Should You Buy a PlayStation 5 Pro?
2024 has been a rock-solid year for the PlayStation brand. Despite Sony stating they wouldn’t be releasing any big first party titles for existing franchises in 2024, they’ve recorded a sales peak of over 20.8 million units for the financial year ending March 31, 2024 – just shy of an ambitious 21-million-unit target. And although no major first-party titles will be releasing this year, there has been a slew of exciting releases like Helldivers 2, Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, and the critically acclaimed Astro Bot.
So, what does the rest of 2024 have in store for Sony? Well, in a 10 minute “technical presentation” hosted by Mark Cerny, the Lead Architect of the PS5, PlayStation have finally announced the heavily rumoured PlayStation 5 Pro. With three big enhancements coming to the Pro console, you’re probably wondering if it’s worth it.
Should you buy one? How much does it cost? Here’s what you need to know!
What is the PS5 Pro?
This isn’t a PlayStation 6, but a mid-gen refresh, similar to what we saw with the PS4 Pro prior to the release of the PS5. This comes at a time when Sony might be expecting a gradual decline in annual console sales.
When the PS4 Pro launched, many games released with the “PS4 Pro Enhanced” tag, meaning that the game took advantage of the more powerful system’s tech to greatly improve graphics and gameplay.
This is where we started to see the introduction of “Performance” and “Fidelity” modes. These options allow gamers to prioritise framerate or resolution, depending on their preference.
Of course, as technology improves, the goal should be for gamers to not have to make compromises when it comes to performance or fidelity. Instead, games will be able to perform at a high framerate with the highest resolution settings.
Is that what we should expect with PS5 Pro Enhanced games?
PS5 Pro Enhanced
One big addition with PS5 Pro is Sony’s PSSR technology. PSSR, or “PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution”, will allow the console to upscale from 1080p resolutions to 4K in milliseconds.
This will be incredibly beneficial for games that rely heavily on the console’s GPU and ensure you’re getting the pretties graphics the game can manage. That will also mean that GPU intensive games should be able to upscale to higher resolutions AND maintain higher framerates. This means more games in 4K at 60 FPS.
This boost will be made even bigger thanks to the second enhancement, the 45% faster GPU, which will set the new baseline for console graphics at a much higher level!
However, for games that are more CPU intensive, you should probably temper your expectations. With only a 10% boost to the standard consoles CPU, games like GTA 6 (when it releases), will probably still struggle to run at a stable 60 frames per second.
The good news is that most console games are GPU intensive, so an overhauled GPU and PSSR should make rendering prettier graphics easier and more efficient in most cases.
The third big enhancement is the greatly improved ray tracing the new console will offer. This will allow reflections to be smoother and clearer than ever, providing an incredibly immersive experience.
How much will the PS5 Pro cost?
When the PS4 Pro released it only cost £350, which if you remember, was also the launch price of the standard PS4. So, if they’re being consistent, the PS5 Pro will be the same price as the PS5 at launch, right?
Well, Sony looks to be doing things little differently this generation. When Sony launched the PS4 Slim, they knocked the price down to £259, a massive reduction. However, the PS5 Slim came out at a higher price than the base model at £479. This has led many to speculate a higher cost for the Pro model, speculation that Cerny has just confirmed, as the new device will cost a whopping £699!
So, do you need one?
Who is the PS5 Pro For?
PlayStation showed off a variety of games featuring Pro console enhancements, and although it’s hard to see much when factoring in YouTube’s video compression, the differences do look outstanding.
If you play a wide variety of games and aren’t satisfied with the current performance of what you’re playing, the PS5 Pro is something you should consider. This is especially true if you’re using a PS4. If you’re tired of compromising on resolution in order to get buttery smooth framerates, you’ll likely have that problem solved by the Pro model. This is an enthusiast’s product, for sure, but that doesn’t mean you won’t get anything out of it if you’re a more casual gamer.
So if all you play is Fortnite, EA FC, and Call of Duty, you’ll certainly see improvements – but how worthwhile they’ll be is entirely dependent on your own finances. At a price of £699, you’ll definitely have to ask yourself if this is an upgrade you need. This is especially true when you consider the promise of no new titles from big franchises in 2024.
If you’re still interested in picking up a PS5 Pro when It’s available, why not sell an older console, such as your current PS5, and upgrade for less. And even if you’re happy with the console you have, why not trade in some other tech, like an old iPhone, and get cash to put towards new games when they launch.
We should expect to see a number of new games, enhanced for the PS5 Pro. So, if you’re excited for those, sell an old device today!