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The PS5 Pro arrives with better frame rates, faster graphics, and AI-driven upscaling

Sony confirms the PS5 Pro with 45% faster rendering, Game Boost for PS4 titles, and enhanced 4K 60fps performance.

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Shubham Sawarkar
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ByShubham Sawarkar
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Shubham Sawarkar is a technology journalist at GadgetBond, covering Apple, AI, consumer technology, software, gadgets, and product launches. His work explores emerging technologies, industry developments, product...
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The image features a PS5 Pro console standing vertically with its controller in front. The background is dark, with vibrant blue and multicolored light rays emanating from the center. The PlayStation logo is visible on the console, and the text “WITNESS PLAY UNLEASHED” is prominently displayed in white capital letters. Below, in smaller font, it reads “Vertical Stand sold separately.”
Image: PlayStation / Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE)

After months of rumors and leaks, the wait is finally over: Sony has officially revealed the PS5 Pro. Unveiled during a special tech presentation, the new console promises to take gaming performance to the next level. According to Mark Cerny, the lead architect of the PS5, the Pro model brings three major upgrades: a beefed-up GPU, more advanced ray tracing, and custom AI-driven upscaling.

Mark your calendars—Sony plans to release the PS5 Pro on November 7th, priced at $699.99. Visually, it looks a lot like the slim PS5, with three stripes along the side, though there’s one significant difference—it doesn’t come with a built-in disc drive. However, you can buy a 4K Blu-ray disc drive separately, and even swap out the console covers if you want to personalize your system.

“It’s the most powerful console we’ve ever built,” Cerny said confidently during the presentation. Thanks to some serious hardware improvements, the PS5 Pro offers 45% faster rendering than the standard PS5. This should translate into sharper details and better frame rates for gamers, making for an overall smoother experience. According to Cerny, one of the main reasons behind the Pro upgrade is to eliminate the need for players to choose between performance and fidelity modes. “Players are choosing performance about three-quarters of the time,” he explained.

  • The image features a PS5 Pro console standing vertically on an optional circular black stand, with its distinctive white panels curving outward from a central black body. To the right of the console is a white DualSense controller with its two analog sticks, directional pad, and action buttons visible. The background is plain white, highlighting the sleek design of the console and controller. Below the console, there’s small text indicating that ‘Vertical Stand sold separately,’ followed by copyright information for Sony Interactive Entertainment and a note that design and specifications are subject to change without notice.
  • The image shows a close-up view of the Sony's PS5 Pro console standing vertically. The console has a sleek, white exterior with black inner lining and blue lighting accents along its curves. The distinctive V-shaped top edge and the textured surface on the white panels are visible, highlighting the modern aesthetic of this gaming console.
  • The image features a PS5 Pro console standing vertically next to its controller, the DualSense. The console has a distinctive black and white design with blue light accents, and the controller matches with a two-tone color scheme. Both items are set against a plain white background. Below the console, there is small text that reads ‘Vertical Stand sold separately. ©2021 Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved. Design and specifications are subject to change without notice.’
  • The image features a PS5 Pro console lying horizontally next to its DualSense wireless controller. The console has a distinctive black and white design with blue accent lighting, and the controller matches with a two-tone color scheme. Both items are set against a clean, white background which highlights their sleek, modern design. There is also small text at the bottom of the image indicating copyright information for Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
  • Image showing swappable Blu-ray disc drive for PS5 Pro
  • Two PS5 consoles (PS5 Pro on the left and PS5 in the middle) with DualSense wireless controller on the right side are displayed against a white background. Both consoles are standing vertically, one with a disc drive (middle) and one without (left console), showing their sleek white exterior with black trim and distinctive curved design.

So, what’s powering these improvements? Sony has crammed 67% more compute units into the GPU, and the memory runs 28% faster. All this adds up to a more powerful system that can push frame rates higher without sacrificing visual quality.

Ray-tracing fans, rejoice! The PS5 Pro’s enhanced power will significantly improve games that rely on ray-traced graphics. Developers will be able to cast rays at double or even triple the speed of the original PS5, leading to more realistic lighting and reflections in games.

But the most futuristic feature here might be the PS5 Pro’s AI-powered upscaling, called PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR). This new tech is Sony’s answer to NVIDIA’s DLSS and AMD’s FSR, designed to boost frame rates and image quality. PSSR essentially replaces existing anti-aliasing methods in games to create cleaner visuals with fewer performance sacrifices.

During the reveal, Cerny gave a sneak peek at a few games running on the PS5 Pro. Titles like The Last of Us Part II looked crisper and ran at 60fps, a noticeable upgrade from the PS5’s 30fps fidelity mode. Sony’s goal is to offer fidelity-level graphics at performance-level frame rates, with games like Spider-Man 2 and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart benefitting from these advancements.

In addition to all the new features, Sony’s throwing in a “Game Boost” option, which will apply to over 8,500 backward-compatible PS4 games. This feature will enhance image quality and stabilize performance for many older games, making them look and play better on the PS5 Pro.

And yes, the PS5 Pro comes with support for Wi-Fi 7, VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), and up to 8K resolutions. According to Scott Stein from CNET, who got early hands-on with the console, it will come with a 2TB SSD and will swap one rear USB-A port for a USB-C port. Plus, it’ll still have an extra SSD slot for storage expansion.

Games will need patches to tap into the PS5 Pro’s full power, but Sony is making sure developers are on board. By the November launch, around 50 games will carry the “PS5 Pro Enhanced” label, offering improved graphics, frame rates, or both. Early titles include big names like Alan Wake 2, Gran Turismo 7, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Horizon Forbidden West, and The Last of Us Part II Remastered.

Most of these games will now support 4K at 60fps, but CNET reports that Gran Turismo 7 will even have an 8K mode and a separate 4K ray-tracing mode. Developers can also add new graphical touches, like volumetric lighting or more characters in scenes, to take full advantage of the Pro’s hardware.

The PS5 Pro will also work seamlessly with existing accessories like the PlayStation VR2, the PlayStation Portal handheld, and current PS5 controllers. Sony says the user interface and online services will remain the same as the original PS5, so don’t expect any changes on that front.

If you’re eager to get your hands on the PS5 Pro, preorders start on September 26th, with the official release on November 7th.

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