You’d be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t think that the PS5 Pro is going to launch in November, especially with the most recent leak detailing a sketch of the PS5 Pro (via Dealabs).Of course, we still don’t have any official information about the PS5 Pro, but Sony is leaking like a Brooklyn basement during a flashflood. So what are the rumors? And how do they compare to how the PS5 currently stacks up?Let’s see what a PS5 vs. PS5 Pro matchup could potentially look like.PS5 vs. PS5 Pro: SpecsSwipe to scroll horizontallyPS5 vs. PS5 ProHeader Cell – Column 0 PS5 ProPS5 | PS5 DigitalPS5 Slim | PS5 Slim DigitalCPUTBD @ 3.85 GHz8x Cores @ 3.5 GHz (variable frequency)8x Cores @ 3.5 GHz (variable frequency)GPU~28.67 TFLOPs @ 2.0 GHz (45% faster overall)10.3 TFLOPS, 36 CUs @ 2.23 GHz (variable frequency)10.3 TFLOPS, 36 CUs @ 2.23 GHz (variable frequency)Memory16GB GDDR6 (13.7GB allocated to games)16GB GDDR6 (12.5GB allocated to games)16GB GDDR6 (12.5GB allocated to games)Memory bandwidth576 GB/s448 GB/s448 GB/sInternal storageTBD825 GB Custom NVME SSD1TB Custom NVME SSDI/O throughputTBD5.5 GB/s (Raw), up to 8-9GB/s (Compressed)5.5 GB/s (Raw), up to 8-9GB/s (Compressed)Expandable storageTBDNVMe SSD SlotNVMe SSD SlotExternal storageTBDUSB External HDD SupportUSB External HDD SupportOptical driveTBD4K UHD Blu-Ray Drive / No disc drive4K UHD Blu-Ray Drive / Optional disc drivePerformance targetTBD4K @ 60 FPS, Up to 120 FPS and 8K4K @ 60 FPS, Up to 120 FPS and 8KDimensionsTBD15.4 x 10.2 x 4.1 inches / 15.4 x 10.2 x 3.6 inches14.1 x 8.5 x 3.8 inches / 14.1 x 8.5 x 3.1 (excluding projecting parts)Weight (most recent models)TBD8.6 lbs / 7.5 lbs7.05 lbs / 5.7 lbsPS5 vs. PS5 Pro: Price(Image credit: Sony)Even disregarding the specs, Sony recently hiked the price of the PS5 to roughly $550 in Japan. With that in mind, I severely doubt that the PS5 Pro will launch at $499, which is what the original PS5 launch price was. That would’ve lined up with the trend from the PS4 to PS4 Pro, which both saw a $400 launch price. But that’s likely out.Many in the industry predict that the PS5 Pro will launch at a minimum of $600. If we’re comparing a $500 PS5 to a $600 PS5 Pro, it’s tough not to recommend the latter. The price gap is so small, and with sources telling The Verge that the PS5 Pro will be 45% more powerful in terms of graphics, it’s an easy choice.However, I’ll have more pause when considering a PS5 Pro priced at $700. Considering that the cheapest PS5 you can buy is technically $449, spending an additional $250 is a little harder to justify. For $250, you could buy a Nintendo Switch Lite ($200) and a few indie games.PS5 vs. PS5 Pro: Performance(Image credit: Future)As you can see above, we have little information on the PS5 Pro, and what we do have is far from official. The information comes from the aforementioned interview with The Verge and a leaker on Resetera. But I’ll give the interview a little more weight in this discussion.Get our in-depth reviews, helpful tips, great deals, and the biggest news stories delivered to your inbox.Let’s talk about what The Verge’s source said exactly: The GPU rendering would be “about 45 percent faster than standard PlayStation 5.” That seems like a high percentage, but is it? Consider playing a game at 4K/30 fps, which most AAA titles cap out at in terms of quality. If the upgrade is 45%, you’d be around 43.5 fps. (If that is in fact what the interviewee implied, at least.)This generation of consoles had lofty promises of showcasing games at 4K/60 fps. The list of AAA games capable of that is short. So, while the PS5 Pro may be leagues more powerful than the PS5, I don’t see it reaching those lofty goals.It could make it more possible for games like Starfield to stop launching at just 30 fps. And if we’re talking about a game that’s already at 60 fps, we could see it jump to 87 fps, which is a pretty significant difference.However, apparently Sony is aiming for 4K/120 fps and 8K/60fps (via Insider Gaming). That seems unlikely until you see that Sony is also pushing for its PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), similar to how Nvidia’s DLSS and AMD’s FSR works, increasing resolution and frame rates. If this is exclusive to PS5 Pro, that’s a heavy hit against the original PS5.Meanwhile, we don’t know much about the CPU other than it’ll see a 10% increase in performance, jumping from 3.5 GHz to 3.85 GHz clock speed. It’s nice to have, but not worth the upgrade cost.However, increasing the memory speed by 28% could help with loading and reduce any slowdown you might be experiencing in chunkier AAA games.PS5 vs. PS5 Pro: Games(Image credit: Sony Santa Monica)Yes, games. If you thought you wouldn’t have to worry about this, you’re wrong. You see, not every game will be able to benefit from the advantages of the PS5 Pro. We’ll likely see certain games get an “Enhanced” sticker, similar to last generation. Needless to say, PS5 exclusives like God of War Ragnarok and Horizon Forbidden West will likely get this upgrade. However, whether we’ll see it come to third-party games is entirely up to developers.If a game isn’t specifically optimized for the PS5 Pro, it’ll still benefit from the improved performance. But if a title is capped at 30 fps or 60 fps, will it be affected at all? Maybe not. Developers would need to uncap their games’ frame rates for the PS5 Pro to work its magic. This is another reason developers need to provide more graphics settings in console games.OutlookWe’re expecting to hear something about the PS5 Pro in the coming weeks, if not the coming months. If Sony keeps up with its usual release cycle, the PS5 Pro will launch sometime in the first half of November.We will get a better idea of how the PS5 Pro and PS5 actually stack up against each other. Since it’s possible that not all games will take full advantage of the PS5 Pro’s performance and features, developer contribution will determine whether or not it’s worth getting the PS5 Pro.MORE FROM LAPTOP MAG
