Home PlayStation 5 Pro: release date, price, and specs

PlayStation 5 Pro: release date, price, and specs

TL:DR

  • PlayStation 5 Pro rumored for a holiday season 2024 launch.
  • Expected price of the PS5 Pro could exceed $600, reflecting an increase from the PS5 Slim.
  • Specs likely to include 4GHz CPUs, 2.8 GHz GPU, and 16GB GDDR6 memory, targeting 4K and 8K performance with advanced ray tracing.
  • Sony may introduce proprietary DLSS technology for enhanced visual quality and gaming experience in the PS5 Pro.

Following the launch of the PlayStation 5 Slim in November of 2023, console fans haven’t wasted any time in trading rumors about a possible PlayStation 5 Pro that’s rumored to be on its way this year.

As the name would suggest, the PS5 Slim was a smaller, lighter console that still packed a punch, offering increased storage and a detachable disk drive to boot. However, that’s nothing when compared to the potential power of the rumored PS5 Pro. Based on what we know so far, here’s a closer look at the PlayStation 5 Pro release date, the specs, and the possible price.

When is the PlayStation 5 Pro release date?

After a substantial leak we have a pretty good idea when the release date of the PlayStation5 Pro will take place.

According to claims, Sony plans to unveil its mid-cycle console upgrade in time for the upcoming 2024 holiday period at the end of the year.

A document obtained by YouTube channel Moore’s Law is Dead unveiled (in a video Sony had removed) several crucial specifications for the highly anticipated new console. It indicates that the Pro model will feature significant enhancement in graphical performance, boasting rendering speeds up to 45% higher than the current PlayStation 5. The prediction has since been backed up by several other gaming media outlets.

What is the PS5 Pro price?

Much like the release date, much of the chatter around a potential PlayStation 5 Pro price is speculative. However, this isn’t the first time Sony has released a Pro console following a Slim version. The company did just that back in 2016 with the PlayStation 4 Pro.

Back then, the Pro console cost $100 / €50 / £50 more than the Slim version. By that logic, we might expect the PlayStation 5 Pro to cost in the region of $599.99 / £529.99 if we just hike up the Slim’s price of $499.99 / £479.99. However, consoles, in general, were less expensive back in 2016. For a 2024 console, it’s possible that the console could be even more expensive, reaching over the $600 mark.

Sony might also employ a price hike for the PS5 Slim, perhaps dropping the price of the PS5 baseline down to $399 for the disk version and $49 for the disk-based SKU to $449. Adding $100 on top of that to account for the PS5 Pro would settle it at around $549.99.

Of course, we won’t for certain until we get a formal reveal from Sony. However, it does give you a rough idea of what to expect to pay for the rumored console.

What are the PlayStation 5 Pro specs?

An area where there are more industry rumors to go on is specs. The ‘Pro’ in PlayStation 5 Pro means we can likely expect some beast mode power to come. The Verge has managed to confirm the PS5 Pro will have “a mode that targets 3.85GHz CPU frequency,” from a leaked Sony document meant for developers. That’s around  Sony will offer developers the ability to pick between a “standard mode” at 3.5GHz or the “high CPU frequency mode” at 3.85GHz.

That’s a pretty significant upgrade to the Slim, which boasts a still-respectable eight-core custom AMD Zen 2 at 3.5GHz and AMD RDNA 2 at 2.23 GHz – although the same memory stats. All in all, it would represent a decent boost in performance.

Specifically, image quality is believed to be a major focus for the PlayStation 5 Pro, with gaming insider Tom Henderson writing on Key to Gaming that he had heard the new console would “[target] improved and consistent FPS at 4K resolution” and “a new ‘performance mode’ for 8K resolution, and accelerated ray tracing.”

Currently, no games support 8K resolution, but this would mark Sony’s continued futureproofing for when that’s the norm that started with the baseline PS5.

Hypebeast also reports that the PS5 Pro will be kitted out with Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS)-style technology developed in-house by Sony. Developed by Nvidia, DLSS refers to a family of real-time, deep-learning image enhancement and upscaling technology that offers another level of visual quality, only available via Nvidia’s RTX line of graphics cards. With the launch of the PlayStation 5 Pro, it seems that Sony might be coming out with its own proprietary technology to rival that of its competitor.

 

In practical terms, these tech boots would result in a clearer, faster experience for PS5 Pro gamers. Faster memory and CPU clocking speeds would reduce the slow load times many PS5 critics complain about.  Games could load near-instantly, perhaps offering a chance for the PS5 Pro to copy a feature from the Xbox Series X/S known as ‘Quick Resume.’ The console allows multiple games to be suspended at once, so players can quickly jump from game to game, returning directly to where they left off rather than clicking through the traditional start screen.

Featured image: Sony

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The ReadWrite Editorial policy involves closely monitoring the tech industry for major developments, new product launches, AI breakthroughs, video game releases and other newsworthy events. Editors assign relevant stories to staff writers or freelance contributors with expertise in each particular topic area. Before publication, articles go through a rigorous round of editing for accuracy, clarity, and to ensure adherence to ReadWrite's style guidelines.

Rachael Davies
Tech Journalist

Rachael Davies has spent six years reporting on tech and entertainment, writing for publications like the Evening Standard, Huffington Post, Dazed, and more. From niche topics like the latest gaming mods to consumer-faced guides on the latest tech, she puts her MA in Convergent Journalism to work, following avenues guided by a variety of interests. As well as writing, she also has experience in editing as the UK Editor of The Mary Sue , as well as speaking on the important of SEO in journalism at the Student Press Association National Conference. You can find her full portfolio over on…

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