PS5 Pro Talking Point
Image: Push Square

The latest and greatest PlayStation rumour to do the rounds is based on a recent report by the reliable Insider Gaming. Said report claims that the oft-whispered PS5 Pro is in development, and could be targeting a potential 2024 release. It's a rumour that's already divided fan opinion — and even we find ourselves trying to weigh things up; is 2024 too soon for a PS5 Pro? What would a PS5 Pro even do? Do we need a PS5 Pro? Let's talk about it.

The PS5 Will Be Four Years Old in Late 2024

PS5 Pro
Image: Push Square

It's surprisingly easy to glaze over this fact, but we need to remember that the PS5 is closing in on being three years old. And by the time this supposed PS5 Pro launches in late 2024, the current-gen console will have been around for four whole years.

The reason this might seem so off is because it feels like this console generation has only just gotten started. A by-product of the pandemic in 2020, 2021, and 2022, Sony simply couldn't produce and ship enough PS5s to meet consumer demand. As a result, it felt like the Japanese giant took a step back, deciding early on that it would only put its full marketing weight behind the PS5 when production could be normalised.

So far, 2023 has seen Sony become much more active in pushing the PS5. With an eye-watering release schedule and the launch of PSVR2, the company is clearly ready to go all-in.

You could argue that Sony may want to capitalise on its newfound momentum by launching a bigger and better system sooner rather than later. PS5 sales are through the roof right now, and the release of a Pro model could send profits skyrocketing, potentially coaxing earlier PS5 adopters into an upgrade.

Four years is a considerable chunk of time, console-wise. In generations past, we'd be looking towards the end of a system's life. However, this generation has been anything but normal, and so historical traits don't necessarily apply.

The PS4 Pro Was Born of Necessity

PS4 Pro

Another important point to remember is that we can't really look at the PS4 Pro as some kind of prelude to Sony's PS5 plans. The PS4 Pro released three years after the base PS4, but it was a necessary half-step, given the rise of 4K televisions. The standard PS4 was incapable of running games at the higher resolution, and so Sony had little choice but to 'supercharge' its system as to not be left behind.

Such a strong incentive doesn't exist for the PS5. Yes, performance could always be better — it's undeniable that some games struggle to hold a stable 60 frames-per-second at higher resolutions — but nailing frame rates isn't quite the technical leap that's needed to justify a brand new console.

Well, what about ray tracing? The visual tech is undoubtedly impressive, but most PS5 games have to settle for dedicated ray tracing graphics modes that sacrifice performance. A PS5 Pro could tout much improved ray tracing support as a key selling point — but even then, Sony's speaking to a very hardcore subset of the PlayStation community.

... But perhaps that's the plan?

Two New PS5 Models, One Year Apart? Surely Not

New PS5 Model
Image: Push Square

A PS5 Pro in late 2024... It seems somewhat plausible, but then you consider the other rumour that has a much stronger basis. We are, of course, talking about the long-rumoured, reworked PS5 model that will supposedly sport a detachable disc drive. This overhaul is expected to launch later this year (around September), and will reportedly replace the existing PS5 disc and digital versions.

If this rework turns out to be true, then a PS5 Pro in late 2024 would mean that Sony plans on releasing not one, but two new PS5s in the space of about 12 months — and at least at a glance, that seems a little too aggressive. Imagine picking up a new detachable disc drive PS5, and then being told that a better console is actually dropping just a year later. That sounds like a PR disaster just waiting to happen.

PS5 Games Have Barely Hit Their Stride

PS5 Games

This last point is probably the big one for most of you reading this: it feels like the PS5 is only just getting started in terms of 'next-gen' games. There's no doubt that they've been pushed hardest on PS5, but the likes of Horizon Forbidden West and God of War Ragnarok are cross-gen titles — by definition, they're not taking full advantage of PS5 hardware.

Now, to be fair, we have had glimpses of what a true PS5 exclusive can be. The Demon's Souls remake is drop dead gorgeous, Ratchet & Clank: RIft Apart is technical wonder, and Returnal is a particle-driven odyssey. But is that enough? Many have and will argue that we're yet to see a genuine, all-out PS5 blockbuster — and that makes talk of a PS5 Pro all the more questionable.

That said, 2023 has Final Fantasy XVI and Marvel's Spider-Man 2 — two big budget PS5 exclusives that could signal the real start of this console generation, as alluded earlier in the article.

Honestly, we probably won't be able to fully grasp Sony's strategy until we're given some kind of roadmap for its PlayStation Studios. So many of its current projects are still shrouded in mystery, and without knowing what's on the horizon, trying to predict key moves — especially those that involve new hardware — is always going to be difficult.

Well, now that we've churned through our own thoughts, we want to know how you feel about this supposed PS5 Pro. Is 2024 too soon? Do you think the PS5 Pro is inevitable? What would you want from a mid-gen upgrade? Vote in our polls, and then explain your stance in the comments section below.

Do you think there'll be a PS5 Pro? (1,472 votes)

  1. Yes57%
  2. No43%

When do you think the PS5 Pro will launch? (1,554 votes)

  1. 202420%
  2. 202537%
  3. 202611%
  4. 2027 or later2%
  5. I don't think there'll be a PS5 Pro30%