Sony unveils the newest PlayStation: the PS5 Pro. See the price, release date, specs

Sony announced Tuesday that a new PlayStation 5 on the way for gamers who want smoother, more detailed video game adventures.

The PlayStation 5 Pro, scheduled for a Nov. 7 release, may look a lot like the PlayStation 5 slim console, which was brought to market in November 2023 – with more pronounced stripes on the side.

But inside, the PlayStation 5 Pro has advanced hardware and software designed for "super sharp image clarity, high frame rate gameplay, and advanced ray tracing," the company said in its announcement.

That all translates to "some remarkable improvement to the games," said Mark Cerny, lead architect of the PS5, in a PS5 Pro technical presentation on YouTube. "We can see increased sharpness to the graphics or smoother and more responsive gameplay."

Here's what you need to know about the PS5 Pro, including how much it'll cost you and when you can pre-order it.

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Sony PlayStation 5 Pro: What's different

In addition to a 2-terabyte hard drive, the PS5 Pro has some specific improvements to make video games look better:

• New graphics processing chip: The PS5 Pro has a larger graphics processing unit with with faster response, so rendering of game video is up to 45% faster, Cerny said.
• Advanced ray tracing: The PS5 Pro has up to three times the capacity of the current PS5 when it comes to rendering realistic lighting and simulating real-world reflections and refractions of light in game environments said Hideaki Nishino, CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment's platform business group, in a post on the PlayStation blog.
• Artificial intelligence: PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), which uses AI and machine learning-based technology to upscale and improve how games look. "PSSR analyzes the game images, pixel by pixel, and can add an extraordinary amount of detail, which boosts the effective resolution of the games," Cerny said.
• Game Boost: This feature "may stabilize or improve the performance of supported PS4 and PS5 games," Nishino said. The enhancement can improve more than 8,500 backward-compatible PS4 games. Enhanced Image Quality will also improve the resolution of some PS4 games, he said.

What games can the new PlayStation 5 Pro improve?

Sony said many studios are building free software updates to take advantage of the PS5 Pro's upgrades.

Some of the expected PS5 Pro Enhanced games: Alan Wake 2, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, Demon’s Souls, Dragon’s Dogma 2, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Gran Turismo 7, Hogwarts Legacy, Horizon Forbidden West, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, The Crew Motorfest, The First Descendant, and The Last of Us Part II Remastered. 

How much is the PlayStation 5 Pro and is it worth it?

The PlayStation 5 Pro will cost $699.99.

Whether it's worth it likely depends on your interest in gaming and your budget. The current PS5 is priced as much as $200 lower – it starts $449 for a digital PS5 (no disk drive) or $499 with the drive. If you were planning on a PS5 as a holiday purchase, the current console is a more economical play.

But if you already have a PS5 and are looking to upgrade, the PS5 Pro may prove enticing. While it comes with a controller, the PS5 Pro is compatible with all current accessories, including PlayStation VR2, the PlayStation Portal remote player, DualSense Edge wireless controller, Access Controller, Pulse Elite wireless headset and Pulse Explore wireless earbuds.

The PS5 Pro does not come with a disc drive but you can add an Ultra HD drive ($79.99) that plays PS5 and PS4 games, plus DVDs, Blu-ray Discs and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Discs.

The improved fidelity and performance may be the PS5 Pro's biggest selling point. "Everything is crisper, more fluid or both," wrote Scott Stein, editor at large for CNET, in detailing his demonstration of the PS5 Pro.

"I'd prefer to play on the PS5 Pro …. (but) I don't know if the sometimes subtle upgrades will be worth the price for many," he wrote. "The PS5 Pro is not the PlayStation 6, which likely won't be released for another three or four years, and it isn't for everyone. It's a big, graphically boosted piece of hardware that can keep up with ever-changing PCs, and in some ways maybe exceed them."

When can I pre-order the PlayStation 5 Pro?

Pre-orders for the PlayStation 5 Pro begin Sept. 26 and the console will be available in stores and on direct.playstation.com.

Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider.

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