Sony’s PlayStation 5 mid-cycle upgrade, the PS5 Pro, will arrive on November 7. PlayStation chief architect Mark Cerny revealed the console today in a short video presentation. “Simply put, it’s the most powerful console we’ve ever built,” Cerny said of the $700 device.
It’s been four years since the launch of the PlayStation 5. Although Sony released slimmer versions of the console last year, the PS5 Pro is its first major hardware update of this generation. Its appearance has changed slightly featuring three ridged black stripes. Best of all, it’s gone from the optical drive of its predecessors—a choice that’s sure to be controversial among users.
However, the PS5 Pro adds more power to gamers’ gaming experiences. The new console includes an upgraded GPU that will allow for 45 percent faster gameplay rendering, as well as advanced ray tracing capabilities for better light rendering. Today’s video presentation by Cerny includes gameplay from Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Control, The Last Of Us Part 2as well as many others, showing how games will run with higher fidelity on the new console.
The PS5 Pro will also include a new AI feature: “Spectral Super Resolution, an AI-driven upscaling that uses machine learning-based technology to provide super clear images by adding an extraordinary amount of detail, ” according to Sony’s blog post about the Pro, which doesn’t provide any other details about the new feature.
Gamers hoping to play their games on physical media will need to purchase a disc drive separately. The PS5 Pro is still compatible with existing PS5 accessories. According to CNET, which got an early hands-on with the console, the PS5 Pro will also get performance upgrades for 40 to 50 games at launch via patches. That list includes games like Alan Wake 2, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Dragon’s Dogma 2, Gran Turismo 7and Horizon Forbidden West.
“Over time, especially for games that will be launched after the hardware release, we will see a more nuanced approach, where the focus is less on resolution and more about higher image quality through different techniques,” Cerny told CNET.
Initial response to the news online was mixed, with some fans bemoaning the lack of a disc drive and the higher price. “$700 and no disc drive is a crazy question,” responded one X user. “It comes with 2TB of the same sweet ultra fast SSD and that alone is worth the price increase,” said another . Some wondered if the graphical upgrades were really that great.
The existence of the Pro has been rumored for months; a leak last month included what appeared to be accurate images of its design. Preorders for the console begin on September 26.
