Sony PlayStation 5 Pro: expected in November 2024

According to a well-informed source, the PlayStation 5 Pro, known internally as Project Trinity, is set to hit the market in November 2024. Boosting performance with a higher frame rate, more enhanced ray tracing and support for 8K definition, the PS5 Pro would aim to deliver a significantly enhanced gaming experience.

Rumors, speculation and growing expectations: there's often talk of a PlayStation 5 Slim, but also of a PlayStation 5 Pro.

According to Key To Gaming, and more specifically Tom Henderson, this new console is set to emerge from the shadows in November 2024. This arrival on the market would therefore be marked by a longer delay than that observed between the PlayStation 4 and the PS4 Pro, with Sony clearly taking its time to fine-tune its latest creation.

Internally dubbed Project Trinity, the PlayStation 5 Pro is already in the testing phase. Demo units have reportedly been built and are currently being put through their paces to detect any faults and identify areas for improvement. Developers will be able to familiarize themselves with the beast as early as November 2023, when they will receive development kits.

Project Trinity: FPS, ray tracing and 8K

Like its big sister, the PS4 Pro, the emphasis for this new iteration is on increasing the console's power. Improving FPS (frames per second) is said to be priority number 1, which should enable more stable performance in 4K, as well as faster ray tracing rendering.

Sony isn't content with half-measures. The Japanese firm is reportedly planning to integrate an 8K mode into its PS5 Pro, aspiring to push back the limits of current graphics definition on consoles.

However, the reality of 8K today is complex. Still very little present on the market, it is mostly represented by high-end TV sets, often out of reach for the general public. Their energy requirements, which sometimes exceed European standards, are another obstacle to their adoption.

What's more, the visual difference between 4K and 8K is controversial. Some experts believe that most consumers, apart from image professionals and the most discerning gamers, will find it difficult to discern a real difference between these two definitions. 8K definition is generally perceived as a technology race, rather than a practical advance for the user experience.

The article doesn't go into exhaustive detail on the technical specifications of the PlayStation 5 Pro. However, it does provide some interesting clues to potential improvements. It indicates, for example, that the PS5 Pro's memory would operate at a speed of 18,000 mega-transfers per second (MT/s), a significant increase on the 14,000 MT/s of the classic PS5.

The article also mentions the presence of 30 processors, also known as Work Group Processors (WGP). These are of crucial importance in the console's architecture, since they are involved in graphics processing and the calculations required for games to run smoothly. Considering that each WGP is traditionally associated with two compute units, this could mean that the PS5 Pro would have 60 compute units, a significant increase on the 36 present on the standard PS5.

These elements, while not giving a complete picture of the PS5 Pro's performance, suggest that Sony is aiming to offer a console with significantly greater capabilities than its current model.

The PS5 Slim: where are you?

Another persistent rumor hovers on the web: the possible release of a PlayStation 5 Slim. However, it remains unclear. Current reports suggest that the PS5 Pro will be Sony's last big push before the PlayStation 6, meaning that the PS5 Slim... will never be released.