PlayStation 5 Pro tipped to bring true 8K gaming to the table

The PlayStation 5 has been around for a while now, even if stock levels remain an issue in most, if not every, country. Typically, console generations last anywhere from six to eight years, notwithstanding the Nintendo Switch. On the other hand, mid-generation PlayStation refreshes occur three years into a product cycle, as was the case with the PlayStation 3 Slim and the PlayStation 4 Pro.

According to Moore's Law Is Dead (MLID), Sony plans to release the PlayStation 5 Pro towards the end of 2023, or in the final months of 2024 at the latest. MLID expects Sony to equip the PlayStation 5 Pro with a 36 Compute Unit (CU) GPU, albeit one fabricated on a 5 nm process. Throwing increased clock speeds into the mix could offer up to 50% better performance than the PlayStation 5 currently manages, MLID argues, yielding significantly better framerates and image quality in games that use dynamic resolutions.

MILD bases this assumption on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro sales data, with the former consistently outselling the latter throughout the console's lifespan. On the other hand, MLID's sources believe that the PlayStation 5 Pro will represent a major upgrade over the PlayStation 5. 

Specifically, MLID discusses the console costing between US$600 and US$700, with Sony distinguishing the Pro from the regular console by including a superior GPU. To achieve this, the GPU would rely on a new architecture from AMD with up to double the CUs that the PlayStation 5 offers. The PlayStation 5 Pro would consume a lot more power than the current console, too. Equipping the Pro console with such a GPU would make 8K gaming a reality, although MLID admits that 8K TV adoption will remain low into the middle of the decade. 

Super-sampling technologies, such as AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution, could bring 8K to the PlayStation 5 family in some respect though, particularly a Pro console. Ultimately, we would expect Sony to release a PlayStation 5 Slim too, not just a PlayStation 5 Pro. The company has already started cutting the PlayStation 5's weight, with it shaving over 300 g so far.

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