PS5 Pro launches November 7 for $699.99
Larger GPU, advanced ray tracing and AI-driven upscaling among the new console's key selling points
Sony has finally announced the long-rumoured PlayStation 5 Pro, which launches this November.
In a presentation by lead architect Mark Cerny, the company discussed the key technical features that "substantially improves" on the performance of the standard PS5.
The big three additions are a larger graphics processing unit, advanced ray tracing techniques, and AI-driven upscaling, with the aim of delivering more detailed graphics at 60 frames per second.
The PS5 Pro comes as a digital-only model as standard, but owners will be able to buy a disc drive (already available separately for $79.99) and attach it.
The console will launch on November 7, with a price tag of $699.99 / £699.99 / €799.99 / ¥119,980.
Other features include Wi-Fi 7 for territories that support this version of the wireless technology, as well as support for VRR and 8K resolutions. It comes with a 2TB SSD.
Currently, most first-party PS5 titles offer players the option of fidelity mode (more detail, but capped at 30fps) or performance mode (running at 60fps, but less detail). Cerny said that around three quarters of PlayStation players choose the latter, and removing this divide has become a key priority for Sony.
When discussing the three big changes, Cerny claimed the larger GPU is capable of rendering graphics up to 45% faster, while the advanced ray tracing can calculate light's behaviour at double, sometimes triple the speed of the standard PS5 hardware.
Finally, the Pro includes custom hardware for machine learning that enables the AI–driven upscaling, which Sony is referring to as PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (or PSSR). This "analyses game images pixel by pixel and adds an extraordinary amount of detail" to boost resolution.
Developers are currently adding PS5 Pro support to new and existing titles, with examples shown including Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, The Last of Us: Part 2, Horizon Forbidden West and Gran Turismo 7.
Third-party games confirmed to be supported and enhanced include Assassin's Creed: Shadows, Alan Wake 2, Dragon's Dogma 2, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Hogwarts Legacy, The Crew Motorfest and The First Descendant.
Technical details for the Pro leaked back in March, with our contributing editor Rob Fahey suggesting Sony will find this a much harder sell than the PS4 Pro.
