Sony has finally unveiled its long-awaited (and leaked) PS5 Pro. It is the most powerful model of the PS5 current version that, without being a generational leap, manages to present new bases that improve the gaming experience of the current versions of the console. But what does it offer and why it will cost 800 euros?
The price of unlimited play
When next-gen consoles hit stores, a surprise came in the form of a new normal (and disappointment). Consoles that promised ray tracing, 4K resolution, and ultra-high frame rates ended up being small promises that were only kept in certain contexts.
For example, the play at 60 FPS with 4K resolution and all the luxury of detail was something that could not be achieved in the most demanding games, so the console offered two modes to choose from: the Fidelity option (better graphics with native 4K) or the Performance option (more FPS with more fluidity and upscaled resolution).
This caused some controversy (also on Xbox), since The promised 4K 120 FPS generation never came to be. Limited to very simple and easy games, the higher screen refresh rates were limited in very demanding games and with 4K resolution, and those are precisely the problems that the PS5 Pro wants to solve.
The PC Master Race console
Looking at the data that Mark Cerny has shared at the virtual event published by PlayStation, it is clear that the new console is quite an important technical marvel. Being able to play Gran Turismo in 4K at 60 FPS with Ray Tracing between vehicles is something that requires beastly graphic power, not to mention games like Spider-Man: Miles Morales o The Last of Us: Part II, which run at maximum resolution with amazing graphic quality while generating ray tracing effects.
Isn't this what you wanted? Isn't this just what high-end PCs with astronomical budgets offer? Well, this is what you're going to get if you pay the 799,99 Euros which will set its price when it hits the shelves on November 7.
But there is one rather important detail to mention that has been repeated several times in the broadcast, and that is that the experience that PS5 Pro will offer will be “almost” similar to fidelity mode, but with high frame rates. This leaves us with a small cloud of doubt about whether we will really see all the games at maximum resolution and completely fluid, or if on the contrary there will be games that will continue to adjust the image quality automatically in order to perform at the expected level.
Great specs
The graphical power of the new console is quite striking. The GPU has been enlarged to include 67% more Compute Units, while the RAM speed has been increased by 28%, which translates into a 45% higher performance than the regular PS5.
This advancement in the graphics processor will allow for advanced Ray Tracing effects, doubling and even tripling the calculation of ray reflections in all kinds of situations. A specific controller has also been included for scaling with artificial intelligence, which will allow the so-called PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution to be created, or in other words, a pixel duplication technique that will allow for increased pixel density to obtain much more definition in the image. However, do these new features justify such a large jump in price?
Is it expensive?
PS5 Pro is here to play the PS5 catalogue without limits, just as you would have imagined from the start of the new generation. The current PS5 will continue to work as well as ever, with the limitation of having to choose between fidelity or performance modes as you see fit, something that will not happen on PS5 Pro.
The PS5 experience will still be just as satisfying, so the most demanding users who have 4K screens at 120 Hz and want to enjoy graphics without any limitations will have to opt for the new model. And for that they will have to pay 800 euros. Does that seem like a lot to you? Then you won't mind playing in performance mode on a regular PS5. That will be the key to the choice.
The controversy of accessories
Of all of them, the main problem with the PS5 Pro price is not what it offers, but what it does not include. We are obviously talking about the disk reader, which has unfortunately been left out of the equation. You will have to pay 119,99 euros to be able to continue using the physical format if you continue betting on it (it is more than evident that they are pushing us towards oblivion), so the price of the console rises to an insulting 920 euros.
But to top off the operation, the stand that allows the console to be placed in the orientation most used by users, the vertical one, is not included either, which will force us to add another 30 euros from our own pocket. That is, we will have to pay 950 euros for the minimally complete package. Is that insulting? It really is.