Details about the PS5 Pro keep leaking all over the place, with us recently learning that it’s likely targeting a holiday 2024 release window and that it will apparently feature “PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution,” whatever that is. While headlines are suggesting this is “the most powerful console yet,” we might want to temper that language, as Digital Foundry believes the PS5 Pro may not be all that “pro” after all, at least when it comes to running what’s arguably the biggest game of next year.
Speaking on the March 19 episode of DF Direct, as spotted by IGN, Digital Foundry founder Rich Leadbetter broke down the reported specs of the PS5 Pro. The console’s CPU is basically identical to that of the base version, both of which sport an eight-score 16 Thread Zen 2 with clock speeds of up to 3.5GHz. The only difference here is the PS5 Pro’s CPU has a “High CPU Frequency Mode,” allowing the chip to boost its performance by 10 percent, to 3.85GHz. There are some other notable differences between the two consoles, such as the PS5 Pro housing 33.5 teraflops to the PS5’s 10.28 teraflops, but when it comes to producing better frame rates, the performance similarities between the two CPUs raised some concerns for the smart folks at Digital Foundry.
“The games that are targeting 30fps right now are not going to be targeting 60 frames per second on PlayStation 5 Pro if they’re CPU-limited,” Leadbetter said of the console’s performance. “So, you know, all of the, sort of, conjectures of, ‘Hey, this is going to be a great box for Grand Theft Auto 6. You’ll be able to run that at 60 frames per second.’ Unless there’s some magical CPU stuff being done by Rockstar, I suggest that’s not going to happen. An extra 10 percent on clock [speed] isn’t really going to do much at all. It will help your, sort of, worst possible frame rates when you’re CPU-limited, but it’s not a game changer. I think that’s pretty clear.”
According to Digital Foundry, the impact of the PS5 Pro’s higher processing power on actual game performance may not be that impressive. They said the system might get a console gamer who’s considering a move to PC gaming to think twice about that switch, but the incremental improvement over the base PS5’s CPU performance probably wouldn’t entice an owner of the current model to make the upgrade.
Still, the PS5 Pro’s improved hardware is not without its benefits. With Sony’s proprietary PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution upscaling tech, the console will be able to render games at 4K, with support for 8K and higher resolutions possible thanks to machine learning. But the timing for the console’s release seems off, as Sony isn’t releasing any “new major existing franchise” games until 2025. Until the company can show off a “killer app,” something that makes the PS5 Pro feel like a necessary upgrade, the console seems like a “nice to have.”
Kotaku has reached out to Sony for comment.
With the lid on the PS5 Pro jar apparently yanked off (though Sony has yet to officially confirm its existence, much less the validity of the reported specs), the console maker is now reportedly trying to find out how this happened. As Gizmodo reported on March 19, the company has launched an internal investigation into the leaks to find the source of the downpour.
