Highly anticipated: There's been a ton of speculation around the release of Sony's upcoming PlayStation 5 Pro, with many believing it will arrive sometime in 2024. Although Sony hasn't officially confirmed any details about the upgraded hardware, leaks have painted a solid picture of the potential performance improvements. The console wasn't openly discussed at the recent Gamescom expo, however attendees have shared details that developers may have inadvertently revealed.
Multiple developers have indicated that an upgraded PlayStation 5 console is on track for release before the end of this year. The new hardware could be one of the products Sony is expected to showcase in the coming weeks. According to sources speaking to Giant Bomb's Jeff Grubb, Sony will likely hold a new State of Play stream before the end of September.
While Grubb didn't confirm the presence of the PlayStation 5 Pro at the event, it's a possibility. Grubb also floated a potential $600 price tag – a $100 premium over the PS4 Slim that includes the optical drive. Even $700 isn't out of the question.
Is a new #NintendoDirect not enough excitement in your life?
– World's Famous Giant Bomb (@giantbomb) August 26, 2024
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Good news: Our favorite busy bee is buzzing with rumors for you about the PS5 Pro and a PlayStation State of Play happening next month! pic.twitter.com/lF4HyqjkYB
Meanwhile, comments from developers suggesting a fast-approaching release emerged during last week's Gamescom 2024 conference in Cologne, Germany. One developer told Multiplayer.it that the PS5 Pro's release is imminent enough to impact launch plans for an upcoming game.
Another, smaller developer mentioned that the new hardware will handle Unreal Engine 5 significantly better than the standard PS5. Although Sony has yet to publicly acknowledge the existence of the PS5 Pro, the latest information suggests that many developers already have access to development kits.
The new model's CPU performance is expected to closely resemble the standard console, but it reportedly features significant GPU and AI enhancements, which developers can leverage to offer a noticeably improved experience. Overall graphics performance could see an uplift of up to 45 percent, while ray tracing performance might double, or even triple.
Additionally, PlayStation "Spectral Super Resolution" – Sony's in-house counterpart to Nvidia's DLSS and AMD's FSR – will use upscaling to enhance image quality from lower rendering resolutions. As a result, some titles may use ray tracing more extensively on the PS5 Pro, while others could achieve higher frame rates or sharper visuals.
If this pans out, Sony would be jumping ahead of console rivals. Information regarding a potential Xbox mid-generation refresh remains scarce, while Nintendo is expected to reveal its next-generation Switch console in the coming months, but with an expected release sometime in 2025.