Dhruv Bhutani / Android AuthorityUpdate, October 11, 2023 (10:15 AM ET): We’ve updated this PlayStation 5 Pro rumor hub with new confirmed information about the launch of new PS5 consoles.
Original article: On November 15, 2013, Sony launched the PlayStation 4. Three years later, almost to the day, Sony launched an upgraded version known as the PlayStation 4 Pro. Meanwhile, the PlayStation 5 launched on November 12, 2020. If you do the math, that means by November this year, it will have been three years since we saw the PS5 console launch. Does that mean we can expect a Sony PS5 Pro to launch soon?
The PS4 Pro was only a slight iteration of the PS4. It used the same controller, played the same games, and had all the same features. Its main reason for existing was to allow for smoother gameplay, 4K support across various games, and a few other quality-of-life upgrades. If a PlayStation 5 Pro exists, what will it offer?
In this article, we have rounded up all the credible rumors we’ve seen so far related to a PS5 Pro. We’ve also compiled a wishlist of features we hope to see, even if we haven’t seen any evidence for them yet. When might it come out? It’s very likely the PS5 Pro will arrive in the Fall of 2024.
What new features could it have? The PS5 Pro is rumored to have an upgraded Ryzen APU with improved graphics support and the possibility of native 8K. For now, though, take all of this with a grain of salt.
How much might it cost? We don’t know just yet, though we hope for a price tag somewhere around $500.
Will there be a PS5 Pro?
Oliver Cragg / Android Authority
Much like the mythical Nintendo Switch Pro, Sony has not confirmed a PS5 Pro is on the way or even in the works. Believe it or not, Sony launching a “Pro” version of its home game console has only happened once. The original PlayStation, the PlayStation 2, and the PlayStation 3 never saw Pro-level models. That means we are banking a lot on the existence of the PlayStation 4 Pro in our assumption that there could be a PlayStation 5 Pro.
That being said, there is plenty of evidence to support a PS5 Pro is likely to happen.
The CEO of Take-Two Interactive — the studio behind the Grand Theft Auto franchise — went on the record to say he thinks a PS5 Pro will happen. Meanwhile, leaker Tom Henderson said, “with a 100% degree of certainty,” that the PlayStation 5 Pro is “currently in development.” When leakers and gaming industry CEOs are in agreement, it seems a foregone conclusion that we’ll see a Sony PlayStation 5 Pro at some point soon.
We’ve also seen the supposed codename of the device leak: “Trinity.” This is, without a doubt, a reference to The Matrix film series. Previously, Sony has used Matrix-themed codenames, such as for the PlayStation 4 Pro (“Neo”) and the PlayStation VR (“Morpheus”).
Most recently, a leak from Im A Hero Too claims Square and Sega both have new PS5 devkits. It’s pretty reasonable to believe this is further confirmation of the PS5 Pro on its way in 2024. When is the PS5 Pro likely to be released?
C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
Since Sony hasn’t confirmed the existence of a PS5 Pro, we can’t say with any certainty when it will come out. Based on the launch cycle of the PlayStation 4 series, we assumed we’d see it this year in November. An early November 2023 launch would have allowed Sony to capitalize on the lucrative holiday shopping season. Also, November is when Sony launched most of its recent consoles.
Case in point, in November 2023, Sony has confirmed it will launch a “new” PS5 console. Although it would be easy to call it a PlayStation 5 Slim, Sony is not calling it that. Either way, the two versions of the console have been trimmed down a bit, storage has been upgraded to 1TB, the disc drive is now a modular accessory, and the Digital Edition has increased in price by $50. These new designs will replace the original designs as stock diminishes.
Considering Sony is launching these refreshed consoles in November 2023, we will almost certainly need to wait until 2024 to see the PS5 Pro — if it is even coming. One leaker, in a since-deleted tweet, said that the PS5 Pro and a second-gen Nintendo Switch would likely launch around the same time. Nintendo has confirmed that it will not launch new Switch hardware in 2023, which would mean 2024 launches for the new Sony and Nintendo consoles.
Likewise, Key To Gaming says it has internal info suggesting demo kits for developers will only make it out in full by November of this year. If that’s true, then the release of the device definitely won’t happen in 2023.
To summarize, we’d expect the PlayStation 5 Pro to launch in the fall of 2024. It could be earlier, but that’s unlikely.
What features and specs could the PS5 Pro have?
Oliver Cragg / Android Authority
As mentioned earlier, the star feature of the PlayStation 4 Pro was 4K support. As it stands today, the PlayStation 5 already supports 4K on a huge selection of titles. Technically, it even supports 8K. However, 8K support is limited to just one game — and it’s not a very popular one. It’s possible the PlayStation 5 Pro could support 8K natively on more titles or even 8K upscaling on games that don’t have that resolution natively.
This would necessitate an upgrade in hardware. The PS5 runs on a custom processor based on an AMD Zen 2 build combined with a custom RDNA 2 GPU. One theory, originating from RedGamingTech on YouTube, is that the new PlayStation could have a new Ryzen APU, which would also be customized significantly. The Sony PlayStation 5 Pro would likely feature slightly upgraded hardware, but it certainly would not be a PS6. A hardware upgrade like this could make the Sony PlayStation 5 Pro capable of smoother refresh rates and better graphics processing. Many PlayStation games give you the option of prioritizing graphics or performance. It’s possible Sony could lean into this more, with the PS5 Pro capable of rock-solid 120fps gameplay at higher resolutions or rock-solid 4K graphics at variable refresh rates.
Another thing that could see improvement is ray tracing. The PlayStation 5 supports ray tracing, but it requires the system to work pretty hard and requires some performance trade-offs. A Pro-level model could theoretically support ray tracing more efficiently and on more titles.
The important thing to remember, though, is that this will not be a PS6. The PS5 Pro would be a better iteration of the current console, not some wild leap forward. Only the most demanding gamers would feel the need to upgrade from a PlayStation 5, but it could be the nudge needed for people still using a PS4.
What might the PS5 Pro price be?
Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority
As of October 2023, the PlayStation 5 has two versions: a disc-less Digital Edition that costs $399 and a disc-based standard edition for $499. In November 2023, the refreshed versions of these consoles will hit store shelves, with the Digital Edition jumping from $399 to $449 and the standard edition sticking with the same $499 price. One would assume that a Pro-level model would need to be more expensive than these two. However, that might not be the case.
For context, the PlayStation 4 cost $399 when it launched in 2013. In September 2016, the PlayStation 4 Slim landed, and it only cost $299. In November 2016, the PlayStation 4 Pro launched at $399. Therefore, there is a precedent that Sony could drop the price of the regular PlayStation 5 and launch the Pro model at the $499 price we see today. However, with Sony launching “new” PS5 consoles in November 2023 with the same or higher prices as we saw in 2020, it is possible the Pro model — if it even comes out — could be much more expensive.
We hope the PlayStation 5 Pro doesn’t cost more than $500, though. The last time Sony went over that mark with the upgraded 60GB PlayStation 3, it was not well-received, to say the least. With inflation rates soaring, we could see it hit around $550, but fingers crossed that doesn’t happen.
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