PS5 Pro specs confirmed, expected release before the festive season this year. SOC also pictured

[filpo]

Summary

PS5 Pro specs have now been reportedly confirmed by The Verge, with a primary focus on enhancing ray tracing capabilities

 

Quotes

PS5 Pro Specs pictured with comparison

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Specifications in writing

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The console is expected to feature an RDNA 3 GPU with 30 WGP running BVH8, capable of 33.5 TeraFLOPS of FP32 single-precision computing power, and a slightly quicker CPU running at 3.85 GHz. The PS5 Pro will also feature modifications for developers regarding system memory, with Sony increasing the memory bandwidth from 448 GB/s to 576 GB/s, enhancing efficiency for an even more immersive gaming experience. To do AI processing, there is an custom AI accelerator capable of 300 8-bit INT8 TOPS and 67 16-bit FP16 TeraFLOPS, in addition to ACV audio codec running up to 35% faster.

Expected performance uplifts from Sony

Quote

Sony anticipates GPU rendering on the PS5 Pro to be approximately 45 percent faster than the standard PlayStation 5. The PS5 Pro GPU will be larger and utilize faster system memory to bolster ray tracing performance, boasting up to three times the speed of the regular PS5.

New features and potential release date

Quote

Additionally, the console will employ a more powerful ray tracing architecture, backed by PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), This is essentially Sony’s upscaling answer to Nvidia’s DLSS or AMD’s FSR to improve frame rates and image quality on PlayStation. Sony has built a “custom architecture for machine learning” on the PS5 Pro, which supports 300TOPS of 8-bit computation, allowing developers to leverage graphics features like ray tracing more extensively.

 

Developers will also get more access to overall system memory. Games can use an additional 1.2GB of system memory on the PS5 Pro, so that’s 13.7GB overall compared to the 12.5GB allocated to games on the base PS5.

My thoughts

The first thing that caught my eye was the sheer amount of Teraflops, 33.5! More than 3x more than the PS5 non pro. At first I was a bit confused on why they went Zen 2 but now that I think of it it would be more cost efficient to do so as the CPU is already up to shape even for the new GPU in the Pro, so Sony is most likely preparing Zen 4 for the PS6. Overall, looks good from Sony! If they can get it around the $600 mark with 50% more performance it'll be a great deal, though I think it's more likely they'll aim for $500.

 

Sources

https://videocardz.com/newz/playstation-5-pro-to-get-faster-zen2-cpu-mode-and-about-45-faster-gpu-rendering

Sony’s PS5 Pro is real and developers are getting ready for it - The Verge

Sony PlayStation 5 Pro Specifications Confirmed, Console Arrives Before Holidays | TechPowerUp

Edited April 16 by filpo
Changed title and part of summary

[jaslion]

The main thing I wan a know is does this mean 60fps almost all games will be a thing now finally again? Been since the ps2 that that was a thing.

 

A bit odd to not upgrade the storage as that is usually a big deal for people especially with todays massive space waster AAA games

[Forbidden Wafer]

5 minutes ago, filpo said:

At first I was a bit confused on why they went Zen 2

If MLID is to be believed, it is due to performance characteristics in games (some games could see regressions, while most would certainly get a nice speedup) and leaving more power to the GPU. 

[dilpickle]

Nothing is "confirmed" until Sony announces it.

[Agall]

44 minutes ago, filpo said:

Summary

PS5 Pro specs have now been confirmed by The Verge, reportedly with a primary focus on enhancing ray tracing capabilities

 

Quotes

PS5 Pro Specs pictured with comparison

Specifications in writing

Expected performance uplifts from Sony

New features and potential release date

My thoughts

The first thing that caught my eye was the sheer amount of Teraflops, 33.5! More than 3x more than the PS5 non pro. At first I was a bit confused on why they went Zen 2 but now that I think of it it would be more cost efficient to do so as the CPU is already up to shape even for the new GPU in the Pro, so Sony is most likely preparing Zen 4 for the PS6. Overall, looks good from Sony! If they can get it around the $600 mark with 50% more performance it'll be a great deal, though I think it's more likely they'll aim for $500.

 

Sources

https://videocardz.com/newz/playstation-5-pro-to-get-faster-zen2-cpu-mode-and-about-45-faster-gpu-rendering

Sony’s PS5 Pro is real and developers are getting ready for it - The Verge

Sony PlayStation 5 Pro Specifications Confirmed, Console Arrives Before Holidays | TechPowerUp

Zen2 is very efficient. A factoid being that the Steam Deck's custom SoC uses practically the same Zen2/RDNA2 APU as the consoles, effectively making it a mini version of the consoles.

 

Its shown its capabilities compared to the Zen4/RDNA3 Z1E. It might also be easier to optimize for until they do a whole refresh considering the current consoles are Zen2 based.

[starsmine]

1 hour ago, filpo said:

At first I was a bit confused on why they went Zen 2 but now that I think of it it would be more cost efficient to do so as the CPU is already up to shape even for the new GPU in the Pro, so Sony is most likely preparing Zen 4 for the PS6. 

Purely compatibility reasons. yes, zen4 can run everything zen 2 can, but not at the same timings for all commands. Its supposed to be a ps5 still, not a ps6. Compatablilty when making a pro version of a console is the number one priority. 

IMO the only thing I personally want out of the ps5 pro is HDR10+ and Dolby HDR support. 

 

  

1 hour ago, jaslion said:

The main thing I wan a know is does this mean 60fps almost all games will be a thing now finally again? Been since the ps2 that that was a thing.

 

A bit odd to not upgrade the storage as that is usually a big deal for people especially with todays massive space waster AAA games

there is a user accessable m.2 slot that you can put in more storage. It has no proprietary lock like the xbox has. 

[leadeater]

1 hour ago, starsmine said:

Purely compatibility reasons. yes, zen4 can run everything zen 2 can, but not at the same timings for all commands. Its supposed to be a ps5 still, not a ps6. Compatablilty when making a pro version of a console is the number one priority. 

A lot of that really doesn't matter as much anymore on the x86 generation of consoles and there also wouldn't be any regressions for basically anything going between Zen 2 to Zen 3 or 4.

 

The bigger reason is this is still a custom monolithic SoC and it's not a direct Zen 2 architecture, it's a custom one designed with Sony so if the CPU were to be changed then it would be an entirely new SoC and require to go through a lot more design and manufacturing validation which is costly. Beefing up the GPU while requiring a lot of work doesn't require changing anything about the the CPU aspect of the SoC or likely any of the physical lay out of it.

 

 

The entire left side is most likely going to be unchanged and unmodified.

 

One of the key things about something like a PS5 Pro is cost, less work = better. So I don't think compatibility is the issue but the underlying reason is much the same. Also anything that runs on the PS5 Pro still has to run on the PS5 and if you give 50% more CPU power then you also run the risk of games being created to use that (intentionally or not) aka not running on the PS5.

[atxcyclist]

That compute figure for graphics is roughly equivalent to a 7700 XT, so either that console is going to be hella expensive, or that’s an incredibly optimistic guess by whoever is making that claim. The 7700 XT is also 245w by itself, so the cooling solution would need to be huge.

[starsmine]

23 minutes ago, atxcyclist said:

That compute figure for graphics is roughly equivalent to a 7700 XT, so either that console is going to be hella expensive, or that’s an incredibly optimistic guess by whoever is making that claim. The 7700 XT is also 245w by itself, so the cooling solution would need to be huge.

Would depend on the node its on. N4P is a thing, and AMD has experience porting RDNA3 over to N4 with Hawk Point. 


Considering the power is the same at same performance, you are now under 200W (bad math here, ram and VRM scaling that I dont want to think about. )

[Kisai]

13 hours ago, filpo said:

At first I was a bit confused on why they went Zen 2 but now that I think of it it would be more cost efficient to do so

Probably so they don't have to change the board layout. Think about it. What they have right now:

If they change the CPU type, then they pretty much need to design a new PCB for it. If it has the same MB pinout then it can just be swapped straight over, and if the new GPU is just a die shrink of RDNA3/4 that fits in the same space of the RDNA2, then they don't need to even retool their process.

 

That said, I'm not sure why anyone would buy a "Pro" console. Does the existing console not play the games you want already? Did we learn nothing from Wii U? People don't buy incremental upgrades unless that is the only option. People who want this who already have a PS5 are going to be like "well I dunno, all my saves are married to that existing console."

 

 

[leadeater]

15 minutes ago, Kisai said:

Did we learn nothing from Wii U?

Or the PS4 Pro

[Kisai]

1 minute ago, leadeater said:

Or the PS4 Pro

 

Basically the PS4 Pro came out with the PS4 Slim, and then they discontinued the Pro and kept the slim for another 3 years. 

 

Personally, any time I've even bought a console, I waited for the "Slim" or whatever refined model comes out, because problems with the existing models. Like the Xbox 360 was notoriously bad, so I waited for a redesign , the S model. Which was fine, but then the hard drive died and I was like "well f microsoft then."

 

So I bought the Switch after the "OLED" model came out, but didn't buy the OLED model.

 

[porina]

1 hour ago, Kisai said:

That said, I'm not sure why anyone would buy a "Pro" console. Does the existing console not play the games you want already? Did we learn nothing from Wii U? People don't buy incremental upgrades unless that is the only option. People who want this who already have a PS5 are going to be like "well I dunno, all my saves are married to that existing console."

I look at it in a similar way to high end PC parts. You don't need to have the latest but many do upgrade more often than really needed for a better experience.

 

PS5 Pro wont be for the masses, but for those who are big into their console gaming. If it gets a better experience, why not go for it? Chances are they'll have PS Plus in some form anyway which gets you cloud saves so that's not a problem.

[leadeater]

56 minutes ago, porina said:

Chances are they'll have PS Plus in some form anyway which gets you cloud saves so that's not a problem.

You don't even need that, just both consoles on the same network and then go to the migration menu and select all the save data and game data you want to migrate. I did this for my PS4 when I got my PS5, no PS Plus required. Works PS5 to PS5/PS5 Pro etc

[porina]

21 minutes ago, leadeater said:

You don't even need that, just both consoles on the same network and then go to the migration menu and select all the save data and game data you want to migrate. I did this for my PS4 when I got my PS5, no PS Plus required. Works PS5 to PS5/PS5 Pro etc

Is that more a one time transfer? Great if you're fully switching but maybe less convenient if you have multiple devices you might use. For example, I love cloud saves on Steam as I game on one of 3 systems: main desktop, TV system, and laptop when travelling. 

[leadeater]

1 minute ago, porina said:

Is that more a one time transfer? Great if you're fully switching but maybe less convenient if you have multiple devices you might use. For example, I love cloud saves on Steam as I game on one of 3 systems: main desktop, TV system, and laptop when travelling. 

Any time you want, doesn't alter the original console either. I wouldn't do it like weekly or anything. It's not a replacement for cloud saves but migrating between consoles is so painless and quick it's not an issue anymore. Not since PS4 anyway.

 

I haven't used my PS4 since I got my PS5 since I can play all PS4 games I have on the PS5. My old PS4 will likely just end up being a "Chrome Cast"/Blu-ray Player.

[jagdtigger]

2 hours ago, porina said:

PS5 Pro wont be for the masses, but for those who are big into their console gaming.

Maybe its not intended on sony's part but we all know how game studios think: aim for the high end and ignore the peasants who cant afford it. I mean even MS had issues with them trying to skip supporting the S/Series S models.........

[starsmine]

4 hours ago, Kisai said:

That said, I'm not sure why anyone would buy a "Pro" console. Does the existing console not play the games you want already? Did we learn nothing from Wii U? People don't buy incremental upgrades unless that is the only option. People who want this who already have a PS5 are going to be like "well I dunno, all my saves are married to that existing console."

The Wii U was a totally separate generation. Im confused on bringing that one up. 

ps4 pro and XboneX did just fine as products. I don't think anyone found those to be a disappointment, from consumers to the manufacturers.

 

 

20 minutes ago, jagdtigger said:

Maybe its not intended on sony's part but we all know how game studios think: aim for the high end and ignore the peasants who cant afford it. I mean even MS had issues with them trying to skip supporting the S/Series S models.........

xbox series S was a mistake from the very beginning, it was a poor trap and only had the performance of the previous generation of consoles. Many of the purchasers only bought it because the X was sold out. Supporting the PS5 pro/Xbox series X/PC is great... now you want the devs to demake the game for the xbox series S which has minimal market share, just to be allowed to release on series X? thats a piss take. Switch at least has market share. 

[jagdtigger]

1 minute ago, starsmine said:

xbox series S was a mistake from the very beginning, it was a poor trap and only had the performance of the previous generation of consoles. Many of the purchasers only bought it because the X was sold out. Supporting the PS5 pro/Xbox series X/PC is great... now you want the devs to demake the game for the xbox series S which has minimal market share, just to be allowed to release on series X? thats a piss take. Switch at least has market share. 

Still they will apply the same logic, when ps5 pro comes out they will be like "nope thats last gen so we do not want to support it"..........

[starsmine]

Just now, jagdtigger said:

Still they will apply the same logic, when ps5 pro comes out they will be like "nope thats last gen so we do not want to support it"..........

the logic does not apply, its not a new gen, the market share is on the PS5/Xbox series X/PC still. No one wants to make an exclusive for hardware with such small market share and expects to make a profitable game.  

 

Neither PS4pro, xbonex, nor other times this has happened like with the DSi have devs decided that they will not want to support the regular versions. The new versions allow the home user to play the same games at higher resolutions at more stable frame rates. 

[porina]

13 minutes ago, jagdtigger said:

Still they will apply the same logic, when ps5 pro comes out they will be like "nope thats last gen so we do not want to support it"..........

It wont happen, it can't happen. We've already got precedent with the PS4 Pro. Sony requires them to support the standard model. The vast installed base is PS5. Games will have to work on that. If studios want to optimise for the Pro, that's great. Even if they could do exclusives for it, it wouldn't be an earner for them because the install base wont be there.

 

Series S is more of a problem because it is out of step and more like a last gen device. You lower the floor, and that can lower the ceiling too.

[NF-F12]

This is not confirmation, this is a link to a speculation website.

 

Specs will be confirmed when Sony announce it officially.

[starsmine]

8 minutes ago, NF-F12 said:

This is not confirmation, this is a link to a speculation website.

 

Specs will be confirmed when Sony announce it officially.

not that I have looked into this one. But you absolutely can confirm specs before an official announcement. 

[Kisai]

18 hours ago, starsmine said:

The Wii U was a totally separate generation. Im confused on bringing that one up. 

Because people did not realize that and thought it was an accessory. The Gamecube, Wii and WiiU are all backwards compatible with each other. The GB, GBC and GBA are backwards compatible. The DS retained it but the 3DS removed that. 

 

The PS1, PS2 and PS3 were only backwards compatible if you bought certain models. The PS4 was not backwards compatible with anything. The PS5 is backwards compatible with the PS4.

Same with the Xbox. The Xbox, 360, and XB1 are not backwards compatible with each other due to the changes in CPU. But there is no reason why XB1 can't play XBOX originals unless it has no ODD, yet that was not even an option. 

 

From the context of video game generations, the PS4 and PS5, and the Xbox Series S/X have no fundamental changes between them or each other that not seeing the same game on all of them suggests the developers out out of touch with the players. Then you throw in "Pro" models which seem to have... what audience in mind? 

 

Again I say, who is this for? If you're not getting an improvement in the game, and just getting 4Kp60... why weren't you getting 4Kp60 before? Wasn't that a selling point?

How's Sony gonna sell this? "Now you get 4K and we mean it this time!"

 

 

[Spindel]

On 4/15/2024 at 11:07 PM, jaslion said:

The main thing I wan a know is does this mean 60fps almost all games will be a thing now finally again? Been since the ps2 that that was a thing.

If you remember PS2 as 60 FPS in "almost all games" I do need to inform you that you strongly misremember most PS2 games that had some graphical fidelity.