TOKYO, Sept 11 — Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) officially announced the new Sony PlayStation 5 Pro. Set to be released into the market later this year, the new console was officially unveiled by the PlayStation 5 lead architect Mark Cerny in a newly published pre-recorded video presentation.

While Mark only provides high-level information in the PS5 Pro’s debut presentation, it is generally enough to describe what the new console is designed to achieve. In general, the PS5 Pro promises to deliver enhanced graphics fidelity with smooth frame rates.

PS5 Pro features a new GPU

To achieve this, the PS5 Pro has been equipped with a new GPU that has 67 per cent more Compute Units and 28 per cent faster memory than the one that was fitted into the PS5. Mark claimed that this allows the new console to deliver up to 45 per cent faster rendering.

Aside from that, the PS5 Pro is said to have significantly improved ray tracing capability at 2 to 3 times the speed of the current PS5. The new console also marked the introduction of a new AI-driven upscaling feature called PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR).

The PS5 Pro continues to support variable refresh rate (VRR) and 8K gaming in addition to having Wi-Fi 7 capability and a 2TB solid state drive. Like the previous iterations of PS5, the console will come pre-installed with Astro’s Playroom.

PS5 Pro can support older PS4 games

In a separate post on the PlayStation Blog, the CEO of SIE’s Platform Business Group, Hideaki Nishino has also revealed other features within the PS5 Pro.

This includes the PS5 Pro Game Boost which will allow over 8,500 PS4 games playable on the new console and also helps stabilise or improve the performance of supported PS5 games. There is also the Enhanced Image Quality for PS4 which helps improve the resolution of select PS4 titles.

Here’s the initial list of PS5 Pro Enhanced games

Hideaki noted that many existing games will receive software updates to allow them to take advantage of PS5 Pro’s beefier hardware. These games will also carry a PS5 Pro Enhanced label so that gamers can easily identify them.

He has also named some of the initial PS5 Pro Enhanced games in the blog post which include:

  • Alan Wake 2
  • Assassin’s Creed: Shadows
  • Demon’s Souls
  • Dragon’s Dogma 2
  • Final Fantasy 2 Rebirth
  • Gran Turismo 7
  • Hogwarts Legacy
  • Horizon Forbidden West
  • Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
  • Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
  • The Crew Motorfest
  • The First Descendant
  • The Last of US Part II Remastered

PS5 Pro does not come with disc drive

Unlike the PS5 Slim where there is a version with a disc drive, Sony has made the PS5 Pro a disc-less console.

That being said, it supports the existing Disc Drive for PS5 Slim which is currently being sold in Malaysia for RM529 if you want to utilise PS5, PS4, Blu-ray, and DVD discs on the console. In addition to that, you also have to buy the vertical stand separately if you prefer the PS5 Pro to be in an upright position.

PS5 Pro release date and pricing for Malaysia is still a mystery

At the moment, SIE has only released the pricing and launch dates for four markets. In the US, the console will be available for USD699.99 (~RM3,040) while it is priced at GBP699.99 (~RM3,971) and EU799.99 (~RM3,840) in the U.K and Europe, respectively.

Over in Japan, the PS5 Pro can be obtained for JPY119,980 (~RM3,657). The PS5 Pro will be launched in these markets on November 7.

As for Malaysia, we are still waiting for the official announcement from SIE. Based on the pricing above, we expect the PS5 Pro to cost no less than RM3,600 in Malaysia. — SoyaCincau