Rumor mill: The time for a home console mid-generation refresh is approaching, and leakers are working overtime to provide additional information about Sony’s gaming machine. A consensus of leaks says the PlayStation 5 Pro will have much better graphics performance while utilizing the same CPU as the standard model.
Last month, internal Sony documents revealed that the upcoming PlayStation 5 Pro sports improved ray tracing performance and a new upscaling technology. More information surfaced later on, providing a clearer picture of the console’s specs. While the PS5’s GPU has undergone a full-architecture hardware refresh, PlayStation 5’s main computing chip will not change that much.
This information has been further corroborated this week by The Verge, who says Sony insiders have told them that game developers are being instructed to make their games compatible with the forthcoming console. Sony is seemingly pushing developers towards incorporating advanced graphics features like ray tracing in the PS5 Pro, allowing games that offer considerable improvements to carry a “Trinity Enhanced” (PS5 Pro Enhanced) designation.
The PlayStation 5 Pro model is set to feature an upgraded GPU and a CPU boost mode to push game rendering capabilities for titles using ray tracing, or aiming for superior resolutions and frame rates by leveraging upscaling tech.
Although the PlayStation 5 Pro CPU will be the same as the original, it will have a novel “High Frequency Mode” to boost its clock to 3.85 GHz, a 10-percent increase. Sony has enhanced the PS5’s audio processor (ACV) to a higher clock speed for about 35 percent better performance. The new ACV library will process more complex reverb effects and Fast Fourier Transform sequences. PlayStation consoles have traditionally provided exceptional audio capabilities compared to competing machines, but Sony wants to continue flexing its audio muscles.
The standard PS5 sports 448 GB/s (14 GT/s) of system memory bandwidth, while the PlayStation 5 Pro gets a 28-percent bump to 576 GB/s (18GT/s). The leak also mentions that memory architecture is more efficient than the standard model.
Previously unveiled improvements for the console’s GPU include a 45 percent increase in rendering performance, up to four times as fast ray tracing, and a novel upscaling solution known as PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution), essentially Sony’s version of DLSS/FSR/XeSS.
Sony told its partners the PS5 Pro supports up to 8K resolutions (with soon-to-arrive SDK updates), full HDR support, and machine learning algorithmic acceleration, something you cannot miss in a home gaming console anymore.
Like the PS5 Slim, Sony will try to put the PlayStation 5 Pro in a more “competitive” position with an optional detachable Blu-ray disc drive. Additionally, internal storage is getting a bump from 825BD to 1TB. All leaks and analysis point to a Fall 2024 release, with more specific rumors mentioning September. Unfortunately, not even insiders seem to have any information on its MSRP.
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