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There may not be a PS5 Pro this generation, with Sony potentially planning to skip a supercharged mid-gen refresh in favour of a full-blown successor. Reliable industry snoop Tom Henderson teased the tidbit on Twitter, as he weighed in on a recurring report that PlayStation will overhaul its new-gen system later this year. As has been indicated previously, this will purportedly feature a detachable disc drive, unifying the Japanese giant’s production pipeline as it attempts to flood the market with hardware following the shortages it experienced in the aftermath of the pandemic.
Henderson hypothesises that a PS5 Pro may not make sense: “It doesn't feel like the regular version has been fully utilised yet and probably won't be on mass until the end of the year. All I can say is that I've heard more about the PS6 than a PS5 Pro.”
It’s worth remembering that the PS4 Pro launched in 2016, just three years after the release of the base model. So, if the platform holder were to follow that release cadence, we should expect a PS5 Pro this holiday, in theory.
But we agree with the logic being outlined here. Even over two years into the generation, true new-gen exclusives are thin in numbers, and there doesn’t appear to be much appetite for a supercharged system now or any time soon. Henderson says that the revised PS5 – apparently due out in September – is less about adding more horsepower and more about reducing costs. Assuming the new model does exist, that makes the most sense to us; at this point, Sony clearly just wants to get the core console into as many homes as possible.
[source twitter.com]
Comments 68
Honestly i am torn, i have cutting edge Tv and Audio and am always looking for more power in just about all my tech. Granted i am doing well in my career at this stage in my life and can afford nicer gear than when i was in my 20’s. So i would like to see a pro and push better frame rates and more ray tracing. But i also enjoy new consoles and quicker gen cycles than the last gen. Early PS6 games will obviously run on PS5 for 2-3 years. As we are in the PC model now with consoles. I am good with this for both my PS5 and Series X. But either way i will support both consoles and whatever choice they make. Still torn on it for the moment. But maybe this is for the best to skip a Pro model, however i will sell my PS5 for a slimmer better looking model for sure. Excited to see the revision.
It does feel like the pandemic has delayed the real 'start' of this generation, so the thought of a PS5 Pro so soon has never made much sense to me.
If this is the year that Sony really starts pushing the PS5, as it would have done in 2021 without the pandemic, then maybe we're looking at a Pro, or some kind of revision (perhaps just a smaller model?) in late 2024 / sometime in 2025.
No matter how you slice it, this is going to be a slightly odd generation. I wonder if it'll be elongated because of the delay to everyone's plans.
Thing is with the PS4 Pro and One X as DF have said is they were made to cash in on the booming 4K world, both Sony and MS wanted to be on that train early and in MS case they really needed a more powerful console due how weak the One was.
Even ignoring shortages there's little reason to do a PS5 Pro and Series XXX. Both the PS5 and SX have had little "current gen" only games and both already really powerful consoles, i mean come on last gen 30fps was pretty much the realistic outcome yet this Gen 120hz gaming on both machines is a thing and not even a rare thing. MS aren't going to put out 3rd console and Sony are not going to put out a Pro when the PS5 has only just started getting over shortages.
@ShogunRok i agree with you there. No doubt the plan should be more PS5’s in players hands vs just more power, and more power will result in even more hardware costs to Sony as they would need a even bigger console for heat purposes, something i think Sony is trying to avoid after so many people have been against it’s size and even needing to buy new entertainment stands to place it on. This year and more than likely next should be reducing cost and selling the system, it does appear most insiders are pointing to this, and PS5 and Series X are plenty powerful for the next 2-3 years. Let the games do the talking and see what limits are there before rushing to more power. Obviously the only thing i would enjoy a pro for is better frame rates and more ray tracing power. Otherwise not sure we would see much more difference than we did with the weaker Jaguar chipped PS4.
Sony pushed out the Pro to do checkerboard faux 4k on all the 4k tvs out there. I know there are a few very expoensive 8k tv models out there but not nearly enough of an install base to justify a 8k PS5 Pro. And I dont' think it's worth it for whatever the new flavor of HDR is, 10, 12, Dolby, honestly I don't know what's the newest HDR that the PS5 couldn't handle.
Also, PS5 is $500, Sony is trying to push a $600 PSVR2. How many people have the $ for a $700 PS5 Pro?
Signed, a gamer still waiting on the Switch Pro 🤣
Still rocking a PS4 Pro. Not a lot of PS5-only games yet.
If there is no PS5 Pro on the way then I worry about frame rates this gen. The situation is already looking bleak. Studios are either too ambitious or too incompetent.
I really don't even feel a need for a PS5 Pro. Most games that don't run at least 2k/60 just aren't programmed very well. And 4k....well that COULD be an argument, but I honestly can't really tell the difference on under 60'' TVs, especially once I'm absorbed in a game. Guess they could "unify" performance and graphics mode again to have the best of both worlds with a PS6?
@InternetUser
Mostly incompetent.
Gotham Knights was literally the worse optimization job the industry has seen in years.
A Plague’s Tale: Requiem was a well made game, but it is poorly optimized (just not to Gotham Knights insane incompetence). Even PC gamers on crazy powerful set-ups (think RTX 3090s) have issues getting it to run at high frame rates in raster. Most are just going for DLSS performance mode. And as pretty as A Plague’s Tale is, it is ultimately a last generation game in terms of the technology behind it. And some of its design choices made it harder than it needed to be. IMO, there was no need to render so many rats at one time with individual AI routines. They could have easily did “virtual cloning” and it would have made those segments far lighter on everyone’s CPUs and still had the desired effect.
These consoles can do 60fps on almost any title so long as developers optimize and make smart cuts to the visual makeup.
Maybe in another year, a PS5 Pro would be great, but with the lack of PS5's since release, many games on PS5 still being on PS4, and with their even being an argument about a FPS minimum, we certainly aren't pushing the PS5 current model to where it should.
If a PS5 Pro is released, yes, this can allow more hardware into people's homes, but even though it's been almost 3 years since release and it's been slow for people to buy them, it would be an odd thing to do and a cash grab.
I don't think we'll be seeing a pro PlayStation console again any time soon.
As I understand it, PS4 Pro only happened because HDR and 4K became a thing after the console had already been released. The challenges this gen are much different than last.
A pro console just isn't needed. A hardware revision to streamline production on the other hand is very much needed.
@Shepherd_Tallon
100% agree.
The only thing holding back the Series X and PS5 are developers and their decisions.
@Green-Bandit Even if there is no Pro (and there definitely won't be, there is no need for it this time), the PS6 won't release until at least 2027-2028, so you won't get a quicker gen cycle. In fact, this one will probably be longer.
There is no reason from the business perspective to make a more potent version when the components of the actual console aren't cheap yet and probably won't get as cheap as in other iterations becase of the current economic situation in the world so it makes sense if they don't do a 5.2 an go directly to the 6.
Also, a Pro right now wouldn’t make sense because of VR. Pro and VR are too much to ask in such a short time. Not to mention the PS5 hasn’t had a price cut, but a price increase.
Xbox also risks a lot of confusion if they introduce a third Xbox model this gen too.
Im still gaming on my 1080p TV, i prioritize performance over resolution so i dont need a PS5 pro
The PS4 pro getting released actually put me off buying certain games and is also the main reason I didn't buy psvr
I predict that PS5 will be buried soon and around 2025 there will be PS6. SONY made huge flop by rushing PS5 heavily undercooked and need to push as many consoles as it can into customers just because to minimise loss and than scratch whole generation, because soon after few releases of AAA titles they realise PS5 power is not enough... It is my prediction.
@GigaGaia yeah more than likely you are right. But right at the 6th year mark i am ready for new hardware. Since these are just PC’s in a box so to speak, it’s nice to keep up with PC advancements sooner, and people can play on PS5 for 7-8 years or longer if they like cause it’s not as if we won’t see cross gen games for a while into the newer hardwares life. Whatever they decide to do, i am here for it tho. Those are just my wants and needs.
@InternetUser How are things bleak? 60fps is 95% of the time the standard and 120hz gaming is way more common then anyone thought it would be. Gotham Knights being 30fps was like the other guy said poor optimization and the Devs forcing Ray Tracing on all the time, the game was never demanding and was clearly a made for PS4 game originally.
@djlard The PS5 is outselling both Xbox consoles and even has way more exclusives, power wise the PS5 is really powerful and not that far behind the Series X, its way more then enough to hold for another 3-4 years and the same applies to SX. Unlike last gen both high end consoles are impressive machines.
Considering nothing has really been true next gen graphics yet, apart from the matrix demo, I would like to see what the PS5 is actually capable of before any chatter about a PS5 pro starts gathering pace.
The thing has been sold out for years. It doesn't make sense to have a pro when most games are still multi-gen.
New gen has only just started in earnest.
These Pro systems are stupid anyway. Just wait for the damn true upgrade! Can't believe people are still hoping for a switch pro. Hell the next Nintendo console Can't be all that far away in the first place. If you got your pro whatever system you'd have it a year and realize you wasted your money cause the real next gen machine was right around the corner. Nobody ever asked for a Snes Pro or a PS2 pro. They just waited until the real successor came out.
Do you people like blowing money or what? Oh wait gamers, right. This hobby is all about wasting money. Carry on then. Bring on PS7 Pro!
LOL power hungry fools! In my day we bounced a square between two verticle lines and we liked it! Ray Tracing and 60 FPS my ass!
@rjejr I have more then $700 to spend on a ps5 pro.
Bring on a ps5 pro with HDR10+ and better Ray Tracing.
I just want a PS5 slim
This is a bit off topic but hopefully someone can answer this: what format/specs does an external HD specifically for PS5 games require?
Does it affect loading times?
I have one external HD already connected for playing my old PS4 games - can I have two external HDs connected at once?
That sucks. I’d happily purchase a more powerful Pro model. I want more ray tracing action on console.
Very unlikely that a ps5 pro will launch considering the ps4 pro flopped. It didn't sell well and Sony discontinued producing them after a year . If the ps5 pro did launch it would probably need a hefty price tag if it follows the ps4 pro with a bigger storage drive
Yeah, there's no need for a PS5 Pro, especially not at this point.
If they had one that means more games can hit 60FPS with ALL the "fidelity" settings on, then sure. The 40FPS@120Hz modes are ok but they still struggle in some games.
When they said the PS5 and Xbox would have ray tracing I knew it would mean another generation of 30FPS games. 30FPS is horrible. No one chooses it. If there was a swich in games that didn't change any settings and fidelity, but just capped the game at 30FPS instead of 60FPS, no one would use it.
The Pro consoles last gen were down to 4K TV's becoming common and neither the PS4 Pro or One X became the dominant selling version and what would it actually be for this time?
We're over 2 years into this gen and are we even into double figures for games that are exclusive to it between the 2 platforms? Let's get some actual games for the PS5 first before we start worrying about what's next
@Arnna you can't run them from an external drive, you need an NVME to install internally
@johnny30 it was considered a premium product aimed at people with a 4K display or those who wanted a sharper, supersampled lower resolution with all the Pro-enhancement benefits, so it didn't flop relative to its target consumers.
Also it wasn't just discontinued within a year, it released in late 2016 and discontinued in 2021 along with all but the latest PS4 Slim SKUs.
As for the PS5 Pro, we don't need one. I can see a reason for a Slim revision as they always make them later down the line.
As someone who owns a PS4 PRO and a PS5, I hope a PS5 Pro never happens, we don't need a repeat of last generation where the devs have to optimise their game on two different consoles of the same family.
@carlos82 so I have to open the PS5 and swap out the ssd drive for a bigger one? Sorry I’m not technical
We are at a point a higher spec game console will not push the game much.
Hardly any games have come out that take the hardware and push it to the maximum.
Sure you will have a higher resolution, higher framerates and better ray-tracing but it doesn't change the experience much.
@Arnna the plastic side panels pop off easily and there's an empty drive bay to put one in, there's just one screw for the drive bay cover and another to secure the NVME in place, it's very simple to do. Just look up a guide to buy the correct SSD and it literally takes a minute to put it in
PS4 Pro happened mostly because of 4K TV's. The elements that REALLY needed an upgrade CPU and HDD weren't upgraded it was mainly just more GPU horsepower to push 4K (with accompanying memory bandwidth and CPU frequency change to support that)
There isn't the same technological pressure this gen. If anything a PS5 Pro would be to perhaps push RT and/or maintain BOTH 60fps and 4K in more titles but it isn't really necessary. If you want ALL these things and more options, get a PC.
I don't expect next gen till 2027-2028 at the earliest.
Pro was a thing as Sony realised that the 4K displays were starting to take off and so the Pro was launched to offer someone a 4K capable device.
The XBox One X launched about a year later as 1) Microsoft finally saw that 4K was taking off and 2) they had to try and wrest the 'most powerful console' moniker back to their trounced console.
Unless 8K displays take off (they're not) there is little reason for a PS5 Pro though some of the grumbles on here are concerning regarding inability to push out 4K @ 60Hz which you think that the hardware should be capable of unless the PS4 Pro was more grunty than we thought?
Me? I'm waiting to see what the redesigned model looks like. Had a disc drive PS5 for about a fortnight before I returned it to Sony (and don't start me on that car crash UI!) and am continuing to game on my PS4 Pro with SSD until something truly next gen of interest comes along.
@Jaz007 precisely what i was thinking. I normally don't buy a console until after the first price drop. I will eventually get a ps5 but i am more than content with ps4 and way cheaper games.
@Arnna this guide is promoting their own brand of SSD, but otherwise seems very beginner-friendly: https://youtube.com/watch?v=7ZoV8P894N4
The process is remarkably simple considering it means you can use commodity parts.
A PS5 Pro? I know my PS4 Pro was worth the price, $400 Xmas 2017. I got a needed new DS4, 1TB of needed hdd space, and a game, CD WW2. Also 1080p gallery capture, improved game performance, and allowed my other PS4 to be a backup. Then along came the performance mode option with noticeable improved frame rates with 1080p output to my 1080p screen.
Since I have yet to upgrade to current gen my PS5 desire is for a slim model with 2TB ssd, and a web browser. Also for games to be well optimized for the current gen and 60fps.
A PS5 Pro? Maybe not needed this gen, but a slim most definitely is needed.
I honestly think that console generations will resemble more and more those of mobile devices going forward, so shorter generations but broader backward and forward compatibilities when comes to games. We could also see Pro and Lite variants of the same generations of consoles at launch, in order to cater to different budgets and needs of the gaming consumers.
@theheadofabroom thank you so much, I appreciate that greatly 🤗
right now Sony dont need a Pro. the ps5 isnt being pushed regularly yet.
plus economicly it doesnt make sense. world downturn.
plus Potential losses from vr2.
too risky
I'm not a fan of Pro models. Eventually the original model will get held back and struggle to handle games that are made for Pro consoles. PS4 did well but the Xbox One X had a big jump which left the original Xbox One struggling. I never upgraded, but i did noticed a LOT of issues with the original and peoples solution to all the slowness is to upgrade. I shouldn't have to upgrade it and the original PS4 still looked great.
I would prefer to see them just going new gen when games have hit the peak. Xbox seems to be going the phone upgrade way and Sony is holding onto the old traditional way. I'd like to see Sony release the PS6 next that allows us to continue playing our PS5 games on it until it's time to let the PS5 go and move on with PS6 games
@Toypop if frame rates and resolution are so important to you why don't you buy a pc where you get what you want?
Correct me if I'm wrong but PS4 Pro was a response to PS VR not running so great on base PS4.
Both were released pretty much at the same time.
I think we can infer that PS5 has enough horsepower to drive PS VR2 sufficiently, otherwise we'd already hear about a Pro variant.
That's great news anyway, I don't think anyone really wants mid-gen refreshes.
Comments section, I agree. Everything very well said
I'm wondering how long physical consoles will continue to dominate the market - as we move forward. If you can have 4080 power in a cloud for under 20 pound a month already, exciting to think where streaming might be in a few years time. Latency is also becoming less of an issue, as internet speeds improve.
This should be obvious to anyone paying attention.
Most of the performance gains from generation to generation comes from die size shrinks. Now, the cadence has been getting slower every gen, but that has seemingly reached major roadblocks over the last few years. So, as node reductions become harder because of physical limits, they also become significantly more expensive.
All that is to say that Sony will face immense challenges in making significantly faster consoles. A PS5 Pro would offer very modest gains if it were to come out in 2023/24 and cost less than $600.
Add to that the fact that game development cycles can now easily take 5 or 6 years, and I wouldn't be surprised if the next PlayStation console to offer any performance gain over PS5 would only come out in 2028.
Marketing wise who cares. Parts wise I don't think they want to make less profit on it or need the power if devs aren't even pushing them yet anyway like anything regardless of the world situation the first three years are fine but it's middle to later we see them use it well enough. Besides with say a 4000 series (not familiar enough with AMD cards) when it's already a 2000 series card and whatever parts for such gen CPU, a good amount of RAM and what not besides being custom for a console still even if x86 architecture.
It has 8K on the box or did everyone forget that because it always makes me laugh did people tear the box open or miss that detail at all. Like PS3 we saw 1080p games for certain titles. For PS5 we will see certain 8K titles but most haven't even gotten used to the hardware yet so why would we need a Pro. It's not viable. They don't need a Pro PS5.
The 4K jump in the others made sense. It's timing was better than 32X being a 32bit gap before the Saturn they timed the Pro/One X well for 4K TVs being at a more affordable price point, 8K will be at some point too, sure no 8K content yet but they will be ready when their ready, who cares about the marketing terms being thrown around wait and see until they can reach that than have a sugar rush/hype expecting something out of it. XD
Even if checker boarded 4K on Pro which I assume to be interlaced so 4Ki then 4Kp, I don't know for sure but sounds like it, but still that's something. Otherwise a 1440p Pro (as in PS4 Pro I mean fitting that) was fine enough if it achieved that even. Then again it wasn't 4K Blu Ray capable like the Xbox One X and I think Xbox One S so there was there also that seemed strange if people wanted a console for their movies/tv series besides a 4K Blu Ray player at the time.
I think the PS5 Pro/Series Y or Z or SS, SSS (whatever Microsoft or fans expect it to be called) or whatever doesn't need to exist. These consoles will be fine.
The Pro/One X and New 3DS line were there for power to provide developers (3DS especially to keep up with Switch a bit when making ports for games which is all they were besides the additional control schemes some games had like Federation Force that I appreciated they included) but for a specific reason not to be a rule but an exception, as if we see a need to not a 'well customers should expect one everytime' because it's not going to happen they don't need to this time.
Other than 'we must compete with PC' that people may think when why should they they don't need to they are their own line of products doing their job well. They are supposed to be the middle of PC/Mobile/Handhelds so why think that if people still do.
I skipped last gen consoles entirely, and got a PS5 two years ago (it took 1 week of following a twitter account that said when a retailer was getting some PS5s...not sure why ppl thought it was impossible). I'm 100% content with the PS5, and looking forward to developers really tapping into it's potential as they kiss last gen goodbye
I only play exclusives on my PS5 so I wouldn’t get a PS5 Pro for that reason but if it was my main console for third party games then I’d only consider the PS5 Pro if it was capable of doing full 4K @60fps with full ray-tracing reflections, ambient occlusion, shadows, diffuse illumination, global illumination. Basically the full bells and whistles, if not then I’d expect it on the PS6.
Forget the stupid pro models.
Concentrate on making the current PS5 cheaper, more efficient, and maybe changing the consoles god-awful design to resemble the PS4 more closely.
Unless we can be guaranteed 60fps on every single game with raytracing included 4k HDR at base level on a ps5 pro then yeah I could understand Sony releasing one but if it doesn't then it won't be worth it because there wouldn't be much difference to what we have now so hopefully PS6 will have these as a base level for every game going forward.
@EVIL-C Seriously, what were they thinking with that design? Try laying the PS5 on its side, but don't even think about moving or repositioning it. Even now I feel like it's balancing precariously on that stand.
@Andee Oh yeah mines been lying flat since day 1. I thought PS3 looked bad, but PS5 is the champion of awful modern electronic design. 🤮
@EVIL-C, one day there was a meeting where the design of the PS5 was decided. What were the designs that lost? I have no desire for the current PS5. A slim maybe, but when and how available would one be.
I would not call my PS3 Slim pretty or ugly. It sits beside my PRO, both are matte black, stable horizontal, and both are unnoticed.
@EVIL-C It's like they took a freehand concept rendering and went straight into mass production without ever considering how the thing would exist on a surface, and then quickly rushed the stand (which doesn't even clip neatly into the frame) into production
I’d be happy with just a slim ps5 then ps6 sooner…
There's also the problem that the Pro never really sold particularly well. It made a splash for enthusiasts but it was borderline failure as a retail product.
Last gen was the weird one. The consoles were pretty junky when they launched, with pretty weak hardware and few games actually ran even close to as promised on them, so the mid-gen bump mostly delivered the console we were told we were getting to begin with at launch. This gen launched with proper hardware at the start. I really don't see the mid-gen thing happening, and MS already said they don't want to do that. I don't see either of them racing to that goal. Sony's only just launching their VR component now.
I still think it's possible we could get a surprise PS5 Pro announcement this year, with a Late 2023 or Spring/Summer 2024 release.
As for the PS6, I don't see that releasing until Fall 2029 now, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
@NEStalgia Not really seen any Pro specific figures but about 2017 it was quoted at 1 in 5 being the Pro so it must've sold about 23-25 million units?
Not a massive amount by itself, but then it was just a part of the PS4 juggernaut.
@sanderson72 Yeah, but that's just it, a 20% sell-through of the enhanced SKU hardly seems worth the cost of producing it, including the costs put on development and development relations for supporting an additional console, where in MS's case means supporting S, X, and P, and in Sony's case means supporting 5, VR2, and P. In Sony's case they're struggling to reduce their SKUs to keep production in line with the detachable disc system. Last gen was weird. The base console was really poor for both of them, and then 4k happened and made both consoles look REALLY poor. Sony couldn't let their TVs look like garbage, and MS needed to show they could make a capable console and the One was just bad. So we ended up with MS and Nintendo doing a late gen "do-over" and Sony selling an incremental upgrade that wasn't the kind of upgrade MS had. And Pro still had the same crummy tablet CPU and 1X had an overclocked crummy tablet CPU. Really weird.
We're at a point though where I think they have to start picking if they're going with generations or the cell phone/PC model. If they're doing the upgrade model I could see a 5-2 in 4-5 years and no "PS6" ever. If they're doing generations I can see PS6 being 5-6 years away. We haven't really even started the PS5 generation yet. It's basically launching now.
@NEStalgia Yes, PS5 is really only looking to get going this year, which is why the previous gen is still kicking around and remaining relevant over 2 years after the PS5 launched.
Trouble is the lack of PS5 only titles - the launch ones are still the only 5 exclusive titles of any consequence and then you get the shiny, shallow things like "Forspoken" plop out and some people, like me, are still waiting for a reason to upgrade and for some decent PS5 only titles to emerge.
Things like Diablo 4 are still coming to PS4 and XB1 so my Pro is all I need for the moment, though I''ll give the redesign a look when it comes along, as in order for the PS5 to take off they have to leave the old gen behind else the PS5 just becomes a bit of an expensive joke PS4 Pro Plus.
I bought a disc edition PS5 from Sony Direct and had it for about a fortnight before I sent it back as it was a surprisingly lacklustre experience. Yes, the loading times were a bit better but not by order of magnitude (thanks to Crucial MX500 in the Pro) and the dashboard is a total mess. The DualShock is interesting but less comfortable than the unparalleled DS4. Perhaps I've been spoilt by the Pro enhancements and very fast load times afforded by the SATA3 SSD?
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