PS5 Pro: Launch date, price, and specs – (unconfirmed/rumors)

Well, the rumors about a PS5 Pro are appearing at a bizarrely fast pace. The regular PS5 completed its second anniversary in November last year, and that was one of the most problematic release rides for a Sony console. Don’t get me wrong, there is no problem with the current console, and it brought significant upgrades after almost ten years of PS4. However, the console launched amidst the peak of the semiconductor crisis. For that reason, it was a super-hard task to grab one unit.

For months, we saw the stocks coming and going away in a few seconds. Two years passed, and the situation is much better now, but it’s hard to not consider it a fresh release considering the problematic start of the new generation. However, there are a lot of rumors pointing to the release of a new PS5 Pro, much to the displeasure of some PS5 owners. But there is really a PS5 Pro coming? So far, we should treat all this as mere rumors.

Disclaimer: Most of the PS5 details are based on rumors, so treat them as rumors until official information comes from Sony.

Are the PS5 Pro rumors absurd? Is it coming anytime soon?

Some may consider the rumors of a new PlayStation 5 Pro simply absurd. Well, there are a lot of players that could not grab one due to the obvious supply issues. Some players had to go through an odyssey to get their unit, and now there are rumors pointing to an all-new console. Does this make any sense? To be honest, it’s not really absurd to expect a PS5 Pro from Sony at this point.

The PS5 looks like a fresh device, but it already has two years. The history of launching incremental upgrades is not something new for Sony. The company started this trend with the launch of the PS4 Pro. The higher, more capable model, came three years after the PS4 became a thing. The PS4 was launched in November 2013, and the Pro came in November 2016 alongside a Slim model. The PS5 was launched in late 2020, so in November 2023, the console will complete its third anniversary. Taking this into consideration, the PS5 Pro could be launched in November this year. But while the rumors keep spreading this is still not confirmed by Sony.

Some will say that the PS4 Pro was a needed upgrade, after all, the PS4 could not handle 4K gaming. It was an easier task to grab a PS4 at its launch, and that was not the case with the PS5. So it probably felt like an older console by the launch of the PS4 Pro. But the fact is that it was launched just three years after the regular model. If the PS5 Pro comes with significant upgrades like more powerful hardware to handle ray-tracing and high resolution at the same time, then the upgrade will be justified.

Possible (rumored) Pricing

Sony recently launched the PS5 DualSense Edge, which seems to be the company’s new take on the Xbox Elite controller. What about launching a new PS5 Pro that comes with that controller straight out of the box? From a business perspective, a more capable PS5 Pro would eventually cost more (that was the case with the PS4 Pro), so it would not directly hurt those going for a PS5. To put things in perspective, the PS5 costs about $499 in the US and £479.99 in the UK.

The Dual Sense Edge costs $199 or £209.99, respectively. Just imagine the price of a console that comes with that controller. Perhaps, the same buyer that gets a PS5 would not get a PS5 Pro, but this is relative. With new hardware, the console can end up costing a lot more than the current one. We would not be surprised to see if reaching the $599 or even the $699 price tag. Again, this is just speculation taking the rumors into consideration.

“2023 will be exciting for the PlayStation 5”

The rumors point to a new PlayStation release for this year. At the same time, we see more and more rumors pointing to a PlayStation Showcase by late May or Early June. This has been corroborated by some important journalists in the area like Jeff Grubb. But that is just a rumor, we will need to wait for official word from Sony. The company tends to make announcements in the middle of the year, and there are some rumors about a new PS5 version with a removable disc driver, but no evidence that this is a PS5 Pro.

E3 is dead, and I killed it. And now I'm going to honor it by holding it up Weekend At BerniE3's-style alongside Jeff Grubb's #summergamemess

Thank you to all of the Jeff Grubb's Summer Game Mess partners for participating whether you want to or not.

LET'S FUCKING GOOOOO pic.twitter.com/qewAmVOVkZ

— Grubb (@JeffGrubb) March 31, 2023

In fact, Sony didn’t confirm a revised version of the PS5, so again, we treat these as rumors. To recall, at the end of 2022, Hideaki Nishino, SIE Platform Experience SVP, made an interesting statement about 2023: “By the end of fiscal 2022, cumulative sales will exceed 37 million units, and we believe that it will be a very important time for the platform as well. I hope you will look forward to next year (2023).”

That sentence fell like a bomb to spread rumors about the PS5 Pro. However, there is a good portion of users that believes he was teasing a new PS5 model with a removable disc driver. His statement was vague but could mean a platform update in 2023. For now, we will need to wait for official details. But that will not prevent the leaks from spreading out.

If the PS5 Pro appears one day, it could bring a new design.

Well, the PS4 Pro was a bulkier, but stylish version, of the PS4 Slim. Therefore, the PS5 Pro could follow the design of a PS5 Slim… Wait! Now we are talking about a PS5 Slim. Rumors about this model will be inevitable! Sony always launches slimmer versions of its PlayStation consoles. And if there is one that desperately needs a compact version is the PS5. The console in its current state can easily dominate any living room. It’s a miracle that it runs quietly and colder than its predecessor. It’s quite a machine with powerful hardware and presence, but Sony will eventually launch a compact version. It can ditch the removable plates for something more streamlined. Meanwhile, the PS5 Pro could come as a mix of the current one and any new design language introduced with a slim model.

The PS5 Slim can end up being the so-called PS5 with a removable disc driver. That would allow Sony to sell it in both Digital and Disc Driver versions. Or perhaps, Sony plans to launch it as a Digital-Only model that can easily get access to discs through a separately sold disc reader. This does not sound absurd, and Apple would like the idea. Xbox’s cheaper Series S is a digital-only console that sells for a little less. Anyway, we would not be surprised to see the PS5 Pro also getting this new design approach. The new concept may bring some relief to Sony’s stressed supply chain.

On all the PS5 Pro/Slim rumors – I don't think it's a pro or slim, My understanding is that it's just "gen 2" of the regular PS5.

The normal PS5 will cease production at the end of this year and the new model will start in April and begin selling in September.

— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) January 23, 2023

For now, we may keep treating both the PS5 Slim and PS5 Pro as rumors. Even Tom Henderson, from Insider-Gaming, states that the new platform update may not have to do with any of these.

PS5 Pro’s alleged specifications

Considering that everything about the PS5 Pro is based on rumors and speculations, it’s hard to guess the specs of this console. However, if Sony follows the same pattern as the PS4 Pro, then it should benefit from certain quality-of-life upgrades. First, the console could deliver Sony’s promised 8K resolution. In theory, the PS5 is capable of doing so. However, reality tells us a different story. None of the PlayStation Studios’ titles reached the console with 8K support. In fact, even 4K@60fps is not available on all games, especially when you enable Ray-Tracing.

We all know that Ray-Tracing is heavier even on PCs, and bringing NASA’s computer hardware to a $499 package does not seem to be possible. Still, we expect it to offer something beyond what the PS5 is capable of. Maybe we won’t have to choose between resolution and frame rate, and the PS5 Pro could be capable of handling these at the same time. We can’t see ray-tracing on all games unless a DLSS-like tech comes into motion. But still, it should be more powerful than the current model.

8K for VR and Water-Cooling

Sony may want to take a ride on the launch of the PS VR2 to combine it with a more powerful version of the PS5. Maybe you won’t feel the need of playing on 8K, but this becomes useful when you’re playing in Virtual Reality. If Sony plans to compete with the other giants of the segment, then it may consider an upgrade. Sony may look to incorporate new GPU and CPU architecture like the 5nm Zen 4 and RDNA-3 GPU from AMD. That would be an upgrade over the current model that uses a Zen 2 processor with RDNA 2 graphics. Again, the hard part is to bring it to an affordable price, but may in the future, it will be possible.

More recent rumors have been pointing to the use of advanced Water Cooling. Right now, the PS5 uses metal liquid which proved to be a better solution than the silver thermal paste used on the PS4 series. The metal liquid seems to be doing the job just fine, but maybe the current Fan will not be able to keep up with the new (alleged) hardware temperatures. So Sony may want to employ a better thermal engine to keep the console cold and free of throttling. Of course, that would also mean a price increase and could make the overall hardware more complicated.

A new console to handle the next round of PlayStation Studios games

Sony basically ended the first round of PS games for the PS5. The generation began with Spider-Man Miles Morales, Horizon Forbidden West, Gran Turismo 7, and God of War. We also had a couple of other exclusive PS games that were developed by partner studios like Deadloop, Ghostwire Tokyo, and Forspoken. Unlike the third-party AAA Games, Sony’s exclusives (until they come to PC, of course) reached both the PS4 and PS5. There were some exceptions that came to show the power of the new console like Ratchet and Clank: Into the Rift, Demon Souls, and Returnal. But with the most-anticipated ones reaching the PS4, we can say that the first round of games was made of cross-gen titles. Now, we expect a new round of games that will show the true power of the PS5.

You may argue that these titles look and perform better on the PS5. You’re right, but we want to see some games that will never run on a PS4 with its 2013-based hardware. The new round of exclusives set to push the PS5 to its limits also offers good hype for the PS5 Pro to take a ride. There are some titles that were not announced. However, we already have Death Stranding 2, Spiderman 2, and Wolverine reaching the PS5 soon. The PS5 Pro could take a ride on these new exclusives, whenever they come.

But still… The PS5 that we all know is here to also handle these games in a majestic way. So, there is no evidence that we will really need a Pro variant for the best experience. These games are mostly confirmed, while the PS5 Pro is still a mere rumor.

Should I buy the PS5 or wait for the PS5 Pro?

I’ll say one more time that everything related to the PS5 Pro seems open to speculation. The rumors will keep feeding our thirst for news about this console. Looking at the past, we expect Sony to launch it at any point ahead of a PS6, but for now, we need to be realistic. Unless that more concrete info appears, the PS5 Pro is just a rumor.

Sony has plans in the 8K space, after all, it was promoting TVs that offered support for 8K with 120 frames per second. The company teased them as “PS5-ready” on the PS Blog. There is also a comprehensive Q&A that explains that the current model is compatible with 8K, but a future system update will enable it to output 8K content when available”. If the company is serious about bringing 8K, 120fps, ray-tracing, and more, then this is where the PS5 Pro could find its space.

We don’t expect the PS5 Pro to hurt the regular model, if one day it appears, it will probably cost more. It will likely be something made for enthusiasts. For that reason, if you really can’t wait to play on a PS5 and find one for a good deal, we don’t see a reason for waiting for a rumored PS5 Pro. Considering that the console is just speculation, you can have fun with a regular model right now if you want.

Sony is rumored to bring “something” in 2023. Although most of the official details have been based on vague words, there are some rumors spreading about the hardware. So in the less shiny reality of the rumors, we will get a new regular model with the detachable disc driver – but again, not even this is confirmed yet. For the time being, we will keep treating any PS5 upgrade as a mere rumor. The best thing we can do now, is to look at the confirmed games and have some fun with the hype towards it.