PS5 Pro: everything you need to know

The PS5 Pro has been confirmed by Sony and revealed in a PlayStation 5 Technical presentation led by Mark Cerny on September 10.

The presentation only ran for just under ten minutes, but we saw a full shot of the console, got a release date, a pre-order date, a price, and some of the biggest specs and enhancements that the console will offer.

It looks like it's going to be a seriously capable console offering boosts to performance across the board. The big three upgrades of a larger GPU, advanced ray tracing, and Sony's own AI-driven upscaling tech, PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) are all exciting propositions and could bring games more to life than they've ever been.

We're running down everything we know about the PlayStation 5 Pro right here in one convenient place for you so you have all the information to hand. It's an exciting time to consider upgrading from either the launch PS5 or PS5 Slim and there's plenty to read about and get stuck into.

Here's everything we know about the PS5 Pro.

PS5 Pro: cut to the chase

What is it? The mid-generation console successor upgrade to PlayStation 5
How much will it cost? $699.99 | £699.99 | €799.99 | ¥119.980
When will it release? November 7, 2024
What will its upgrades be? A 45% boost to GPU, a 2TB SSD, AI-powered upscaling tech called PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, and enhanced ray-tracing.

PS5 Pro: release date

The PS5 Pro release date has been confirmed as November 7, 2024. Which is just about two months away at time of writing.

We also head that PS5 Pro pre-orders will start on September 26 which is only two or so weeks away for those interested in committing early.

The cost of entry

Take a deep breath as the PS5 Pro's price has been revealed – it will start from $699.99, £699.99, €799.99, and ¥119.980.

I say 'start from' because there are two big caveats with the PS5 Pro price. The first is that the console does not come with a disc drive by default – you'll have to buy that separately. And, like the PS5 Slim, the same goes for the vertical stand – that will set you back another chunk of cash too.

It all adds up to a premium pricey affair but one that will offer a premium experience, Sony claims.

A huge boost to power

We don't know all the PS5 Pro specs following the Technical Presentation by Mark Cerny, but some gaps can be filled, especially around the boost to power that the console is getting. Check out this table of specs for the PlayStation 5 Pro as we know them at time of writing.

It's a shame that Sony didn't reveal all the specifics about every major component in the PS5 Pro, but the above does give us a very clear image of the upgrades on offer.

Mark Cerny talked about the “big three” when it came to unleashing more graphical power from the PS5 Pro. These were the upgraded graphics card, the advanced ray-tracing, and the AI-driven upscaling known as PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR). These specs will allow games to run at higher resolutions, be more detailed, feature more and greater lighting and shadow effects, and run at higher frame rates much more consistently and in a stable manner.

The cold, hard numbers of the GPU upgrade are that the PS5 Pro will have 67% more compute units and 28% faster memory; resulting in 45% faster rendering of in-game action. Complement this with the boost to ray-tracing capability, PSSR (the AI-driven upscaling tech), games are in for a heck of a boost with greater resolution and faster, smoother framerates being achieved.

But that's not all, we are really excited by the PS5 Pro Game Boost which can, by default, give boosts in resolution and quality to around 8,500 PS4 games. This might make the PS5 Pro the best PlayStation 4 console ever made too.

More storage for the people

The PS5 Pro's 2TB SSD is an extremely welcome spec upgrade as we always found the workable space on the base and slim models particularly hard to work with if you played even one or two live service games or big online shooters like Call of Duty Warzone. This will allow for far more PS5 games to be installed and played straight from the console's own storage. It's likely larger due to enhanced games having larger file sizes, and due to the fact that the PS5 Pro is a digital-only console by default.

A shift to digital

Which brings us to the optional 4K UHD Blu-ray disc drive, confirmed to be an optional feature of the PS5 Pro. This will sting a bit for those enthusiasts who want the most performant console, and have large physical game collections as they'll need to fork out some extra cash.

There's also Wi-Fi 7 which will make a huge difference – especially considering that all-digital start to the life of a PS5 Pro – and Sony claims 8K gaming, along with VRR, will also be supported.

We'll be updating this page as soon as we can with more specs and details when they are confirmed.

A familiar look

We now know that the PS5 Pro shares the same design language as the PS5 Slim. It's cut from exactly the same cloth and looks incredibly familiar and similar with sweeping curves, a white and black aesthetic, and a 'fanned' flare design.

The main difference that we can tell, from afar, is the inclusion of the black strips in the center of each side. We don't know whether these are extra fans or just a design decision.

All in, from a size and a dimension perspective, it looks like it can be a straight swap – the PS5 Pro fitting exactly in the same kind of space that your current PS5 does.

It's worth remembering from the design point that the PS5 Pro is an all-digital console by default, and comes without a disc drive. You'll have to buy that separately if you want to play your physical games.

Should I pre-order the PS5 Pro?

The question of whether or not you should pre-order a PS5 Pro is an interesting one.

To start things off, putting it bluntly, the punchy price may make the decision up for many people. A list price of $700 or £700 is an incredible amount of money for a home console.

However, to examine the proposition more broadly, the matter of whether or not you should pre-order a PS5 Pro will depend on your specific needs, wants, and desires when it comes to gaming consoles.

For those without a PS5 already, if you've waited for the game library of the PS5 to fill out and are solely interested in finding a way to play those existing games then the 'base' or standard PS5 or PS5 Slim will be more than enough for you. It's a splendid console that offers a whole host of attractive features and means to get the most out of games and presents them beautifully. We're also seeing semi-regular price drops now given the console is nearly four years old (at time of writing) so you can probably save money in the process. With the announcement of the Pro, we might even see further price cuts and deals on the Slim model.

If you're without the PS5 but are always interested in the best home console experience, or are a current PS5 owner and fan who wants the most performant console – a legitimate approach, one shared by myself – and are chasing the best experience and presentation of games possible then a PS5 Pro pre-order may well be one for you. If you're going to be able to enjoy the boosts and enhancements it'll make, and are always sad about having to choose between fidelity or performance, the PS5 Pro could well be a compelling proposition. It is for me, for that very reason.

We haven't had hands-on yet with the console, of course, but will be reviewing the console to give you an informed choice about whether the machine is worth it for you when we get our mitts on one.

PS5 Pro: FAQs

Will the PS5 Pro support 8K?

It wasn't long ago that Sony seemingly started to remove the '8K' logo from the packaging of the PS5 which was a spec or trait of the console that always felt a bit of a reach.

However, in the official PlayStation Blog announcing the PS5 Pro, Sony does claim that the console will support 8K gaming.

Does the PS5 Pro come with a disc drive?

By default, the PS5 Pro is pitched as an all-digital console that can have one of the existing disc drives (from the PS5 Slim) added to it as an extra. So no, the PS5 Pro does not come with a disc drive by default, and you'll have to buy this separately.

Does the PS5 Pro come with a stand?

Like the disc drive, sadly the PS5 Pro does not come with a vertical stand by default. Like the PS5 Slim, you will have to buy this separately if that's how you prefer to keep your consoles.