Sony announces the PS5 Pro - here's what we know about the new console

Sony has officially announced the release of the PlayStation 5 Pro console, which will be launching on the 7th of November 2024 at PlayStation Direct and participating retailers. Pre-orders for the console start on the 26th of September.

The new console has an MSRP of £699.99/$699.99 USD/€799.99 EUR, and is only available as a disc-less console, with the option to purchase the currently available Disc Drive for PS5 separately.

Sony says the goal behind the PS5 Pro is to give players and game creators "a console that runs even higher fidelity graphics with smoother frame rates at 60FPS."

Sony says it has done this with three main performance upgrades:

• Upgraded GPU: With PS5 Pro, we are upgrading to a GPU that has 67% more Compute Units than the current PS5 console and 28% faster memory. Overall, this enables up to 45% faster rendering for gameplay, making the experience much smoother.
• Advanced Ray Tracing: We’ve added even more powerful ray tracing that provides more dynamic reflection and refraction of light. This allows the rays to be cast at double, and at times triple, the speeds of the current PS5 console.
• AI-Driven Upscaling: We’re also introducing PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, an AI-driven upscaling that uses a machine learning-based technology to provide super sharp image clarity by adding an extraordinary amount of detail.

Sony hasn't revealed any specific hardware information for the PS5 Pro, leading me to believe there isn't much difference to the current version, but it will support Wi-Fi 7, VRR, and 8K gaming, and the Pro will come with a 2TB SSD as standard - double that of the current PS5s.

As for the physical side of things, the PS5 pro is the same width as the current (slim) PS5 console, but has the larger height of the original PS5 console "to accommodate higher performance specs". Again the PS5 Pro doesn't have a disc drive so you'll have to purchase the one currently available and install it. Sony says console covers for the PS5 Pro, which features three small grills on either side, will be available in the future.

Sony showed off a reel of popular PS5 games such as Demon Souls, Ratchet and Clank, The Last of Us Part 2 etc being played on the PlayStation 5 Pro and they looked... fine? I don't doubt that Sony has managed to improve the graphical quality of games played at 60fps whether in performance or fidelity mode, but is it a good enough improvement for a £120 price boost?

Keep in mind if you're wanting to upgrade from a PS5 Slim Disc console, it will actually cost you £800 because you'll have to buy the £99.99 Disc Drive separately. That seems like a really steep price for a mid-season refresh, and there aren't many new games on the horizon that look like they'll need the extra power the PS5 pro is offering.

Despite the high price, demand for the PS5 Pro will likely be high. We'll have all of the places you can pre-order the PlayStation 5 Pro here on GamingDeals.com, and we'll let you know when we have links ready on our social channels. 

Hopefully, with the PS5 Pro coming in the holiday season we'll also see the current PlayStation 5 consoles go on sale again for the holidays.

What do you think? Is the extra storage space and graphical improvements Sony claims to make enough for you to get the PS5 Pro? Leave your thoughts in the comments down below or sound off in our Discord channel.