The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles are barely a year old that this point, but that hasn’t stopped plenty of gamers from being excited at what’s to come. The latest shiny object these past few months has been a vastly improved PS5, dubbed by influencers and fans as a PS5 Pro. Like the PS4 Pro of last generation, this machine would pump up the power to enable more ambitious gaming experiences.
You’re probably on board for better graphics and improved performance. Who isn’t? But if you’re the curious type, you likely want to know how this rumor got start in the first place, and if it has any merit.
Let’s dive in to see where this news about a PS5 Pro came from. By the end, you should have all the info you need to form your own conclusion.
Tracking the source
News about a PS5 Pro appears to have originated from YouTube channel Moore’s Law is Dead. In a video published on Sept. 7, 2021, a host claims that a source told him Sony is working on a PS5 Pro due for release sometime in 2023 or 2024.
According to the video, this new PlayStation 5 SKU could potentially target 8K gaming — not 100 percent native but perhaps using methods like checkerboarding. For price, the host in the clip said the machine could debut somewhere between $600 and $700.
One one hand: It’s a plausible outcome
A PS5 Pro does not sound like an unreasonable future product because of one fact: Sony has done this before. In fact, Microsoft has too. Multiple console designs are common within a generation — even the NES got a new look at one point (remember the top loader?). And in the last gen, Sony rolled out a PS4 Pro that did exactly what the PS5 Pro is rumored to do: it expanded on the capability of the current machine while remaining in the same generation.
Even without this being a leak from a source as Moore’s Law is Dead contends, one could’ve predicted a PS5 Pro even before the release of the PlayStation 5. If you’ve been paying attention to video games for the past decade, it doesn’t seem outlandish or outrageous at all. It is totally plausible.
On the other hand: Shortages sure make a PS5 Pro seem impossible
In the year 2020, the PlayStation 5 launched. At the end of the year 2021, it’s easier to find a higher-paying job than it is to buy Sony’s newest console. Semiconductor shortages are a contributing factor, as Sony hasn’t been able to produce enough PS5 supply to meet demand. But scalpers have taken full advantage of the situation, too, buying up as much stock as they can in order to starve the market and drive up asking prices.
With that as a backdrop, talk of a PS5 Pro seems pretty crazy. It makes you wonder, even if Sony wanted to make such a machine, could it? Shortages show no signs of slowing and — if you need a reminder at where we are on the calendar — we’re mere days away from 2022 with a PS5 Pro being potentially slated for 2023.
A “pro” version of the PS5 made in the next year and a half to two years — if nothing changes — would likely share the same fate as the current console. Even worse: Sony may have to pull resources from its launch PS5 in order to produce Pros instead. So getting the machine that’s out now (and would likely become discounted) would become even more difficult.
What we’d like to see in a PS5 Pro
Let’s call a spade a spade here: the PlayStation 5 is a large console. The same can be said, of course, about the Xbox Series X. But that at least doesn’t require a screwdriver to change its orientation. And it’s not anywhere near as tall when standing as the PS5.
If a PS5 Pro can shrink down to PS4 Pro size, even, or — should we be so lucky — PS4 Slim size, that would make the console a lot more attractive for those with entertainment centers and other things they’d like to put in them.
I’m not sure that’s a likely outcome, considering a Pro version of the PS5 would almost certainly beef up the specs to some degree. But I’ll hold out hope for now. Also: Where is that PSVR 2? A launch of that and subsequent support on the PlayStation 5 Pro would be fantastic. Just an idea, Sony.
What do you think of this PS5 Pro rumor?
Personally, I believe the semiconductor market can recover and set us on a timeline where the PS5 becomes easier to purchase and a PS5 Pro becomes easier to produce. The question, though, is this: with so many out there wanting consoles they can’t buy, would Sony even need to entice customers with a Pro version? There’s so much pent up demand for the launch machine already.
I happen to think Sony could very well take a Nintendo approach and just ride it out with incremental updates. The system will sell. It’s hot right now and will probably continue to be hot. But I’d love to know your thoughts on the matter.
Do you think the rumor is legit? Could you see such a console coming in the future? Or is a PS5 Pro the last thing Sony should be thinking about right now? Sound off.
