PS5 Pro: Sony's New Console Breaks Records for Power… and Price!

Four years after the release of the PlayStation 5, Sony has officially unveiled its next big thing: the PS5 Pro. Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming console powerhouse set to hit the market just in time for the holiday season.

After slimming down the PlayStation 5 with the release of the PS5 Slim, a lighter, smaller version, on November 24, 2023, Sony is building hype again. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of its first console (launched December 3, 1994), Sony revealed the PS5 Pro in a nine minute presentation. It's now the most powerful console ever, surpassing Microsoft's Xbox Series X, a long awaited announcement for fans.

The PS5 Pro retains the PS5 Slim's design, with added accents. It's 45% faster thanks to a new "engine." Sony has again partnered with AMD, but this time with much stronger hardware. The CPU is a Ryzen processor (Zen 2 architecture), clocking at 3.5 GHz, boosting to 3.85 GHz, while the GPU leaps from 10.3 TFLOPS to 33.5 TFLOPS. It features 16 GB of memory (13.7 GB for games), 576 GB/s bandwidth, 2 TB SSD storage, and Wi-Fi 7, quite the luxury setup!

With improved ray tracing and PSSR technology (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution Upscaling), similar to Nvidia's DLSS, animations on the PS5 Pro will be smoother. AI boosts FPS, so no more choosing between Fidelity and Performance modes, the PS5 Pro will offer the best of both! Sony expects near-native 4K resolution at 60 fps.

Developers will need to optimize games to unlock the PS5 Pro's full potential. Titles like Hogwarts Legacy, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Horizon Forbidden West, The Last of Us Part 2, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and the upcoming Assassin's Creed Shadows (releasing November 12) will benefit from these enhancements.

Of course, Sony have decided that better performance requires a higher price. The PS5 Pro will cost $700, $200 more than the standard version which was released at $499 for the version with a disc drive, and $399 for the digital version. In the UK the price is even higher at £699 (over $900).  It is a remarkably expensive device, with many gamers likely unable to avoid the update. Unfortunately this could also give us a hint towards the pricing of the next generation consoles. 

The PS5 Pro launches November 7, 2024, just in time for the holidays, with pre-orders starting Thursday, September 26, through select retailers. It will be interesting to see if there is a reaction from Microsoft and Xbox