The PlayStation 5 Pro, a mid-generation refresh sporting an incremental hardware upgrade, has been rumored and written about for over a year. Now, according to a couple credible sources, it seems that Sony may finally be ready to acknowledge its existence in the coming weeks, as they’re allegedly gearing up for the console’s grand reveal.
Billbil-kun, a writer for the French publication Dealabs and a frequent source for PlayStation-related developments, published a story detailing the current plans for the upcoming PlayStation 5 Pro, details about its look and retail package, and finally when it will first be shown.
“While Sony's plans may change at any time, the PlayStation 5 Pro will be announced very soon,” Dealabs reported. We anticipate that this announcement will be made in the first half of September 2024.”
As reported by The Verge earlier this year, the console will feature a more powerful GPU, a more efficient CPU, and expanded system memory. The console will be released about a year after the last PlayStation refresh, the lighter and shorter PS5 Slim. Developers have had PS5 Pro development kits and have been preparing to take advantage of the additional performance boost according to the outlet.
In addition to its reveal window, Dealabs also reports that the console will have the same white exterior as the first two model variants, as well as two USB-C ports on the front. The PS5 Pro will also come packaged with a plain DualSense. Aesthetically, the console looks similar to a PlayStation 5 Slim, but with three black strips running through its body instead of one. The outlet also reports that the console will be “slightly thicker” than the PS5 Slim. Dealabs reports that the sketch of the console they publishs is based on “a visual of the front of the final packaging box of the new console.”
It’s an interesting time to release a brand new PlayStation console. Console refreshes aren’t something totally strange to Sony, as the PlayStation 4 also recieved a Pro version three years after its intial 2013 launch. However, market conditions and demands for game consoles seems totally different from what they were in 2016.
A year before the PS4 Pro was announced in late 2016, the PS4 recieved a $50 price cut, setting the stage for the new and improved model. The PS5 on the other hand hasn’t seen a price cut in its four years on retail shelves.
Demand for the PS5 also seems to pale in comparison to where the PS4 was at this point in its liftcycle. The PS4 sold 70 million units after four years, while the PS5 is just hitting 61 million. Between demand for new game consoles dwindling, and the likelyhood that the PS5 Pro will launch at a higher price than the base model, it’s tough to gauge how well the new console will perform. It will be great for players willing to pay hundreds of dollars to gain extra graphics effects from their games without buying a PC, but that’s a fairly niche audience to appease.
If the PS5 Pro does end up having limited appeal, however, its release wouldn’t stray too far from Sony’s business decisions with the brand these last few years. The tech giant has showed a willingness to pour R&D money into impressive but commercially risky products. Some, like the PlayStation Portal, are big surprise hits that even Sony wasn’t prepare for. Others, like the PlayStation VR2, have failed to garner more attention from customers and even PlayStation.
