It almost seems inevitable that we’ll see a PS5 Pro at some point in the future, but what can we expect from a more powerful PlayStation 5?
Sony kickstarted the trend of releasing mid-gen console upgrades during the PlayStation 4 generation with the PS4 Pro back in 2016 – a more technologically advanced system that was capable of 4K visuals and higher frame rates.
The PS4 Pro was successful enough that Microsoft followed suit with its own mid-gen console refresh a year later, the Xbox One X and, much like the PS4 Pro, the Xbox One X trumped the original Xbox One in almost every department.
Nintendo has always had a habit of releasing upgraded hardware during a console generation, though the company tends to refine an existing design as opposed to making something more powerful.
The Nintendo DS Lite, New Nintendo 3DS, and Nintendo Switch OLED are all recent examples of Nintendo making improvements to its original hardware but not overhauling the technical specs to any notable degree.
The PS5 may be only approaching its year and a half anniversary on sale, then, but that doesn’t mean Sony won’t already have plans to release a more capable model in the coming years.
It’s unclear right now exactly what a PS5 Pro could improve upon, though – we still haven’t seen any 8K resolution support on PlayStation 5 as of yet, and we’ll have to wait for a PS5 Slim if we want to see a noticeably smaller console.
Still, it’s always fun to speculate and round up all the rumors, so let’s deep dive into the possibility of a PS5 Pro and make a few predictions along the way. We can make an educated guess as to when the PS5 Pro will be released along with its price based on what Sony did with the PS4 Pro.
The PS4 Pro launched in 2016, which was three years after the original PS4 came out. That means we could see a PS5 Pro release as early as 2023, then, as the PS5 launched in November 2020. However, the Covid-19 pandemic and ongoing component shortages could push a PS5 Pro launch well into 2024 or beyond.
In terms of price, the PS4 Pro launched at the same price point as the original PS4, which was $399 / £349. The PS5 costs $499 / £449, so it’s likely that Sony could offer the PS5 Pro for the same price point if it follows the same strategy as it did for PS4 Pro.
The PS5 is already a gargantuan machine, which means that unless Sony can make drastic improvements, a PS5 Pro could match or even exceed the size of a regular PlayStation 5. We saw a similar situation occur with the PS4 Pro, which was bigger than the original PlayStation 4 by some margin.
We imagine that, much like the PlayStation 4 Pro, Sony’s design will build upon the existing futuristic look of the console, but could include some additional flourishes that aren’t present on the current system.
