Rumours as far back as early 2022 pointed towards a mid-generation refresh to Sony’s flagship console but reflecting on PS4 Pro’s success and the timeframe in which it launched after the baseline PS4 you wouldn’t need to claim yourself as an industry expert to feel confident in predicting a PS5 Pro is categorically going to happen. As 2024 progresses we’re seeing meat added to these rumours’ bones. Back in April Moore’s Law is Dead revealed various aspects of the PS5 Pro’s internal specs.
Anonymous insiders have since corroborated these reports. Plus, Tom Henderson from Insider Gaming cites these reports are the result of devkits that have been sent out to third-party developers, so whilst we still need to take these specs with a grain of salt there does at least seem to be some sort of foundation to these expectant fans declaring the specs as real. In summary, Moore’s Law is Dead revealed the following: the amount PS5 Pro’s GDDR6 RAM and how it compares with the base PS5, the increased GPU power, more powerful audio processing, and improvements to ray tracing performance via accelerated RT thanks to AND’s RDNA 3 architecture. In other words, these rumoured specs point to a noticeable increase in graphic rendering speed, 2 to 3 times improvement in ray tracing, plus enhanced upscaling, and anti-aliasing.
In June 2023 Key to Gaming reported that PS5 Pro will have 30 WGP and 18000mts memory whilst Tom’s Guide reckoned the Pro will include a refreshed Ryzen APU back in a mid-2022 feature. Whilst the exact components nestled within the PS5 Pro are subject to change it is expected the mid-generation refresh will look to deliver more consistent framerates at 4K, whilst a speculative 8K performance mode is not out of the question. Lastly, it’s possible the Pro will expand its relationship with PSVR2, given virtual reality is a sector Sony has huge interest and investment in.
So, what’s the hold up? Given the wealth of rumours circulating, why hasn’t Sony announced the PS5 Pro yet? Their silence is now pointing numerous observers to deduce that the speculative November 2024 release window as defunct. Perhaps PS5’s more powerful sibling has been delayed until 2025. Or perhaps Sony hasn’t found the right time to announce the console yet.
Those desperate to get their hands on a Pro needn’t worry just yet. Indeed, PS4 Pro was announced on September 7th, 2016, with the eventual release coming in November of that year. There’s no reason why this release strategy won’t work for PS5 Pro too, meaning if Sony are still tight lipped on the console come the end of September, then it’s more likely we’re waiting until 2025. However, Sony are attending the Tokyo Games Show this year, which runs from 26th September through to the 29th, and given this is their first time attending in 5 years this could be the outlet they’ve chosen to announce the Pro. Or, if they confirm prior to the show that the Pro is coming this November then Tokyo could be the venue they discuss the console in greater detail, give us a look at its refreshed design, or even provide hands-on experiences to those in attendance.
According to their article published on 18th July 2024 the sticking point could be games. Now, it’s believed devkits were originally posted to first-party developers in September 2023 with third-party studios receiving theirs in January 2024. This means that a significant number of developers have knowledge on PS5 Pro’s capability and will be creating their games with this power in mind. That said, Insider Gaming goes on to clarify that all developers needed to submit applications supporting PS5 Pro to Platform Certifications and Operations by July 30th, with an agreement already in place that games releasing after September 15th must be able to support PlayStation 5 Pro versions. This information, whilst reported by Insider Gaming, was released by Sony themselves to developers. The fact they’ve done this certainly doesn’t hint at a console that has been delayed. Still, there is concern amongst insiders that the number of first-party titles pledging support for the PS5 Pro hasn’t been as significant as Sony hoped.
To be clear, this isn’t a revelation; this does not confirm or deny PS5 Pro’s November 2024 release window. But if we consider Sony’s confirmation back in February that no first party sequels to existing franchises will release before April 2025 we maybe could feel a little concern that if PS5 Pro does indeed launch in November this year there might be a dearth of launch titles capable of convincing those other than die-hard PlayStation fans to fork out the expectantly exorbitant price the PS5 Pro will surely have.
Perhaps the most hotly anticipated first-party title on PS5’s horizon is Marvel’s Wolverine, following developer Insomniac Games’ homeruns on the platform already with Rachet and Clank: Rift Apart and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Currently, Marvel’s Wolverine is slated as TBC, thus November 2024 might be too soon to see this game released as a PS5 Pro launch title. Team Asobi’s Astro Bot is coming September 6th, so there’s no guarantee this will also include a Pro version given it’s seeing the light of day before the September 15th cut-off. Firewalk Studios’ multi-player shooter Concord is coming in August whilst Sucker Punch, Santa Monica Studios, and Naughty Dog are presumably working on sequels, so these won’t be released until April 2025 at the earliest. There’s hope Days Gone developer Bend Studios, Returnal devs Housemarque, or remake extraordinaries Bluepoint Games (now said to be working on something original) have an announcement up their sleeves but in reality, the success of PS5 Pro’s launch titles might rest on third parties.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, or Grand Theft Auto VI would indeed prove to be exceptional platform sellers for the PS5 Pro, but we’ve only got tentative release dates of sometime in 2025. More likely or already confirmed to release this year are both Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Assassin’s Creed Infinity, Slitterhead, Light No Fire and Everywhere. Highly anticipated games, sure, but are any of these titles capable of shifting consoles?
If Sony doesn’t have a first party ace up its sleeve in time for November 2024, then yes, we might be looking at a delay until Spring 2025 or beyond. However, it’s tough to compile features based on rumour and hearsay; just remember nothing is concrete. For every nugget of info pointing to a delay, there’s something else hinting at a release date. A more powerful PS5 is expected, of course, but the platform is going to need games that’ll push the expected powerhouse to its limits if it’s to sell, and right now it doesn’t look as though Sony has the titles in its pipeline. Let’s wait and see though; keep your eyes on the Tokyo Games Show before you make up your mind.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
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