PS5 Pro, 3 leaked details, and a look at the PS4 Pro presentation

Officially, PlayStation has not announced the PS5 Pro. The rumored device, an intergenerational version of Sony’s next-generation console, is in the works, Tom Henderson has revealed. His media outlet, Insider Gaming, has already successfully leaked other products from the Japanese company and has now shared some details about the device. The technical characteristics that are known suggest that it will be the most powerful console so far, pending Xbox’s next move. It should not be forgotten that Microsoft has announced that it is working on a future hardware that promises to be the biggest leap ever seen.

1. The new PSSR technology, a resolution rescaling method

One of the most striking features of the PS5 Pro, known under the codename Trinity, is the so-called Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), a kind of NVIDIA DLSS that will allow rescaling the resolution of games and smoothing textures. According to Henderson, the Japanese company is aiming for resolutions of 4K at 120 FPS and 8K at 60 FPS. He received this information from an internal source who provided him with a document containing the data on condition of anonymity. But one thing are the goals and another thing to achieve them: currently, PS5 Pro PSSR reaches 3840 × 2160, but Sony expects to achieve 4K at 60 FPS and 8K at 30 FPS.

2. More memory for games

Developers can always use more memory. That’s why there were complaints about the PS4 Pro’s limitations in this regard, as it wasn’t enough to offer 4K resolutions with guarantees (512 MB of additional RAM, which was mainly used for applications). As for the PS5 Pro, Sony will keep the same RAM as the standard PS5, i.e. 16 GB of GDDR6 memory. The difference lies in the fact that developers will be able to dedicate an additional 1.2 GB to their titles. This means that instead of 12.5 GB, they will be able to take advantage of 13.7 GB. And what will this extra memory be used for? Developers will decide what they want to use it for, but it is obvious that the new PSSR functionality and ray tracing will consume more memory.

3. An undockable disc reader

With the PS5 Slim, PlayStation followed the line of the original model and presented two variations: the console with a disc reader and a 100% digital console. However, unlike the original, players with a digital console can buy an official disk reader and attach it to their console, so that if they regret it, they will always have the possibility to access the games on disk. All indications are that the PS5 Pro will follow a similar path, as Henderson mentioned that the new hardware will include the ability to undock the reader. It is not clear if there will be two models as in the case of PS5 and PS5 Slim, but it is understood that it is a more than plausible option.

There has been much talk about the possible release date of PS5 Pro, and although internal sources place its arrival by the end of 2024, the truth is that they point out a nuance to take into account. And it is that Sony is looking down on its catalog of games, which, as it is already officially known, will not receive too many new features this year. The company assured by its next CEO, Hiroki Totoki, that no titles of its great sagas are expected until beyond the end of the current fiscal year, which ends on March 31, 2025. For this reason, says Henderson, the revamped version of PlayStation 5 may take longer.

Will they unveil a new console without games? Looking back at the original PS4 Pro presentation, Mark Cerny - chief hardware officer - said the company demonstrated the console’s capabilities with both upcoming games and already released products. Horizon Zero Dawn and Marvel’s Spider-Man served to showcase the machine’s capabilities with highly anticipated PlayStation titles, but the SEGA and PlayStation veteran also demonstrated the system’s power with third-party products like Watch Dogs 2 and Mass Effect Andromeda, as well as previously released games like Rise of the Tomb Raider and Middle-earth: Shadows of War.

The PS4 Pro launched in November 2016, a few months before the release of Horizon Zero Dawn, which arrived in February 2017. Marvel’s Spider-Man, on the other hand, did not see the light of day until a year later. At least in this case, there was a first-party product close in time, with a concrete date. It doesn’t look like the same thing will happen with the next console. In any case, we will have to wait.