Sony is launching its Playstation 5 Pro this Thursday, November 7, the enhanced version of its cutting-edge console. An expensive, promising model, but reserved for a technological elite.
Almost four years after the advent of the latest generation consoles, the time has already come to move up a gear. Undisputed market leader, Sony is giving it another layer by delivering the Playstation 5 Pro, a more powerful version than the original model, without completely changing the situation.
A notable improvement, not a revolution, which nevertheless comes at a high price: 800 euros, the highest price ever paid for a home console. Is the change worth the cost? This is what the Japanese manufacturer is hoping for.
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Smaller than the PS5, but still
Sony is not breaking with its line initiated in 2020. The PS5 Pro resembles the PS5 Slim which already resembled the PS5. It has the same black and white design, but each side is barred with a triple black side opening to let heat escape. If it is larger than the PS5 Slim, it is significantly thinner than the PS5, even without its disc reader. But it now has 2 TB of storage to be able to put even more games (1.8 TB of actually available space), which you can increase to 8 TB by adding an additional SSD.
Like the small version, it is equipped with two USB-C ports on the front and two USB-A ports on the back, accompanied by an HDMI 2.1 socket and an Ethernet port. The controller provided is the same as on previous consoles and all PS5 versions are obviously compatible. However, no base provided (30 euros extra). Like the previous one, the PS5 Pro must make do with two plastic tabs to possibly hold it horizontally.
More powerful
The PS5 Pro was expected in terms of power, even if Sony warned in advance that it would not be a generational leap. It is clear, controller in hand, that it is a monster of power and performance. Its GPU has 67% more processing units and 28% faster memory. The result is much smoother and more beautiful games with the arrival of enhanced ray tracing. On the most demanding titles, this is immediately felt and the immersion is significantly improved.
The PS5 Pro's SSD is also faster and this will be felt when loading games or even launching them. Sony promised that we would spend less time waiting and more time playing. This is indeed the case, supported by compatibility with Wifi 7 which will make your connection happy if you have a compatible box and/or router.
Only downside: the PS5 Pro tends to make a little more noise, but nothing disturbing as was the case with the very first one. We also noted heating at the bottom of the console which results when it turbines.
The PSSR has bright days ahead of it
One of the major additions to the PS5 Pro is PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), an AI upscaling function. All games will become (practically) 4K or rather be displayed in a higher resolution than that rendered natively by the console and close to 4K, but while maintaining a fluid framerate. Images are sharper and more detailed because AI reconstructs missing pixels, imagining details that should be there.
The PSSR thus streamlines the gaming experience and it therefore applies to all your PS5 games, even those which are not yet optimized for the PS5 Pro. It especially benefits the most demanding games in terms of graphics resources, for which we will seek to favor Performance mode. This is particularly the case on Gran Turismo 7, which offers a performance mode at 120 frames per second which makes the race smoother. We are very close to Nvidia's DLSS, but in console version and deployed by Playstation.
More beautiful games
Despite the power offered, the embellishment of games is not always obvious. It takes time – and to delve back into the PS5 version for some – to achieve the feats enabled by the PS5 Pro, particularly with the much more marked ray tracing. The list of first optimized games is already long, but some caught our attention for various reasons.
A title like Spider-Man 2already impressive on PS5, will not make your jaw drop on PS5 Pro. However, the bluff here becomes sumptuous, with little visual things (a Fidelity Pro mode with ray tracing at 30 fps in particular, the Performance Pro mode at 60 fps thanks to PSSR) which bring even more realism to the city of New York.
It doesn't seem like much (details in the hair, in the crowd in the street, life…), but it immerses you even more in the game by bringing it closer to a form of reality. In the Insomniac Games game, the already effective ray tracing is enhanced a little more when you try to climb a building and look inside the apartments, or enjoy the sunset from a building. This is visible on a 4K TV, but you will take full advantage of it if your screen is 120 Hz VRR compatible.
Among the graphic slaps, on the other hand, Final Fantasy VII is there. Square Enix is releasing a 60 fps version on PS5 Pro in Performance (Pro) and Fidelity mode. The game takes on another dimension. If you hadn't discovered it on PS5, it's one of the essentials in the PS5 Pro version, especially in Versatility mode. The PSS5 works wonders to improve rendering, fluidity and performance, in large spaces as well as in tighter environments.
Nervous game lovers like Demon’s Soulsfans of Performance mode in general, will be delighted with the move to the PS5 Pro which also makes the game more beautiful, more fluid without compromise.
A game in full renaissance since its initial fiasco and constantly modernized, No Man’s Sky has not missed the PS5 Pro turn and arrives with its share of optimizations perfect for the space trip. And this, even in 8K/30 fps, its creators promise! If you haven't approached it since its debut, it's a brand new game, even more so on the latest console.
However, there are a few games that have already announced that they will not always run with the constant 60 fps promised by Sony, such as Alan Wake 2. Remedy's flagship title preferred to favor Quality mode with Ray Tracing, but at 30 fps. This mode only exists on PS5 Pro. On the other hand, Performance mode, much more effective than its counterpart on PS5, will nevertheless benefit from PSSR on PS5 Pro, with more resolution and visual details.
Some games like Hogwarts Legacy, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered (recently released and already very beautiful), Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart give an impression of refinement, more than slap and do not really take advantage of the prowess of the PS5 Pro, while being pleasant to the eye (but they already were overall).
We note that the Game Boost option also benefits PS4 games by improving the image quality to make them even more visually compatible with a latest generation console.
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Not cut out for everyone
If you don't have a 4K HDR screen, the PS5 Pro will immediately lose some of its splendor. It is a demanding console that wants to adorn itself with the finest finery to show off. This does not mean that your simple 4K TV with HDMI 2.1 socket (the minimum) will not benefit from the technological advances of the console, but without the latest technologies (VRR, HDR, 120 Hz…), the gap risks appear less impressive.
Not possible to use previous plates
This may not be important to the majority of players, but it's still worth noting. Sony offers a PS5 Pro which has some features in common with the PS5 Slim, starting with the cutout of its facades. But unfortunately, even if their sizes are extremely close (not to say similar), the fixing system has been modified and you will not be able to recover your old models.
The price too high
The PS5 Pro is also the most expensive console ever released by Sony. At 800 euros, or 250 euros more than the PS5 Slim with reader, it is difficult to see the value of the price difference, even if it displays 2 TB of storage. Because the reader is optional (120 euros) and if you really want your physical versions, you will have to add that to the bill. The manufacturer has not made any effort on the accessories (base, DualSense Edge, etc.) to better ease the pain. At 100 euros less, it might have been more in its place. Because how much will the technological leap of the PS6 amount to?
Conclusion
Of the PS5 Pro, we mainly remember its price. At 800 euros, you have to have something to justify the purchase. If we can salute the technical prowess, the search for AI optimization and the rest, this remains an amount for a mid-generation improvement.
On its own, the PS5 Pro can be worth them. The PSSR will inevitably improve over time and make all games even more beautiful, even without them being initially designed for the console. But to enjoy all this, you need to have the equipment that goes with it (a 4K HDR Dolby Atmos 120 Hz TV with VRR in an ideal world).
The PS5 Pro is therefore not for everyone. If you already have the games that dazzle in your catalog, and you are keen on performance, fluidity and perfect images, you can go for it. If you are a dedicated gamer, but not necessarily ultra demanding, the PS5 Slim still does the job well enough. The rest is a bonus… expensive.
