Sony PlayStation PS5 Pro vs PS5: promises kept for gamers?

Since its first console, Sony has had the habit of multiplying versions: Slim, One, Pro… The PlayStation 5 is no exception to the rule and the PS5 Pro is now officially part of the line up from the Japanese manufacturer. And if we remember Mark Cerny's intervention, the promises were great, namely playing the most demanding titles with the best graphics and more fluidity than on the “normal” PS5.

For this, the Japanese has changed some basic components, in particular at the level of the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) for, we were promised “45% faster rendering”of “raytracing two to three times more present”the arrival of PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution Upscaling, the equivalent of Nvidia’s DLSS), support for 8K resolution… and so on and so forth. In short, more beautiful games without concessions on the fluidity of the experience. Indeed, until now the most ambitious titles (often) offered to choose improved graphics or fluid animation. The PS5 Pro must therefore release the gamer of this Cornelian dilemma.

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Our protocols

It must be admitted, we had some difficulty setting up a sufficiently solid protocol to estimate fluidity. Various solutions were considered, the most advanced of which was the use of an acquisition card developed by Elgato to extract short sequences of gameplay before putting the latter through the mill of various audiovisual production programs to finally arrive at counting the number of FPS (Frame Per Second, or number of images displayed per second) and comparing the performances of a PS5 and a PS5 Pro.

But after setting up the set up a bit complicated, while we were ready to launch the game with one hand, the recording with the other while adjusting this and that, we realized that the LG G3 television on which the consoles were connected had a FPS counter.

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For the image quality comparison, we turned to Nvidia's Icat software. And for games, we mainly launched Stellar Blade et Dragon’s Dogma 2. The first, because it is a PlayStation exclusive and the second because it originally worked very poorly on the Sony console. Let us also specify that these are two titles that the writing of the Digital knows well. On the advice of Diogo, ex-Gamekult, we also tried Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth et Alan Wake 2presented as two standard meters by Sony.

The results

After a few months of abandonment, here we are again on StellarBladethe game of Shift Up. We relaunched the software on a good old original PS5, disc version. In Performance mode (priority to fluidity), our LG G3 indicates 60 FPS. In Resolution mode (finer graphics), the frame rate drops to 45. With the PS5 Pro in Pro mode, strangely more efficient than Pro Max mode, we easily reach 80 FPS. The gain is therefore appreciable.

We remember that Dragon’s Dogma 2 on PS5 was very poorly optimized, so much so that it was difficult to play. Our LG G3 also indicates (generously, in our humble opinion) 47 FPS in performance priority mode and 42 in graphics priority mode.

Launching it on PS5 Pro, the result was a little more satisfactory according to the TV, which indicated 49 FPS in graphics priority mode. Please note, according to many members of the editorial staff (Crono TK in the lead), the frame rate was around 40 FPS. Still Dragon’s Dogma 2 runs a little better on the PS5 Pro, but that we are still a little far from our expectations.

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In terms of graphics, the performance of the PS5 Pro is quite close to the PS5 when the titles are configured to impress. You really have to examine the screenshots with Icat to discern some subtle differences on Stellar Blade et Dragon’s Dogma. The improvements are too slight, in our opinion, to be really noticeable in full play, especially when a gryphon or a Nayba tries to put you on its daily menu.

However, Diogo noticed that FF7 Rebirth looked much better on PS5 Pro than on normal PS5, and to a very impressive extent. According to him, “we are not playing the same game”. In a similar vein, and still according to our favorite ex-Gamekult, the raytracing was much more present in Alan Wake 2 on PS5 Pro than on PS5.

Heating, noise and power consumption

We also looked at other aspects that were less focused on pure gameplay. First, we measured the power consumption of our two Sony consoles. Verdict, the PS5 Pro turns out to be a little more energy intensive. When the home screen is displayed without a game running in the background, our power meter indicates 70 W compared to 53 W for the classic PS5. During part of Stellar Bladewe noted 220 W for the first and 210 W for the second, in balanced mode each time. Not enough to increase the electricity bill.

We then measured the temperature at the back of the two machines using our valuable thermal camera, the photo of which you will find below.

There is still a 5°C difference at the hottest point between the PS5 Pro and the PS5, the former being better cooled. Once again, the difference is minimal and cannot constitute a selection criterion between one or the other game console.

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Finally, because we are great masochists, we closed this test session with a careful examination of the sound level, a measurement which we could have done without since there is no difference between the PS5 Pro and the classic PS5 on this point. Still playing Stellar Bladeour sound level meter placed 1 m away did not exceed 31 dB (A) at the height of the action.

Should we buy it or not?

When it comes time to take stock, it is very difficult to answer this question as the answer depends on the situation, especially the potential buyer. If this is the first purchase of a PS5, an occasional player, or even an average player, will be more inspired to keep the few hundred euros difference between the two consoles to pay for a few good games, extra controllers or other accessories.

On the other hand, the gamer technophile to the end of the controller, who wants to play in the best conditions to take advantage of the slightest frame — in a fighting game, in particular, too bad Street Fighter 6 or Mortal Kombat 1 is not part of the list of improved titles provided by Sony – will find a certain interest in the PS5 Pro for a first acquisition or to replace a non-Pro PS5.

Because yes, the graphical improvements are there, as is the promised fluidity, even if you sometimes have to squint to be sure. Be careful, today's truth is not tomorrow's truth, especially when it comes to video games. And who knows if in a few weeks or months certain very demanding games will not be much better optimized for a PS5 Pro than for a normal PS5.

In any case, we hope that Sony and the developers will not leave classic PS5 owners on the sidelines when the most anticipated titles (GTA VI in mind) will be available…

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