Sony PlayStation 5 Pro with better GPU and AI image scaling is here
Sony has announced its most powerful gaming console yet, the PlayStation 5 Pro. The updated 2020 model of the PlayStation 5, like the PS4 Pro before it, focuses on better gaming graphics. This is due to three major new improvements.
The first of these is an improved GPU. Although it is still based on the same architecture, the Sony PlayStation 5 Pro’s GPU now has 67% more compute units and 28% faster memory. Sony claims that these changes result in 45% faster game rendering compared to the PS5.
The other improvement of the Sony PlayStation 5 Pro is hardware-accelerated ray tracing. Considering that AMD graphics rely on their compute units for ray tracing, increasing the number of compute units also increases ray tracing performance. Sony claims that the PS5 Pro’s GPU can calculate rays at twice or even three times the speed of the PS5’s GPU.
AI image scaling
Finally, Sony also announced a new AI-driven image scaling solution that the company developed itself. Called PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, it uses AI and machine learning to upscale images to a higher resolution. Since it’s likely a hardware-accelerated solution, it should deliver better results than the mediocre software-based AMD FSR technology. The goal of the Sony PlayStation 5 Pro must be similar performance to Nvidia’s DLSS or Intel’s XeSS. However, Sony didn’t mention any aspect of frame generation, so this appears to be a pure image scaling solution.
Regarding the new hardware, PlayStation lead architect Mark Cerny spoke of the performance and quality switch in games on the PS5. This allows the user to choose between high frame rates or more image quality. This resulted in three-quarters of all users opting for performance mode for better frame rates, at the expense of image quality. The goal of the PS5 Pro was apparently to make this switch redundant and offer the image quality you’d expect from quality mode at 60 FPS.
With the combination of more powerful hardware and native image scaling, this seems entirely feasible. We’ll have to wait until native support is available in games to see if the claim holds up, though. Sony has revealed a handful of first- and third-party titles that take advantage of the new console’s improved performance. Games optimized for the new console will be labeled “PS5 Pro Enhanced.”
PS5 Pro Game Boost
Sony also announced a new PS5 Pro Game Boost feature that can be applied to more than 8,500 PS4 titles, increasing their resolution and frame rate for the new console. The Pro also features Wi-Fi 7 in regions where it’s supported, as well as support for VRR and 8K displays.
The PS5 Pro has only minor visual changes from the standard PS5. It’s taller than the current Slim model, but the same thickness as the Digital Edition. This exact option isn’t available on the Pro, by the way – the same drive as the PS5 has to be purchased separately. The only consolation here is that the PS5 Pro has 2TB of internal storage, as opposed to 1TB on the standard model.
The PS5 Pro costs €800 / $700, which is 56% more than the price of the digital PS5. The console will go on sale later this year on November 7, with pre-orders starting on September 26.
