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The PlayStation 5 Pro does not feature a disc drive but is equipped with a more advanced graphics processing unit, making it 40% more expensive than the standard PS5 that includes a disc drive.
The company anticipates selling 18 million PS5 units during this fiscal year, a decrease from the 20.8 million units sold in the previous year’s comparable period.
The launch price of the PS5 Pro is set at £699.99 on November 7 of this year, significantly higher than the PS5's cost.
Piers Harding-Rolls, an analyst at Ampere, noted that the pricing is likely to generate considerable discussion. He suggested that the company seems to be banking on the enhanced performance of the console to motivate users to upgrade their current systems and invest more in games.
Mark Cerny, the chief architect behind the PS5, described it as "the most powerful console we’ve ever built." He emphasized that the PS5 Pro aims to address a long-standing dilemma for gamers: choosing between "fidelity mode," which prioritizes graphics, and "performance mode," which enhances gameplay smoothness at the expense of visual quality.
Cerny stated that the PS5 Pro is designed to "eliminate that choice, or at least minimize the gap between the two."
Christopher Dring, head of GamesIndustry.biz, remarked to the BBC that this console is specifically aimed at PlayStation's "most passionate audience." He pointed out that the console market has faced challenges this year, with declining sales for the PS5, Xbox Series S and X, and the aging Nintendo Switch.
Dring added that the PS5 Pro is unlikely to alter this trend. However, he mentioned that Sony may be strategically positioning itself for the highly anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto VI next year, suggesting that when the game launches, PlayStation will be able to promote that it offers the best experience on the PS5 Pro.
Video Game Pro Consoles
Companies have been introducing updated versions of their gaming consoles with minor enhancements for many years, but the latest release signifies a growing trend towards "pro" hardware that appears to be a permanent fixture in the market.
Typically, this entails modifications to existing-generation consoles that enhance the visual quality of games; however, it is important to note that these upgraded consoles do not offer exclusive titles.
This means that games will continue to be available for the PS5, allowing gamers the option to play on either a standard console or a pro variant, which offers improved graphics and performance.
Paul Tamburro from PlayStation LifeStyle remarked that fans had anticipated the console would "bridge the gap" between performance and fidelity modes, and that the upgrade would be beneficial.
"Nonetheless, it seems that the console falls short of justifying its high price," he stated.
"The absence of a disc drive at launch and the focus on achieving only 60 FPS is underwhelming.
"This makes it a challenging proposition for current PS5 owners."
This marks Sony's second significant venture into this arena following the PS4 Pro released in 2016, which introduced 4K graphics to the original PlayStation 4.
Additionally, it follows three years after Nintendo unveiled its own pro model—a Nintendo Switch featuring a larger and improved display.
Advancements in Graphics Technology
The recent announcement from Sony may not rival the PS4's transition to 4K graphics, but it still marks a notable advancement in the realm of home consoles.
This development arrives at a time when personal computers are becoming increasingly powerful, particularly following the launch of Nvidia's Geforce 40 series graphics cards in 2022, which have positioned PCs ahead of home consoles in the competition for superior visual quality.
However, it is important to note that a single graphics card from this series can be priced similarly to an entire PS5, leading consoles to find a balance between high-quality visuals and affordability.
As seen in the previous console generation, this new release will provide consumers with multiple PS5 variants, each featuring different specifications and price points.
Prior to the announcement, there was considerable speculation among fans regarding the potential features of an upgraded console.
Among the most discussed were unverified claims suggesting that the PS5 Pro would support backward compatibility with games from earlier Sony consoles, with some reports indicating compatibility extending back to the original PlayStation.
However, the announcement did not provide any confirmation of these rumors.