn’t new; companies have been refining their consoles for years, but the PS5 Pro represents a continuation of this trend. It will not feature exclusive games; instead, it offers enhanced graphics and performance for games available on the standard PS5. This is Sony’s second major leap into “pro” territory, following the PS4 Pro’s 4K graphics introduction in 2016 and Nintendo’s 2021 Switch upgrade with a better screen. Though the PS5 Pro’s graphics upgrade is significant, it doesn’t match the leap from the PS4 to 4K.

The new GPU boasts 67 percent more compute units and 28 percent faster memory, promising a 45 percent boost in rendering speed. This should translate to crisper details and smoother frame rates without sacrificing visual quality. Cerny highlights that the PS5 Pro aims to eliminate the traditional choice between performance and fidelity modes—since, let’s face it, gamers lean towards performance about 75 percent of the time.

In addition to hardware improvements, the PS5 Pro features Sony’s new PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), an AI-driven upscaling tech that rivals Nvidia’s DLSS. This will replace existing upscaling methods and enhance both frame rates and image quality. A few games were demoed, showing off the PS5 Pro’s capabilities. For instance, The Last of Us Part II was demonstrated with enhanced details and a smoother 60fps compared to the original PS5’s 30fps fidelity mode. Expect similar upgrades in titles like Spider-Man 2 and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.

The PS5 Pro also comes with a “Game Boost” feature that’s set to improve performance and image quality for over 8,500 backward-compatible PS4 games. This feature aims to stabilize or enhance the performance of both PS4 and PS5 games, with improved resolution for select PS4 titles. The console will support Wi-Fi 7, Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), and 8K resolutions. It boasts a larger 2TB SSD, an extra USB-C port, and retains its additional SSD expansion slot. Games will need patches to utilize some of the PS5 Pro’s features, but Sony is gearing up to roll out updates for up to 50 titles by launch day.

Initial PS5 Pro Enhanced games include hotly anticipated titles like Alan Wake 2, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. While many games will feature 4K resolution and 60fps, there will also be new modes like 8K and advanced ray tracing, potentially with added features like volumetric lighting or increased character density in scenes.

In the broader context, PC gaming has been advancing rapidly, especially with Nvidia’s Geforce 40 series cards, which outpace current home consoles in terms of visuals. Yet, a high-end PC graphics card can cost as much as an entire PS5, making consoles a more budget-friendly option for top-notch visuals.

As Sony introduces multiple versions of the PS5, the Pro model adds to the choices available to consumers. Despite extensive rumours about potential backward compatibility with older PlayStation games, including the original PlayStation, there was no confirmation of this in the announcement.

The PS5 Pro will be compatible with the PlayStation VR2 headset, PlayStation Portal handheld, and existing PS5 controllers. The UI and network services will remain unchanged from the current PS5. Preorders for the PS5 Pro kick off on September 26th, with the console hitting stores on November 7th.