Gamers can anticipate the arrival of the PlayStation 5 Pro (PS5 Pro) in the fall of 2024, which is expected to significantly outperform its predecessor, the regular PS5. Insider reports indicate that the PS5 Pro will feature a substantially enhanced GPU that benefits from Sony’s proprietary PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) upscaling technology. This leap in technology reportedly results in a 45% boost in rendering performance compared to the PS5’s current RDNA 2-based GPU.
The PS5 Pro’s GPU is touted to contain 30 Work Group Processors (WGPs), translating to 60 Compute Units (CUs), a 66% increase from the existing model. Such advancement promises not only a general performance enhancement but also a 2 to 3 times improvement in ray tracing performance, potentially reaching up to 4 times in specific scenarios due to RDNA 4-derived ray tracing hardware. Furthermore, the anticipated GPU is said to yield an ambitious 300 TOPS AI and 33.5 TFLOPs FP32 of theoretical performance, a stark contrast to the regular PS5’s 10.3 TFLOPs FP32.
While the upcoming console is expected to retain the same octa-core and Zen 2-based CPU as its current non-Pro counterparts, a significant twist comes in the form of a ‘High CPU Frequency Mode.’ This mode intends to push the CPU’s clock speed from 3.5 GHz to 3.85 GHz, albeit at a marginal trade-off of 1% GPU performance.
Rumors suggest that Sony plans to align the PS5 Pro’s launch with the major firmware version 10.0.0, slated for release in the same season as the console. The current firmware update, version 9.0.0, is already live for all PS5 units, implying that development is well underway.
Besides the technical enhancements, the PS5 Pro is rumored to come with a novel feature for consumers who prefer physical discs—a detachable disc drive. This modular approach, coupled with a generous 1 TB of built-in storage, could provide users with more flexibility and convenience, resembling the design direction of the current PS5 Slim.
As the gaming community looks forward to the PS5 Pro, it’s evident that Sony is gearing up to deliver a powerhouse console that will not just enhance gaming experiences but also maintain the company’s competitive edge in the console market. With these advanced capabilities, the PS5 Pro aims to set a new benchmark for gaming console performance upon its anticipated autumn release in 2024.
