It’s been almost three years since the PS5 was first launched. Plagued with supply-chain problems throughout much of its lifetime, people are only now securing the next-generation machine without issue.
But just when you finally manage to join the PS5 club and secure a console, rumours about a potential PS5 Pro machine have begun to emerge, and a PS5 Pro release date could be here sooner than you think.
As we inch towards the PS5’s three-year anniversary, and with the PlayStation Project Q handheld on the horizon, the rumour mill is going into overdrive. Reports suggest the mid-generation console is already in production and could be released sometime soon.
So, when could the PS5 Pro launch, how much could it cost, and how much more powerful could it be, compared with the PS5? We’ve rounded up all the PS5 Pro rumours you need to know, as well as some of our own speculation. Nothing is confirmed yet, so take everything here with a pinch of salt.
The latest PS5 Pro news
On 15 August, the YouTube gaming insider channel RedGamingTech released a tranche of new information regarding the specs of the PS5 Pro, stating in the video that it will be twice as powerful as the current PS5, and that you’ll be able to play games at 60fps with ray tracing enabled, something PCs with high-end graphics cards can achieve. Right now, the PS5 can only run 60fps games in 4k without ray tracing.
The YouTuber released a second video on 23 August, disputing one detail in the first report regarding the CPU. RedGamingTech originally claimed the PS5 would feature a Zen 4 microarchitecture, but the leaker now suggests it will still be based on the Zen 2 microarchitecture found in the current PS5.
PS5 Pro release date: When could the console launch?
There is no official word on the PS5 Pro’s existence yet, let alone a release date, but a combination of our own guesswork, based on previous console releases, and leaker reports suggests the mid-cycle console could launch fairly soon.
Firstly, let’s take a look at the PS4. Sony launched the PS4 in November 2013 and announced the mid-generation PS4 Pro and PS4 Slim follow-up consoles in September 2016 before releasing both in November that year, leaving a three-year gap between the two machines.
The PS3 and PS3 Slim had a similar window of time between consoles. The PS3 was released in November 2006, and the PS3 Slim was announced by Sony in August 2009 and released in September that year, leaving another three years between the original console and the mid-generation upgrade.
Starting to see a pattern? Sony appears to announce a mid-generation console upgrade in the summer before it turns three, then launches the machine in the autumn – sometime between September and November. The PS5 was released in November 2020, and a three-year gap would mean the PS5 Pro is potentially due to launch in November 2023.
However, the fairly reliable outlet Insider Gaming suggests the PS5 Pro is in active development and could be released in late 2024, rather than 2023. The report says the 2024 PS5 Pro is separate from the rumoured PS5 Slim, with a detachable disc drive, allegedly launching later this year.
In early May, Insider Gaming published a report stating “although the PlayStation 5 Pro could be cancelled at any given time”, it can say “with 100 per cent degree of certainty that the PlayStation 5 Pro is currently in development”.
It added that the first developer kit prototypes would be going to first-party developers “within the next couple of months”, and that third-party developers would be receiving them by the end of the year. It reiterated that the rumoured console is expected to launch in late 2024.
Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson, this time writing for Key to Gaming, stated the PS5 Pro is codenamed Project Trinity, keeping with the Matrix-themed codenames used for previous gaming releases. He alleged in July that Sony is already hosting demonstrations with developers.
There were some other dubious reports in 2022. TV manufacturer TCL speculated that the PS5 Pro could launch in late 2023, and a video from RedGamingTech, posted in March 2022, also suggested the PS5 Pro could launch in late 2023, but that it could slip to early 2024.
Again, take everything here with a pinch of salt, but the PS5 Pro could launch either this year or next.
PS5 Pro price: How much could the console cost?
In August 2022, Sony took the unprecedented decision of increasing the price of the PS5 by £30 in the UK, meaning it now costs £479.99 for the PS5 disc edition console.
There aren’t any rumours about the PS5 Pro’s price yet, but it might cost the same as the current-generation PS5, if Sony sticks to tradition. The PS4 cost £349.99 at launch, and when the company brought out the PS4 Pro, it too had a price tag of £349.99.
PS5 Pro specs and design
Rumours about the PS5 Pro’s specs and design are still thin on the ground, with most of the rumours coming from Tom Henderson’s Key to Gaming report in July. The leaker said his sources suggest the PS5 Pro will feature a GPU with 18,000 MT/s memory and 30 WGP (workgroup processor). “The PlayStation 5 Pro will be targeting improved and consistent FPS at 4K resolution, a new ‘performance mode’ for 8K resolution, and accelerated ray tracing,” he said.
It’s likely the PS5 Pro will have a new and upgraded AMD chip. AMD posted a job listing on LinkedIn in May 2022, searching for someone who would work on the RDNA chips that power the PlayStation and Xbox consoles. In the ad, the company said the role would involve work on a “next-generation chip development project”.
According to RedGamingTech, the PS5 Pro could be twice as fast as the PS5, though the leaker doesn’t go into specifics, and could be 2.5 times more powerful with ray tracing turned on. The PS5 already has ray tracing. A patent filed by Sony’s lead system architect of the PS4 and PS5, Mark Cerny, in 2022 suggests the next PlayStation console could see an update to ray tracing.
In a January 2023 report, Phonandroid also claimed the PS5 Pro will include liquid cooling for better heat management. That said, the publication also reported the PS5 Pro would be launching in April 2023, and, obviously, that hasn’t happened.
In terms of what we’d like and expect to see? Increased CPU, and GPU performance is a must, and 8K resolution is a potential new feature. We’d also like to see the PS5 Pro support Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision for UHD discs. It could be even bigger than the PS5, too, given that the PS4 Pro was slightly bigger than the PS4.
Should you wait for the PS5 Pro or buy the PS5 now?
Considering there hasn’t been any confirmation yet of the PS5 Pro’s existence, it’s tricky to say whether you should wait for the announcement or just buy the current-generation console now. If the rumours are true, the PS5 Pro will be more powerful than the PS5, potentially featuring a faster chipset, better ray tracing and 8K support.
But the PS5 is the best console Sony has ever made, and you’ll potentially be missing out on incredible next-gen gaming for potentially another year and a half, and the PS VR2 offers even more.
You might have to cough up even more cash to secure a PS5 Pro, too, but Sony might also choose to keep the price the same. A healthy compromise might be to buy the PS5 now, and trade it in at a third-party retailer once the PS5 Pro is officially unveiled if you decide you want to upgrade.
If that’s the case, now’s the best time to buy the PS5 as it has just gone on sale, meaning you can secure it at its lowest ever price.
The best PS5 deals
PS5 disc edition console: Was £479, now £399, Amazon.co.uk
The PS5 is a marked improvement on Sony’s hardware, and the best console the manufacturer has ever made. “One of the first things you will notice about the PS5 is how games feel in your hands, thanks to the dualsense controller’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers,” our writer said in their review. “Beyond graphical capability, it’s the most sensory innovation that next-gen console gaming has shown us so far.”
With an impressive library of games, incredible graphics and ray-tracing support, “this is certainly the console to beat when it comes to hardware,” our writer said.
The deal on the console is expected to end on 7 September.
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For more on the PS5, check out our round-up of the best game consoles of 2023