This Generation’s Most Powerful Console

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home November 20, 2024 172 Views 11 Min Read
This Generation's Most Powerful Console

While mid-generation console refreshes have become increasingly more common, the PlayStation 5 Pro departs from the norm in some significant ways. Typically, an Xbox One X or a PS4 Pro focuses on bumping up the performance of the hardware in an effort to outpace the current consoles. More RAM, a better CPU, and a better GPU usually result in increased graphical output by virtue of sheer horsepower. For the PS5 Pro, however, Sony is doing just as much on the software side as the hardware side, and for that reason, the leap feels bigger.




PlayStation 5 Pro Design and Specs

For the most part, Sony has kept the PlayStation 5 aesthetics the same with the Pro model. It’s slightly thinner because the console doesn’t ship with a disc drive and there are some black, fin-like grooves on the sides of the white console covers that offer added cooling and a little extra style.

The PS5 Pro will lay on its side with some included clear plastic stands, or you can purchase a vertical stand separately. It’s a shame that the vertical stand isn’t included in the retail package, as many have likely become used to that orientation for its base model PS5. Even without the stand, though, you can orient the PlayStation 5 Pro vertically and unless you are prone to bumping it or you have a rambunctious animal, it should be fine.


Sony has swapped out the USB-A port on the front of the PS5 Pro for a USB-C port, so now there are two USB-C ports facing outward, just above the power button. On the backside are two USB-A ports for those who might still need them for PS5 accessories like a Pulse Elite headset. The PS5 Pro does come packed in with an HDMI 2.1 cable and a USB-C to USB-C cable, as well as a power cable, so you should be good to go for gaming right out of the box.

What’s in the PS5 Pro Retail Box:

  • PlayStation 5 Pro Console
  • 1 DualSense controller
  • USB-C to USB-A cable
  • HDMI 2.1 cable
  • Power cable
  • 2 clear plastic stands for horizontal orientation

Under the hood, the PlayStation 5 Pro packs some more powerful hardware and increased storage. The GPU is now up to 16.7 Teraflops of computing power, there is an extra 2GB of RAM (although its DDR5 not DDR6) , and crucially, the hard drive is 2TB. With game file sizes getting bigger and bigger, especially on titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, the extra storage space cannot be understated.


PSSR is PS5 Pro’s Secret Weapon

Overall, the specs are maybe not as significant of a leap as fans hoped, but, as mentioned, where the console makes the biggest difference is with its upscaler software. Dubbed PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), Sony’s upscaler helps the PlayStation 5 Pro establish itself as the best-performing console experience on the market.

While the decision is up to the developer, some PS5 Pro Enhanced games offer gamers two options. Similar to the current console generation, there is the ability to favor performance for higher frame rate at the cost of resolution, or to prioritize fidelity for an experience that has a lower frame rate. With PSSR, however, the baseline for the fidelity or performance modes is much higher. For example, a performance mode might work with a 1440p picture and deliver a frame rate higher than the typical 60fps, or a fidelity mode might deliver a true 4K resolution and only dip to 50 fps or 30 at worst.


Ultimately, personal preference will determine which mode PS5 Pro owners go with, but the negatives with each mode are so much slighter on this model. Performance mode no longer looks muddy, blurry, or washed out, and the fidelity mode can still feel smooth by comparison. And for some games, there is simply a PS5 Pro enhanced mode that gives you a little bit from column A and a little bit from column B. The frame rate is higher and the resolution is higher, upscaled thanks to PSSR.

It’s also worth mentioning that Sony has baked in a toggle that seeks to improve any PS5 game, enhanced or not, but I didn’t notice any improvements with that toggle on. If you stared at two presentations side by side, you would seem some slightly sharper edges but it was never on the level of enhanced games.


The list of PlayStation 5 Pro Enhanced games is only going to grow, but right now it features a solid array of top tier titles from the last few years. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth looks crisper and runs better, Resident Evil 4 Remake is even more gorgeous and offers a higher frame rate, Stellar Blade could eclipse 60 fps on either mode, and the wizards at Insomniac Games have made Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 even better by allowing you to toggle some Ray Tracing features on and still target a higher frame rate than on a base PS5. Yes, eventual PC versions of these games will seek to deliver that 4K 120fps max settings experience – especially with the Nvidia 50 series GPUs – but these are still some beautiful presentations with solid performance.


The big question with the PlayStation 5 Pro is whether it is worth the $700+ price tag and currently, without any major PS exclusive to “sell” the console, that answer becomes nebulous. If you haven’t kept up with the latest releases and want to experience games like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Stellar Blade, God of War Ragnarok, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 in the best possible way, then the PS5 Pro is well worth the investment. Similarly, if you want to have the best console on the market, regardless of price, this is it.

However, if you own a high-end gaming PC and have already completed most of those games, then it’s less attractive. As someone who tries to keep up with the latest titles, I spent more time downloading games, checking their PS5 Pro graphics options, and then uninstalling them than I did playing any games. I’m not one to re-experience games because just keeping up with current releases is overwhelming enough. That being said, I’m glad to have the PlayStation 5 Pro to prepare for future console-only titles or those where the PC port is less than ideal (read: Unreal Engine stutter). I am in a unique position, of course, and everyone will be different.


PlayStation 5 Pro Review: Final Thoughts

Mid-generation consoles are difficult to review for a lot of reasons. Usually, they are priced higher; the current generation isn’t going anywhere and so you won’t be locked out of a platform’s exclusives; and there is always the next generation looming, which makes investing a risk. If you already own a PS5 and don’t feel the pull of the Pro console already, then that is unlikely to change before the PlayStation 6.

That being said, PSSR is a new technology for Sony and if it’s anything like DLSS, the performance will only get better. Even now, though, PSSR is very impressive and what it can do for current-gen games (that support it) will give PlayStation the edge when it comes to offering the best console experience.

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