Sony has finally confirmed all the rumors and announced its new console: PS5 Pro. The console is sure to cause controversy and controversy among gamers (if you read the comments on social media, you’ve probably already seen them). Today we’ll take a look at why this console was made in the first place.
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Why do you need a PS5 Pro?
Despite all the technology the PS5 has, the console has several weak points that unfortunately were impossible to fix without a new device model. During the presentation, PlayStation 5 architect Mark Cerny focused on these aspects.
The main goal of the PS5 Pro is to give owners of large 4K displays the opportunity to not have to compromise on graphics if they want to play at 60 frames. Unfortunately, the current PS5 doesn’t allow for this – when playing at 60 frames, modern games (Final Fantasy 16, Alan Wake 2, Black Myth: Wukong) can run at a terrifying 720p resolution (literally, PS3 level). While this may not be as noticeable on monitor and TV displays with a 1080p resolution, it is noticeable on modern high-resolution displays.
The video is available on PlayStation’s YouTube channel. The video is copyrighted by Sony.
The abundance of effects and poor image quality create a very unpleasant picture – “soapy”. It’s nice that people can now choose between 30 frames of great graphics or 60 frames of soap opera. The PS5 Pro should combine these options, offering a unique mode without the need to make compromises.
Plus, the PS5 Pro will have its own fancy tech: While the PS5 uses AMD’s FSR software to upscale, which physically can’t significantly improve image quality, the PS5 Pro has created its own fancy hardware tech using AI: PSSR.
If you’re playing on a PC, PSSR is an analogue of NVIDIA’s DLSS. If Sony’s technology is at least comparable to DLSS, then the image quality on the PS5 Pro will be significantly higher.
Additionally, the PS5 Pro will significantly increase the graphics chip power (an overall increase of 45%) and add more advanced ray tracing based on upcoming AMD technologies, which will debut on the PS5 Pro.
PS5 Pro (left) and PS5 Slim (right)
Photo by: Sony
Who needs PS5 Pro?
Enthusiasts, and big ones at that. I am actively following people’s reactions and opinions, and my impression is that many are unconditionally happy with the regular PS5. I wrote above that I myself see a big difference in the graphics level between the 30 and 60 frame modes on the PS5. However, judging by the feedback from ordinary gamers, this is not so obvious to them. Therefore, most will continue to use and buy the regular PS5.
Back in the days of the PlayStation 4, where the meaning of the PS4 Pro was very clear (you have a 4K TV, you need this console for 4K content), with the PS5 the situation is slightly different, and the prices are completely different: more In four years of life, the PS5 has not become cheaper, and the PS5 Pro will be sold at a record price of $ 700 – this is a lot, which further narrows the circle of people interested in the console.
The PS5 Pro won’t be a huge success and won’t significantly expand the PlayStation base. The goal of this console is to retain current PS5 owners or find people interested in the powerful device who don’t want to make compromises. In fact, it should appease the most die-hard enthusiasts so that they stick with the PlayStation and don’t build themselves a very powerful PC (by the way, a computer on par with the PS5 Pro will cost at least twice as much as the console).
PS5 Pro horizontally
Photo by: Sony
What will change in PS5 Pro games?
For the most part, there will be much higher resolution, and everything will run at 60 frames. Some games will receive more significant graphical improvements – Gran Turismo 7 has already been announced to be adding an 8K resolution mode, and there will also be a more standard 4K at 60 frames with ray tracing.
At the same time, all new games will receive mandatory support for PS5 Pro capabilities, without exception. Sony itself has worked hard to make it easier to upgrade older games for the new console: for example, it only takes a couple of lines of code to replace the terrible FSR with an advanced PSSR.
At the start of PS5 Pro sales, they promise around 50 games that will support the console’s capabilities.
The Last of Us Part II RemasteredThe First DescendantThe Crew MotorfestRatchet & Clank: Rift Apart”Spider-Man 2″Forbidden West HorizonHogwarts LegacyGran Turismo 7Final Fantasy 7 RebirthDragon’s Dogma 2Demon’s SoulsAssassin’s Creed: ShadowsAlan Wake 2.
In any case, the PS5 Pro will automatically support all PS4 and PS5 games, and in some cases, thanks to the increased power, even without any intervention from developers, the visuals and performance will be improved through the use of dynamic parameters.
The video is available on PlayStation’s YouTube channel. The video is copyrighted by Sony.
The PS5 Pro presentation was not successful
Unfortunately, Sony chose an unfortunate format for the announcement of the PS5 Pro: a sterile video with a couple of completely incomprehensible live examples, where it is difficult to understand what is what. It is clear that this is a console for enthusiasts, but the differences and features had to be read in the press release and in the developer documents.
The company should have handed the console over to experts: Digital Foundry itself. However, for some reason we were given a sterile nine-minute conference where Mark Cerny simply talked about what we already knew from leaks, and added nothing new or surprising (except, of course, the high price).
People on the Internet are right to express their discontent. The device itself, judging by all the known details, will be really powerful and very modern, but Sony simply failed to demonstrate this with bright, live examples. At the same time, the only live preview, for some reason, was from the CNET portal, where the author was clearly not smart and could not talk interestingly about the new device, most of the time simply quoting the words of Mark Cerny.
Hopefully Sony will be able to showcase more features of the device with vivid examples before launch.
PS5 Pro logo
Photo by: Sony
PS5 Pro release date and price
The PS5 Pro will be released on November 7th. The price will be high: $699 in the US and €799 in Europe. In this case, the kit will not include a drive or a vertical stand. But the internal storage will immediately be 2 TB (PS5 Fat – 825 GB, PS5 Slim – 1 TB).
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