After years of speculation and anticipation, Sony has officially announced the launch of a more powerful and significantly more expensive version of its popular PlayStation 5 console: the PS5 Pro.
This upgraded console will offer enhanced graphics and the ability to run even the most demanding games at higher and more consistent frame rates. However, this added power comes with a steep price tag -- the PS5 Pro will be Sony's most expensive console to date, priced at £699.99 when it launches on November 7.
Piers Harding-Rolls, an analyst from research firm Ampere, acknowledged that the high price point is likely to generate considerable discussion. He noted that Sony appears to be banking on the console's superior performance to entice users to upgrade and invest more in software.
Mark Cerny, the lead architect of the PS5, described the PS5 Pro as "the most powerful console we've ever built." He explained that it aims to resolve a long-standing dilemma for gamers: whether to choose "fidelity mode," which prioritizes visuals, or "performance mode," which focuses on smoother gameplay at the expense of graphics. The PS5 Pro is designed to minimize that trade-off.
Christopher Dring, head of GamesIndustry.biz, told the BBC that the PS5 Pro is "a very targeted console" aimed at PlayStation's "most enthusiastic audience." He also mentioned that the console industry has faced challenges this year, with declining sales for the PS5, Xbox Series S and X, and the aging Nintendo Switch.
Dring suggested that while the PS5 Pro may not change the overall market situation, Sony could be positioning itself for the release of the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI, which is expected next year. "When GTA 6 launches, PlayStation will be able to claim that the game looks best on the PS5 Pro," he said.
The release of the PS5 Pro is part of a relatively new trend of "pro" hardware, where companies release upgraded versions of current-generation consoles with improved graphics and performance but without exclusive games. This means that games will still be available for the standard PS5, with players having the option to experience them on the regular or pro model, depending on their preferences.
This marks Sony's second significant venture into the "pro" console market, following the release of the PS4 Pro in 2016, which introduced 4K graphics to the PlayStation 4. The PS5 Pro arrives three years after Nintendo released its own pro model, a Nintendo Switch with a larger, improved screen.
While this announcement from Sony may not be as groundbreaking as the introduction of 4K graphics with the PS4 Pro, it still represents a meaningful advancement in home console technology. It comes at a time when PCs, powered by Nvidia's Geforce 40 series graphics cards, have been leading the way in visual performance.
However, consoles like the PS5 Pro continue to strike a balance between high-quality visuals and affordability, especially when a single high-end PC graphics card can cost as much as an entire console.
With the launch of the PS5 Pro, Sony will offer multiple versions of the PS5, each catering to different price points and performance needs.
