After various rumors and leaks, the PlayStation 5 Pro is finally official – with a new GPU, a price of $700, and no built-in optical drive. But is it enough? What makes this new console 40% more expensive than the existing PS5 you’re paying $500 for now? The same product will definitely be available during the holidays, which is shortly after the Pro’s November 7 release date.
What are the differences between the PS5 and PS5 Pro that (depending on who you ask) make it worth the upgrade or the extra cost?
Specifications and performance differences
According to Sony’s technical demonstration announcement hosted by PS5 chief architect Mark Cerny, the PS5 Pro features three core performance improvements over the standard PS5. It features a new, more powerful GPU that delivers more computing power and faster rendering speeds; advanced ray tracing to improve in-game reflections and provide more immersive lighting; and the new PlayStation Spectrum Super Resolution (PSSR) upscaler that maintains high frame rates without sacrificing resolution or image quality.
The GPU is really the star of the show, with Sony saying it promises 67% more computing units and 28% faster memory, resulting in 45% faster rendering. But the PS5 Pro’s CPU and storage speeds haven’t changed, so while it should offer 4K resolution and Maintain 60 fps or higher and the console may not be able to load or launch games faster.
The biggest change for current PS5 owners is that playing games on PS5 Pro will no longer require choosing between performance mode and fidelity mode (many current games force users to make decisions that prioritize frame rate smoothness) or clearer visuals). But Sony can change those goals with the PS5 Pro, as the upcoming console also supports 8K gaming. If playing 8K games means sacrificing frame rates again, performance and fidelity modes may still be with us – which is definitely going to happen. The difference is, most people won’t care, because who has an 8K TV these days?
As for ray tracing, this is a feature that the PS5 has supported since launch. But PS5 Pro’s advanced Ray tracing promises to make it even better, with more dynamic reflections and light refraction. Basically, games with nice lighting and lots of reflections should look prettier (thankfully, GT Racing 7 fan). So far, ray tracing on the PS5 has been a bit lackluster compared to PCs with high-end GPUs (which, to be fair, cost more than the PS5 Pro itself). But this has more to do with the game itself than the console. While there are some great games on PS5, many are not optimized for ray tracing on the console Marvel Spider-Man 2 Has good ray tracing performance. PS5 Pro should just make them look better without compromising frame rate.
The PSSR AI-powered upgrader is the most technical software trick of the PS5 Pro feature. It’s much like Nvidia’s popular DLSS feature on PC, which is a post-processing asset that helps achieve higher frame rates at high resolutions. The standard PS5 uses more traditional anti-aliasing, while the PS5 Pro will use machine learning to scale content based on what’s actively rendered on the screen. It’s one of those things that works in the background to sort out the little details.
Another area where the PS5 Pro should be more performant than the current PS5 is its support for Wi-Fi 7 (the PS5 had Wi-Fi 6 and never even jumped to 6E when the Slim launched). This could help download large amounts of games to the Pro’s 2TB internal SSD faster, but only if your home network supports Wi-Fi 7 – which most people haven’t adopted yet due to the cost involved. It’s worth noting that this feature won’t help with remote gaming on the PlayStation Portal, as Sony’s One-Trick Pony handheld device for console streaming is confusingly Wi-Fi only 5.
Physical hardware differences (what we know so far)
Aside from the new GPU and the remixed cooling system it requires, the PS5 Pro’s biggest physical differences are its design and lack of a disk drive. The Pro will be tall and long like the original PS5, but with the thickness of the revised Slim model. It has a new fin design element on the side slash on the removable plate (Sony will sell customizable replacements later). Personally, I think it’s still a little ugly, and I’m worried that Sony’s refusal to display the front of the console in a horizontal orientation means there’s another weird trick planned to make it sit on its side. Slim uses his silly looking calves (like pizza boxes) to maintain his balance. I wouldn’t expect the pricier Pro to do the same.
The lack of a disc drive can be solved by purchasing the same $79.99 modular drive that Sony already sells on the PS5 slim. Therefore, you can’t choose to buy a PS5 Pro with or without a disc drive (Sony started doing this when it launched the first-generation PS5), you can only choose to buy your own PS5 Pro. To be fair, “pro” consoles require all the bells and whistles, including physical media that some die-hards may prefer, but this may just be the beginning of a purely digital future for next-gen consoles. At least the M.2 slot is retained on the Pro to add faster storage speeds.
Another piece of I/O that’s changing on the PS5 console is the USB ports, and those on the PS5 Pro continue to slowly move toward almost exclusively USB-C. Here’s a simple breakdown of the USB ports on all three PlayStation 5 consoles since launch:
- PlayStation 5 (original): 1 USB-C and 1 USB-A on the front / 2 USB-A on the back
- PS5 (ultra-thin): two USB-C on the front / two USB-A on the back
- PS5 Pro: 2 USB-C on the front / 1 USB-C and 1 USB-A on the back
So there are still a total of four USB ports on the PS5 Pro (thankfully), most of which are USB-C. We don’t know how fast each port on the Pro will be, but considering both the original PS5 and slim had three SuperSpeed 10Gbps ports and one slower port, it’s a safe bet that the Pro will follow suit.
One thing that hasn’t changed is the controller. The PS5 Pro will come with the same old white DualSense controller, complete with potentiometer-based analog sticks that will drift over time. The Pro would have been a good chance for the DualSense to switch to a drift-free Hall effect stick, but no such luck.
Who is PlayStation 5 Pro for?
It’s the second-generation console, launching with a mid-cycle “Pro” model, and while the PS4 Pro seemed to be generally well-received in 2016, let’s not forget that it launched at the PS4’s original price of $400, along with cheaper Slim model. The market is very different now, with the thin and light PS5 not dropping in price (except for the occasional game bundle), and the PS5 Pro costing as much as $700 ($780 with an add-on optical drive).
The PS5 Pro seems to be primarily for PlayStation superfans, who will probably buy it at almost any price. But there are also people who are looking for something that they can just turn on and play without bothering with drivers or dealing with the specs and cost of a gaming PC. For these people, the PS5 Pro feels like a good choice, although the price may give them pause at first.
