The PS5 Pro has finally been announced, after months of rumours and waiting for firm news. Along the way to an official reveal, we’ve learned a lot about the console – there’s been a variety of leaks, rumours about its main features, and speculation about what exactly it could be.
Let’s dive deep into this history, and analyse every recent rumour and slice of news, as compared to the official reveal from Sony. Here’s everything we’ve learned about the PS5 Pro to date – and just how legitimate various reports turned out to be.
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PS5 Pro: Every officially confirmed detail
As announced, the PS5 Pro is now official. It’s an AUD $1,199.95 | USD $699.99 digital-only console that features an enhanced GPU allowing for better and faster game performance, improved ray tracing, and AI upscaling.
It will combine the performance and graphics modes of the base PS5 for something much grander, and a range of games are set to benefit from these improvements, including Alan Wake 2, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
There will be around 40 to 50 games given the “PS5 Pro Enhanced” label in future, and this will appear clearly on the PlayStation Store so console owners can identify those enhanced games. Older games will also benefit from a new “Game Boost” feature which allows for more stabilisation and overall improved performance for supported PS4 and PS5 games.
Read: The PS5 Pro will cost USD $700, and feature enhanced game performance
The PS5 Pro will get a special throwback edition
Sony is celebrating the 30th anniversary of PlayStation with a range of special PSOne-style consoles and controllers – including a limited edition PS5 Pro.
This edition includes a light grey chassis, as well as blue, red, pink, and green accents, and a coloured version of the original PlayStation logo for an added touch. For those who grew up with the original PlayStation, there’s certainly plenty of nostalgia in this design.
There will be just 12,300 units of this PS5 Pro console produced.
Read: Sony announces PSOne-style PlayStation 5 consoles and accessories
PS5 Pro: Preorder details
Preorders will open on PlayStation Direct from 26 September in regions where it’s available, and select global retailers will have their own preorders from 10 October.
PS5 Pro: Rumours and news in the lead up to the official reveal
6th September, 2024: PS5 Pro seemingly confirmed in PlayStation anniversary image
“In late August, prominent leaker billbil-kun – who is most known for accurately spoiling PlayStation Plus game inclusions – posted an image of the potential PS5 Pro design on Dealabs. To protect their sources and avoid potential legal trouble, billbil-kun sketched an image of the PS5 Pro, rather than posting the original source. Notably, the console sketched looks a lot like the PS5, but with four striations across its centre, to mark it as different.
While folks treated the image with a reasonable amount of skepticism, billbil-kun’s reputation as a reliable leaker was certainly acknowledged. There was great potential this was the true design of the PS5 Pro, and that new details of the console would arrive shortly.”
Rumour status: CONFIRMED – billbil-kun’s sketch of the console directly aligned with the officially-revealed design.
17th April, 2024: PS5 Pro will reportedly have “ultra-boost” mode and “enhanced” label for games
“A new report from The Verge has seemingly confirmed rumours the PS5 will get a new “high-end version” in the near future, known as the PS5 Pro. Sources speaking to the website have alleged the project, known internally as “Trinity” will be an upgraded version of the PS5, with features to enhance gameplay for new and older video games.
According to these sources, Sony is currently speaking to developers and asking them to create “a new PS5 Pro-exclusive graphics mode in games that combines Sony’s new PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) upscaling to 4K resolution with a 60fps frame rate and ray-tracing effects.” These ‘enhanced’ games would feature increased resolutions, although they would also reportedly allow for increased performance and a ‘variety of other scenarios.'”
Rumour status: CONFIRMED – These features have now officially confirmed by Sony. Both older and newer games will get enhancements provided by new hardware.
19th March 2024: PS5 Pro specs allegedly leak via Sony’s developer network
“Specifications for the long-rumoured PS5 Pro have allegedly leaked online via Sony’s developer network, with multiple sources reporting details from third-party game development partners. A specs breakdown first appeared on YouTube channel Moore’s Law Is Dead (video now removed), and Insider Gaming‘s Tom Henderson later corroborated this report.
Per Henderson, and the allegedly leaked specs list, the largest improvement for the PS5 Pro is in its CPU, which will have a ‘High CPU Frequency Mode’ that allows for a 10% increase to speed and performance. In addition, it will include a “PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution Upscaling” feature that allows for visual upscaling and anti-aliasing.
The PS5 Pro will also reportedly render 45% faster than the base PS5, utilise AI acceleration and custom machine learning architecture, and support resolutions up to 8K. Improvements to audio have also been noted, as well as improvements to system memory. Where the base PS5 runs at 448GB/s, the PS5 Pro will reportedly run at 576 GB/s.”
Rumour status: SEMI-DEBUNKED – The PS5 Pro will feature a special “PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution” AI upscaling mode for games, as mentioned. The CPU will remain the same however – it’s the GPU which will be improved. Per PlayStation, the GPU has 67% more compute units, and 28% faster memory.
21st February, 2024: PS5 Pro could launch in 2024, analysts claim
“The long-rumoured PS5 Pro has once again hit the headlines, with a new report from CNBC alleging that the console is closer than ever, and could release in late 2024. Several analysts speaking to the outlet have claimed the console will be used to shore up enthusiasm for the PS5 ahead of the launch of GTA 6, which is predicted to be a major console-seller.
As CNBC noted in its report, Sony recently cut its forecast for PS5 sales, from 25 million units to 21 million units. With this gradual decline, analysts have flagged potential for Sony to boost expected sales with a mid-generation refresh.”
Rumour Status: CONFIRMED – The PS5 Pro will launch in 2024 as initially reported.
What were the rumoured key features of the PS5 Pro?
Ultra-boost Mode
According to The Verge in April this year, Sony was asking developers to create “a new PS5 Pro-exclusive graphics mode in games that combines Sony’s new PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) upscaling to 4K resolution with a 60fps frame rate and ray-tracing effects.” This “Enhanced” mode would allow games to run smoothly at up to 2160p at 30FPS in some scenarios, with the PS5 Pro “Enhanced” label being used sparingly.
Additionally, The Verge reported that older games would also benefit from the PlayStation 5 Pro, with an “ultra-boost” mode designed to boost performance and graphics, even without the “enhanced” label. This mode is believed to improve Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) mode for some games, and ensure greater stability in frame rates.
Rumour status: CONFIRMED – The PS5 Pro will have a special “Enhanced” label for select games, which will have smoother and better performance. Ultra Boost mode for older games has also been confirmed.
Improved system memory and GPU
According to a leak revealed by Insider Gaming in March 2024, the PlayStation 5 Pro is rumoured to have marked improvements in areas such as system memory, GPU and even audio capabilities. The memory stands out, with the website suggesting a 28% improvement from the original PS5’s 448 GB/s, up to 576GB/s.
Meanwhile, documents obtained by The Verge in April 2024 allege that the GPU rendering on the PS5 Pro will be “about 45 percent faster than standard PlayStation 5”.
Rumour status: CONFIRMED – The PS5 Pro will have an enhanced GPU and greater memory, although the GPU rendering will reportedly be slightly faster than initially rumoured.
When will the PS5 Pro be released?
The PS5 Pro is set to launch worldwide on 7 November 2024.
This aligns with previous rumours about its late 2024 launch date.
How much will the PS5 Pro cost?
Previously, it was rumoured the console would cost somewhere around the USD $600-650 mark (AUD $975), via industry analysts speaking to IGN. Others predicted a slightly less intimidating $500 USD ($750 AUD).
None of these predictions were correct, as the console is priced much higher than expected. Here’s the official prices for major global regions:
- AUD $1,199.95
- $699.99 USD
- £699.99 GBP
- €799.99 EUR
- ¥119,980 JPY
