Key Takeaways
- PS5 Pro rumored to release in 2024 with improved frame rates, output and more.
- If you were planning on buying a PS5 in the near future, it may be wise to hold off.
- There will be more games available this fall as well to coincide with the rumored launch of the PS5 Pro.
It’s always tempting to rush in when you finally have the money to buy something you’ve been lusting after for months or years. That makes particular sense with the PlayStation 5 — it’s not only the most advanced game console on the market, but home to exclusives like Astro Bot and Returnal. If you don’t care about exclusives, it’s still where the majority of console gamers are playing titles like Call of Duty and FC 25. It might be your best bet for joining friends online.
Rumors are strongly pointing to a PS5 Pro launching in time for the 2024 holiday season. And while it could be tempting to purchase that shiny new PS5 now, there are several reasons you should hold off until the PS5 Pro materializes.
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1 The new console should have improved frame rates
Get the most fluid gameplay
Sony Interactive Entertainment
As powerful as the PS5 might be, it’s still four years old, and already showing its age relative to newer gaming PCs. Many titles on it won’t run over 60 frames per second at full detail — which isn’t necessarily a problem, but some people can’t stand the idea of compromising on detail or running closer to 30fps.
The PS5 Pro is rumored to have a GPU capable of 33.5 teraflops, contributing to a 45% overall boost in rendering power. That might not sound huge, but it could be enough to run games like Spider-Man 2 at 60fps or higher without scaling anything back. With the Pro, you’ll always get the smoothest possible performance from any PS5 game, at least until the PS6 arrives a few years from now.
2 Ray tracing should be more stable
Bring back the wow factor
Sony Interactive Entertainment
The PS5 is already capable of ray tracing. You wouldn’t necessarily know it, given how rarely it makes an appearance, but that’s because of the performance issues mentioned above. When the lighting feature does show up, it’s usually in a game’s Quality mode, and it can potentially trigger a substantial framerate hit.
There are some games hitting 60fps with ray tracing on, such as Miles Morales. The PS5 Pro should be able to achieve that on a regular basis though, so it’s the safer bet if you want realistic lighting that doesn’t impact gameplay.
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3 4K and 8K output
Say goodbye to 1080p
LG
One of the ways Sony is rumored to be squeezing out better performance is with a new upscaling technology, PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR). This should be similar to Nvidia’s DLSS, which improves framerates by rendering game content at a low native resolution, but then using AI techniques to boost output resolution. The PS5 Pro may even have new machine learning architecture to accelerate upscaling.
PSSR should allow more games to run smoothly at 4K, and make 8K resolution practical, rather than just a bulletpoint in the PS5’s specs. Sony has plenty of 8K Bravia TVs to sell — and that’s tough to do without having more 8K content outside of YouTube. As things are, most 8K TV owners are just upscaling 4K movies and TV shows.
4 Bundled games
You might play something new out of the gate
Sony
This one is more speculative, but it’s possible that the PS5 Pro will come bundled with one or more new games as an incentive to upgrade. Current PS5 models ship with Astro’s Playroom — coincidentally, however, a much bigger Astro Bot game is launching on September 6. What better way would there be to showcase the Pro’s graphics than with the PS5’s mascot?
If nothing else, waiting until the holiday season will give you more high-profile games to shop for. Star Wars Outlaws is arriving in August for instance, and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is due in September. By November, games like Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will also be out, making it a great time to finally take the plunge.
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FAQ
Q: How much will the PS5 Pro cost?
We don’t know for sure, but the PS4 Pro consistently went for around $100 more than the base PS4, so a $599 pricetag seems likely.
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