PS5 Pro Talking Point
Image: Push Square

Although it's yet to be officially announced, we all know that the PS5 Pro is real, and it's likely dropping later this year. A mid-gen upgrade on the PS5, Sony will probably position the refreshed console as another premium product — something that it's been doing throughout the generation so far, with stuff like PS Portal and the DualSense Edge.

But how do you feel about the PS5 Pro, based on what we know so far? We'd love to hear your thoughts, but before we get around to that, we've gathered the opinions of our editorial staff, who are somewhat torn on the whole thing.

Aaron Bayne, Video Producer

PS5 Pro 4

As someone that loves flashy new tech, I’m uncharacteristically on the fence with the prospect of a PS5 Pro. Don’t get me wrong, it will likely be a day one purchase for me, but in terms of the point of the upgrade, it’s not something I think the average consumer will really buy into.

The likes of ray tracing and high frame rates are all brilliant aspects of modern gaming that we can have and technically have had with the vanilla PS5, and in that sense the PS5 Pro is really lacking that unique selling point — at least going by what we know so far. Comparatively, the PS4 Pro was a mid-gen upgrade with purpose, sitting on the cusp of the 4K age, and already housing a library of games — like Horizon Zero Dawn — that felt like they were pushing the base console to its limit.

It’s tough then to envision how Sony can market this upgrade as the same level of essential, especially since it still feels like we’re waiting for this gen to kick off. That being said, if there is a way to play my PS5 games in a shinier and smoother way, then that’s all I really need. Maybe Sony is banking on enthusiasts like myself.

Liam Croft, Assistant Editor

PS5 Pro 1

When it feels like the current generation is still only just getting started in terms of pushing the PS5's potential beyond the capabilities of a PS4, I can't say I'm particularly excited about a PS5 Pro. Very little has impressed me on a technical or graphical level from either PlayStation Studios or third-parties, with the only immediate example coming to mind being the near-instant fast travel of Marvel's Spider-Man 2. That's cool and all, but being able to play a few seconds sooner doesn't feel like a generational leap.

Still, it's impossible for the gaming industry to take such vast strides in graphical power anymore; the days of a PS1 to PS2 jump are well and truly gone. And so as we see in the PC space, NVIDIA doesn't wait for its current GPU to be maxed out — it just releases another one no matter what's taken advantage of it. Increasingly, console manufacturers are adopting the same approach. I'll get a PS5 Pro because it's my job, but I can't say I'm really all that excited about the prospect.

A PS5 Pro would help solve frame rate issues we're already encountering in current-gen titles like Dragon's Dogma 2 and Rise of the Ronin, but wouldn't it be better if developers took a bit more time making sure their games run suitably rather than relying on an upgraded console to brute force it for them? I'd take that over a PS5 running on nitrous oxide. I find it disappointing that we're already looking to better specs instead of optimising current hardware with untapped potential.

Robert Ramsey, Assistant Editor

PS5 Pro 2

I'm really not sure where I stand on the PS5 Pro right now — I think I'll need to see the official reveal, complete with hardware specifications, before passing judgment. That said, I do enjoy mid-gen upgrades. I was a big fan of the PS4 Pro and its touted improvements, as I believe that console manufacturers like Sony could learn a lot from the PC ecosystem, where users are obviously free to boost their machine's capabilities as and when the need arises.

What I mean is that console generations tend to last quite a long time, and a console's innards are already outdated upon release. Sticking with the same technical specifications for the best part of a decade is a tall order — not just for big budget development studios, but for players who want to see their hobby expand and evolve in a timely manner.

But I do understand the concerns. This has been a weird generation so far, and it does sometimes feel like the PS5 is only just getting started — a knock-on effect of the pandemic and the overall lack of first-party PlayStation games. What's more, I can't see this supposed PS5 Pro being what we perceive as affordable. Current-gen Sony seems hellbent on extracting as much profit as possible from its most hardcore fans, and I'd be shocked if an upgraded console, clearly targeting a hardcore audience, fares any differently.

All in all, I think I'm just looking forward to seeing how Sony goes about selling a PS5 Pro — and how people will react to its eventual announcement.

Sammy Barker, Editor

PS5 Pro 3

The gaming landscape has changed, and I believe the days of transformative generation transitions are now behind us. The biggest games on the planet now span a broad spectrum of hardware profiles, from diminutive smartphones and tablets all the way through to demonstrative PCs. Consoles sit somewhere in the middle, and both Microsoft and Nintendo are already proving that they can come in different forms, with a variety of different specifications.

For me, PS5 Pro sounds like a continuation of that – a beefier, more powerful version of Sony’s existing system which exists for an enthusiast audience. While the PS4 Pro before it obviously benefited from the steady shift towards 4K televisions, we’re already beginning to hear murmurs of dissatisfaction about the current PS5’s capabilities, with Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s resolution when running at 60fps being a recent point of contention. If that doesn’t bother you, then PS5 Pro isn’t for you.

If it does, however, then from the rumoured specifications, it sounds like the Japanese giant’s cobbled together a new console that will largely lessen your irks. The introduction of PlayStation Spectral Resolution (PSSR), presumably a dress rehearsal ahead of a more refined rollout on PS6, will be essential in reducing computational overhead, without sacrificing image quality. This should, in theory, result in better performance, cleaner graphics, and more impressive ray tracing overall.

The price will likely be high, but Sony will know the type of audience that exists for this kind of device, and if resolutions and frame rates and ray tracing aren’t your thing, then so be it – you probably aren’t on the manufacturer’s radar for this particular piece of kit anyway.

Now that we've had our say, it's your turn. Vote in our poll, and then share your full take in the comments section below.

Are you interested in the PS5 Pro, based on what we know so far? (2,618 votes)

  1. Yes, I'll likely be there day one24%
  2. Yeah, I'm interested11%
  3. Kind of, but I need to know more16%
  4. Nah, I'm not sure it's necessary16%
  5. Nope, I'm fine with my PS523%
  6. No, I hate the idea of a PS5 Pro11%