Sony’s PlayStation 5 mid-cycle upgrade, the PS5 Pro, is coming November 7. Lead PlayStation architect Mark Cerny revealed the console today during a brief video presentation. “Simply put, it’s the most powerful console we’ve ever built,” Cerny said of the $700 device.
It’s been four years since the PlayStation 5’s launch. Although Sony released slimmer versions of the console last year, the PS5 Pro is its first major update to this generation’s hardware. It’s got a slightly changed look that features three ridged black stripes. More importantly, it’s done away with predecessors’ optical drive—a choice that’s sure to be controversial among users.
Still, the PS5 Pro does add more power to players’ gaming experiences. The new console includes an upgraded GPU that will allow for 45 percent faster gameplay rendering, as well as advanced ray tracing capabilities for better light rendering. Cerny’s video presentation today included gameplay from Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Control, The Last of Us Part 2, as well as many others, showing how games will run with higher fidelity on the new console.
The PS5 Pro will also include a new AI feature: “Spectral Super Resolution, an AI-driven upscaling that uses a machine learning-based technology to provide super sharp image clarity by adding an extraordinary amount of detail,” according to Sony’s blog post about the Pro, which doesn’t provide any other details about the new feature.
Players hoping to play their games on physical media will need to purchase a disc drive separately. The PS5 Pro is still compatible with current PS5 accessories. According to CNET, which got an early hands-on with the console, the PS5 Pro will also upgrade performance for 40 to 50 games at launch via patches. That list includes games such as Alan Wake 2, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Dragon’s Dogma 2, Gran Turismo 7, and Horizon Forbidden West.
“As time goes by, particularly for the games which are launching after the hardware releases, we’ll increasingly see a more nuanced approach, where the focus is less on resolution and much more about higher image quality through a variety of strategies,” Cerny told CNET.
The initial response to the news online has been mixed, with some fans lamenting a lack of disc drive and the higher price. “$700 and without a disc drive is an insane ask,” responded one X user. “It’s coming with 2TB of the same sweet ultra fast SSD and that alone is worth the price bump,” said another. Some wondered whether the graphical upgrades were really all that great.
The Pro’s existence has been rumored for months; a leak last month included what now appears to be accurate photos of its design. Preorders for the console begin September 26.