PlayStation 5 Pro: Rumors, specs & release date speculation
With rumors flying of a potential PlayStation 5 Pro, we go over all of the information out there right now to give you a better idea of what Sony could potentially be cooking.
With the PlayStation 5 well into the fourth year of its lifespan, rumors surrounding a potential pro version of the Sony console are well underway. The PlayStation 4, the previous Sony console generation, received its upgraded pro upgrade just three years after the original console’s launch, so the PS5 is more than due its PS5 Pro counterpart.
Launched as a “stop-gap”, the PlayStation 4 Pro introduced a better GPU to the mix for better support for new “performance” modes in certain titles that increased graphical fidelity. Mainly intended to bring 4K gaming to the console, the PS4 Pro saw some success in its four years on the market.
Sony has yet to announce or confirm the existence of the PS5 Pro, yet Insider Gaming, notorious for publishing reports and leaks, has further backed up its report from March that there’s a PS5 Pro on the way. It’s rumored that Sony is going for a similar strategy as with the PS4 Pro, this time around. Rather than letting the hardware fizzle out over a five to seven-year period, these new stop-gap consoles would allow Sony and Microsoft to bring in fresher hardware for those who can afford it.
Just remember, everything written here is speculative, and should only be considered rumor for now. So, take any news that you see about the potential console with a huge grain of salt.
Is the PS5 Pro real? What is Project Trinity?
As of right now, no, the PS5 Pro has not been confirmed by Sony and is very much just speculation. However, Tom Henderson, the main source of PS5 Pro-related news, has previously been correct with some leaks. Whether this turns out to be true or not will have to depend on whether we hear more about the console.
Henderson has referred to the PS5 Pro as ‘Project Trinity’ and said it has been in development since early 2022.
A lot of the expectations are based on the last generation of consoles when Microsoft and Sony added the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X to the roster of available hardware. Much like predictions surrounding the PS5 Slim, a lot of rumor is based on the hardware manufacturers’ previous actions.
PS5 Pro specs speculation
As reported, YouTuber Moore’s Law is Dead released a new video outlining the specifications of the PS5 Pro console. Like with any Moore’s Law is Dead video, the details provided are to be taken with a grain of salt, with the YouTuber being a hit or miss with leaks in the past.
However, Tom Henderson at Insider Gaming has confirmed that many of the leaked details surrounding the PS5 Pro are accurate. According to Henderson, the PS5 Pro is slated to release with a 576 GB/s (18GT/s) system memory, a 28% increase over the launch version of the Sony console.
The CPU will allegedly be identical to the PS5 processor, yet the PS5 Pro will come with a ‘High CPU Frequency Mode.’ This mode will push the CPU to 10% higher than the original PS5, taking it up to 3.85GHz. This was later confirmed by Tom Warren of The Verge, who further explained that devs will be able to pick the mode during development and have access to 1.2GB more system memory.
Both the launch PS5 and the PS5 Slim, currently have 12.5GB of system memory for devs to utilize. However, Tom Warren explains that Sony has increased this to 13.7GB for the rumored PS5 Pro.
Insider Gaming additionally reported that the PS5 Pro will have a larger GPU with an improved rendering of 45% faster than its predecessor. The PS5 Pro is also said to deliver x2-3 faster ray-tracing compatibilities and, in some cases, x4 when able.
PS5 Pro release date speculation
According to Insider Gaming, the PS5 Pro is expected to release in Fall 2024. While Sony has yet to officially announce any information regarding the next iteration of the PS5, new leaked details have emerged which slate the console will be released later this year.
These leaked details come from the previously mentioned Tom Henderson, who accurately predicted PlayStation’s portable streaming device ahead of the announcement. Writing for Key to Gaming, Henderson said to expect the PS5 Pro to launch in November 2024.
Dexerto This would mean the PS5 Pro would be released four years after the initial launch of the PS5. The PS4 Pro, the upgraded version of the previous generation console, launched in November 2016, just three years after the initial launch of the PS4.
Could the PS5 Pro be more powerful?
It’s expected that the PS5 Pro will be more powerful in terms of what it can provide graphically, but won’t leave the older console in the dust.
Like with the PS4 Pro, we expect that Sony won’t split the PlayStation user base up depending on the console they happen to have. Every game will come to every version of the console that gets released.
In his leak of the rumored release date for the console, Tom Henderson wrote that power would be a major focus for the new model.
“The PlayStation 5 Pro will be targeting improved and consistent FPS at 4K resolution, a new ‘performance mode’ for 8K resolution, and accelerated ray tracing,” Henderson said.
These rumors are lent credence by a tweet from user Onion00048, who spotted a new patent from PlayStation’s Mark Cerny in 2022.
Cerny, the architect behind the PlayStation 4 and director of Knack submitted a patent indicating that Sony is investigating how to increase ray tracing performance on the PS5.
As this couldn’t be implemented via an update to the PS5 console and would require newer hardware, it’s expected that the PS5 Pro would focus on graphical fidelity much like the PS4 Pro.
PS5 Pro speculated to use new DLSS-like tech
Moore’s Law Is Dead also shared details surrounding ‘PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution’, or PSSR. According to the YouTuber, PSSR is Sony’s in-house upscaling tech, similar to that of Nvidia‘s DLSS, and AMD‘s FSR.
A document shared within the Moore’s Law Is Dead video alleges that PSSR will utilize machine-learning techniques and enhance the resolution of games, with 4K support at first, then later with 8K support coming in a future SDK version.
According to sources who spoke to Tom Warren at The Verge, Sony is encouraging developers to use ray-tracing tech, with games showing any significant enhancements being able to use a “Trinity Enhanced” label.
