Facepalm: Sony planned to start shipping its enhanced PS5 Pro console this week, but it appears that Christmas has come early for some. Some retailers across Europe have already received PS5 Pro units, and a handful of lucky buyers have even managed to get theirs ahead of schedule. As a result, multiple hands-on impressions have already surfaced online.
One notable snippet comes from videotechuk on X, possibly giving us the first real look at the PS5 Pro's specs and performance capabilities. So far, Sony has only provided vague figures like "up to 45 percent faster rendering," but an official instruction manual reveals the real specifications.
The highlight is a robust 16.7 teraflops of GPU power – a substantial jump from the regular PS5's 10.28 teraflops. The PS5 Pro also doubles the storage capacity with a 2TB SSD and includes an additional 2GB of DDR5 RAM, boosting the previous models' 16GB of unified memory.
This extra RAM is likely intended to add dedicated processing power for Sony's PSSR AI upscaling technology, enhancing visual quality for 4K displays.
PS5 Pro specs are officially out thanks to early shipments arriving to buyers in foreign countries
– Ben (@videotechuk_) November 2, 2024
Has 16GB of RAM for developers, 2GB module for the system (18GB RAM) and a 16.7 teraflop GPU.
Can't wait to see what Rockstar cooks with this hardware pic.twitter.com/XCGqhQc3GB
Additional upgrades include Wi-Fi 7 support for ultra-fast wireless connectivity and an extra USB-C port, perfect for connecting accessories or external storage. Power consumption has increased as well, with the Pro drawing up to 390W compared to the base PS5's 350W.
Beyond these specs, we already know quite a bit about the PS5 Pro's inner workings. The console retains the AMD Zen 2 architecture from its predecessor – likely a deliberate choice to ensure compatibility and simplify optimization for developers. However, the GPU has been upgraded from RDNA 2 to RDNA 4, which is expected to deliver a significant 2-3x performance boost on games labeled "PS5 Pro Enhanced."
Adding a unique perspective, a video teardown from what seems to be a Portuguese repair shop reveals that the PS5 Pro's internals are quite similar to those of the PS5 Slim. The layouts are so similar that PS5 Slim faceplates would have been cross-compatible – if not for Sony modifying the interlocking mechanism to prevent that.
All in all, the PS5 Pro is a significant release for Sony, especially as Microsoft has yet to announce a similar mid-generation refresh for Xbox. This could help solidify PlayStation's technical lead in the current generation.
That said, we'll need to get our hands on final retail units to truly assess the PS5 Pro's performance in actual gameplay. While the 16.7 teraflops spec might suggest a 67 percent increase in frame rates over the standard PS5, teraflops are not always a reliable measure of real-world performance.