Sony's "next-gen" console has been on shelves for nearly five years now; doesn't time fly when you're having fun? It's become home to a plethora of well-regarded titles, such as God of War: Ragnarock, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Astrobot, Gran Turismo 7 and more. It's even gained a few titles from its archnemesis, Xbox, in what's become a turning point in the so-called console war.
Just last year, Sony revealed a more powerful mid-generation upgrade called the PS5 Pro, which promises a whole host of picture, sound and gaming upgrades. It is also considerably more expensive than the regular PS5, which has been trimmed down thanks to a redesigned slim version that appeared in 2023.
So, the question is this: which PlayStation 5 should you buy? Will the standard model meet your needs, or will you be tempted by the Pro version? It depends what sort of gamer you are, and what type of home cinema kit you own will also play a role in your decision. We've pitted the two consoles against one another, and while we've yet to review the PS5 Pro, we scoped out its specs to see how it compares to the original.
PS5 Pro: price and release date
The PS5 Pro launched on 7 November 2024, and it carries a much higher price tag than its original model: £699 / $699 / AU$1,200, to be exact. These prices are for the digital-only version of the console, with the disc drive an optional extra that's sold separately for those who prefer physical media.
This modular approach allows users to customise their console to their needs, which is nice, but it also means an additional cost for those wanting full functionality. The optional disc drive will set you back an extra £79 / $79 / AU$159, bringing the total cost for a fully-equipped PS5 Pro to £778 / $778 / AU$1,359.
Enhanced capabilities (more on that down below) or not, we're looking at a painful premium compared to the current £479 / $499 and AU$800 retail prices for the disc drive-toting regular PS5 console. Whether or not you're willing to fork out the extra cash depends on how much you value the extra firepower.
PS5 Pro: design
The PS5 Pro maintains the futuristic aesthetic of its predecessor while introducing some notable changes. It shares the same height as the original PS5 but adopts the width of the current PS5 Slim model, potentially making it more manageable for those who found the original too bulky. Sony has also stuck with the distinctive white-and-black colour scheme, but added black stripes across the middle section, giving the Pro a slightly more aggressive, dare we say, sporty, appearance.
If you decide to splash out extra for the optional disc drive, you'll naturally be adding a little more bulk to the PS5 Pro's profile, but nothing too drastic. From what we've seen, it's a simple case of attaching it to the bottom right section (if vertical), and it comes with a sleek white cover to match the rest of the PS5 Pro's monochromatic ensemble.
Like the PS5 Slim, the Pro also features removable faceplates, allowing for easy customisation – a welcome addition for those who like to personalise their gaming set-up. In terms of connectivity, the port selection remains largely unchanged. You'll find USB-C ports on the front for convenient controller charging and peripheral connections, while the rear houses USB-A ports and an ethernet jack for wired internet connectivity.
Overall, we rather like the new look, and we're definitely happy to see things slimmed down a bit, despite the extra horsepower under the hood. Speaking of...
PS5 Pro: features and specs
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This is where the PS5 Pro does its best to justify its wallet-hitting price increase. At the heart of the revamped specs is an upgraded GPU that Sony claims has 67 per cent more compute units than the one found in the standard PS5. This significant increase in graphical processing power is also paired with 28 per cent faster memory.
Overall, we're looking at around 45 per cent faster rendering for gameplay, which should translate to better visuals and performance. Of course, it's up to developers to make the most of this extra power, and we'll probably see PlayStation exclusives and first-party titles looking their absolute best, as developers are more likely to optimise things for Sony's console specifically. But either way, you can expect things to look prettier on the whole.
The central processing unit (CPU) in the PS5 Pro retains the 8-core AMD Zen 2 architecture of its predecessor. However, it now features the ability to reach higher clock speeds when required, with a maximum frequency of 3.85GHz compared to the standard PS5's 3.5GHz. While this may not lead to dramatic improvements across the board, it could provide benefits in CPU-intensive scenarios.
Ray tracing capabilities have also been improved. Sony states that the PS5 Pro can handle ray tracing tasks up to three times more efficiently than the standard PS5. This enhancement should allow for more realistic lighting, reflections, and shadows in games that utilise this technology. PC gamers with high-end battlestations can attest to the extra eye candy that well-executed ray-tracing can provide, so colour us tentatively excited.
There's also a new feature introduced with the PS5 Pro – PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR). This AI-powered upscaling technology aims to improve image quality by enhancing lower-resolution content. The potential benefit is the ability to run games at higher frame rates without significantly compromising visual fidelity. We've seen how well similar features like Nvidia's DLSS upscaling can work on PC titles, so again, this has the potential to drastically improve the PS5 Pro's gameplay experience.
Storage capacity has also been doubled, with the PS5 Pro featuring a gargantuan 2TB SSD. This increase should be massive news for those gamers who are forever shuffling things around and deleting titles to make extra room.
In terms of connectivity, the PS5 Pro supports the Wi-Fi 7 standard, an upgrade from the Wi-Fi 6 capabilities of the standard PS5. This could potentially offer improved download speeds and online gaming performance, provided users have compatible networking equipment.
The PS5 Pro's Game Boost feature also promises enhanced performance for backwards-compatible PS4 games, even without specific optimisation from developers. Sony claims this could benefit over 8,500 titles, potentially offering improved frame rates or resolutions. This is, of course, only noteworthy if you plan on playing a lot of older titles, but it's nice to have nonetheless.
On the AV front, the PS5 Pro includes support for 8K output. While practical applications for this feature may be limited at present due to the scarcity of 8K content and displays, it does provide a degree of future-proofing.
As for other elements that will determine your movie-watching experience, it will, like the standard PS5, support HDR10. Sony has yet to bring Dolby Vision to its consoles though, and from what we can gather, there'll be no Dolby Vision on the PS5 Pro either, which may be disappointing for those looking to squeeze out the best possible viewing experience.
On the sound front, the PS5 Pro does support Dolby Atmos, albeit not for every application. While gamers can enjoy the more immersive sound experience offered by Atmos, we've seen nothing to suggest that Netflix and other PS5 Pro streaming apps will be updated to support Atmos. Currently, for example, the PS5 version of the Netflix and Amazon Prime Video apps don't support Dolby Atmos, which limits its use for those who want the very best AV experience possible for their set-up. You can, however, enjoy Atmos via Blu-ray discs, if you spring for the optional disc drive.
PS5 Pro: early verdict
And there you have it – everything you need to know about the PS5 Pro. Convinced? Unsure? It's okay. There's no rush.
We've yet to put the PS5 Pro through its paces ourselves, so we won't be passing definitive judgement until the ink has dried on our full in-depth review. Until then, there's no denying that the PS5 Pro brings extra power and features to the table, in a design that's more refined.
How those specs translate to real-world benefits remains to be seen, and, given the hefty premium Sony is asking, it's hard to recommend pre-ordering at this stage (but there's absolutely nothing wrong with doing so if you're keen on that extra power). Either way, watch this space for our PS5 Pro review...
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