After years of rumour, speculation and hype, Sony has confirmed it is launching a more powerful – and much more expensive – version of its hugely popular PlayStation 5 console.
The PS5 Pro will be able to show more advanced graphics and display the most demanding games at higher, more consistent frame rates.
But that added power will come at a cost: the PS5 Pro will be the most expensive console from Sony to date.
It will cost £699.99 when it launches on 7 November this year – hundreds of pounds more than the PS5.
“The price point of the PS5 Pro will inevitably cause a lot of commentary,” analyst Piers Harding-Rolls from research firm Ampere said.
He said the firm appeared to be betting that the console’s improved performance would encourage users to upgrade their existing hardware and spend more on software.
Mark Cerny, lead architect of the PS5, said it was “the most powerful console we’ve ever built”.
He said it sought to resolve a problem gamers had faced for years – whether to play a console game in so-called “fidelity mode”, which favours visuals, or “performance mode”, which makes a game smoother, though at the cost to how it looks.
He said the PS5 Pro was about “removing that decision, or at least narrowing that divide”.
GamesIndustry.biz head Christopher Dring told the BBC it was “a very targeted console” for PlayStation’s “most enthusiastic audience”.
“The console industry has had a tough time this year, with falling sales of PS5, Xbox Series S and X, and the ageing Nintendo Switch,” he said.
“PS5 Pro isn’t going to change that situation.”
But he said Sony might have one eye on the most anticipated game in the world – Grand Theft Auto VI – which is due to release next year.
“When GTA 6 does launch, PlayStation will be able to say to players that the game will look best on PS5 Pro,” he said.
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