Sony's 'PS5 Pro' beats Xbox to the AI graphics punch with its 'PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR)' feature — but it's $699.99

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Xbox users will have to wait to get similar tech in their console experience.

PS5 Pro price
(Image credit: Sony PlayStation)

What you need to know

  • After a year of rumors, the PlayStation 5 Pro was finally confirmed. 
  • With a larger GPU, boosted ray tracing, and "45 per cent faster" rendering, the PS5 Pro is undoubtedly the most powerful video game console in history. 
  • It's also among the most pricy, starting at $699.99 without a disc drive or a vertical stand. 
  • The PS5 Pro also boasts PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), similar to NVIDIA's DLSS or AMD'S FSR tech. 
  • Microsoft's own DirectSR is currently available in preview, with no firm general release date. 

After over a year of rumor and speculation, the PlayStation 5 Pro was formally revealed. 

The PS5 Pro was unveiled by PlayStation's hardware lead Mark Cerny on YouTube earlier today, detailing what PlayStation fans can expect when the console launches on November 7, 2024. The previous rumors (shout out to Tom Henderson) were completely accurate, detailing a console that will sport 45 per cent faster rendering, owing to a larger GPU and faster memory. Mark Cerny described Sony's desire to eliminate the need to choose between performance or quality modes in console games, and it's planning to leverage super resolution technology to do it. 

"Over the last four years since the launch of PS5, we’ve worked hard to continuously evolve the console experience and deliver the great games our players expect from us," Mark Cerny said on the PlayStation Blog. "Today, I’m incredibly proud to announce the next step in that evolution and welcome PlayStation 5 Pro to the PlayStation family – our most advanced and innovative console hardware to date."

The GPU in the PS5 Pro has been massively expanded to accommodate 67 per cent more compute units, coupled with 28 per cent faster memory. It may be enough to trounce the Xbox Series X, which long held the crown of "world's most powerful console," even if real-world results didn't always translate that fact into reality. One aspect where it certainly won't trounce the Xbox Series X, however, is price. It comes in at a whopping $699.99 in the United States, £699.99 in the UK, and €799.99 in Europe, making it vastly more expensive than any other console on the market today. Conversely, the Xbox Series X is $499.99, complete with a disc drive and vertical stand as standard, and is often available for less during sales periods. 

PlayStation 5 Pro Console - Reveal Trailer - YouTube PlayStation 5 Pro Console - Reveal Trailer - YouTube
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The headline act for me is the PSSR PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution technology. I've been using Lossless Scaling and other similar algorithms on my Lenovo Legion Go to improve the experience, with machine learning taking the load off the hardware to generate additional frames and sharpness. Our sources previously indicated to us that Microsoft and Nintendo both are looking to leverage similar techniques in their upcoming Xbox and Nintendo Switch successors, and Microsoft's own DirectSR solution in support of Intel XeSS, AMD FSR, and NVIDIA DLSS is already in preview. 

PlayStation has also introduced "Game Boost," which sounds similar to Xbox's FPS Boost, to enhance more than "8,500" backward compatible PS4 games on the PS5 Pro, which the firm says will "enhance or stabilize" existing games without developer intervention. Microsoft hasn't leveraged FPS Boost in a while, sadly, since shutting the Xbox backward compatibility program. The PS5 Pro will also sport Wi-Fi 7, which could make it a winner when paired with the PlayStation Portal streaming accessory. 

There are a range of more heavily enhanced games on the docket too, including Alan Wake 2, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, Demon’s Souls, Dragon’s Dogma 2, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Gran Turismo 7, Hogwarts Legacy, Horizon Forbidden West, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, The Crew Motorfest, The First Descendant, The Last of Us Part II Remastered, "and more." 

Mid-gen console refreshes are nothing new. Microsoft launched its own Xbox One X last gen, which was more expensive in exchange for boosted resolution. However, it seems that Microsoft's own planned mid-gen Xbox Series X refresh, codenamed Brooklin, has been cancelled. 

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Does Xbox need to respond to the PS5 Pro?

The PS5 Pro is the world's most powerful, and most expensive console.  (Image credit: Sony PlayStation)

I already see gamers balking at the price point here. The PS5 Pro is not cheap, rocking up at €800 in Europe in particular seems like it's destined to become a very niche option. Still, it doesn't need to sell millions of units to be profitable. As long as Sony keeps the stock in check and targets users who are willing to pay a premium for a premium experience, the PS5 Pro will more than serve its purpose. 

And that brings us to Xbox. Microsoft as of writing has no answer to the PS5 Pro. In fact, its Xbox hardware sales have been cratering year-over-year for a couple of years now,  with users either content to stay on Xbox One, with others potentially moving to other platforms. Microsoft insists it has more Xbox console users than ever, though. 

Indeed, the console market seems relatively static in its userbase, hovering around 300 million users at any single point in time. With that in mind, the PS5 Pro is likely to sell to existing PlayStation users generally speaking who want the best experience possible. Would I buy an Xbox Series X Pro that didn't force me to choose between crisp visuals or 60 FPS? You bet. But it seems Microsoft isn't interested in building another Xbox Series X|S console SKU right now, and is likely all-in on skipping ahead to an entirely new generation in 2026 or 2027. 

Given that the PS5 Pro will most likely simply sell to existing users, it's unlikely to put a real dent in Microsoft's Xbox fortunes in the short term. However, it presents some messaging conundrums for Xbox. Microsoft says its next Xbox will represent "the biggest technological leap" for an Xbox console ever, but with Microsoft increasingly putting its games on PlayStation, you have to wonder if enough people will still care by then. Will Xbox games like Sea of Thieves and Indiana Jones play best on the PS5 Pro? What about hotly anticipated upcoming Xbox games from third-party developers like Grand Theft Auto VI? It's an awkward question Microsoft will potentially have to answer at some point. Or perhaps, the PS5 Pro "enhanced" results won't actually amount to much in reality, once reviewers get their hands on it. Perhaps we'll all be Xbox gaming in the cloud in ten years, and none of this silly console business will matter. Who knows?!

The PS5 Pro will launch on November 7, 2024, with pre-orders opening up on September 26, 2024. Even at $699.99, expect it to sell out fast. 

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Jez Corden
Jez Corden
Executive Editor

Jez Corden is the Executive Editor at Windows Central, focusing primarily on all things Xbox and gaming. Jez is known for breaking exclusive news and analysis as relates to the Microsoft ecosystem while being powered by tea. Follow on Twitter (X) and Threads, and listen to his XB2 Podcast, all about, you guessed it, Xbox!

8 Comments Comment from the forums
  • fatpunkslim
    Windows Central said:
    Microsoft is once again on the back foot with gaming consoles, as its "world's most powerful console" is no longer the world's most powerful. Sony's PS5 Pro has the Xbox Series X beaten on paper, complete with AI upscaling tech for boosted performance. But oh boy, it ain't cheap.

    Sony's 'PS5 Pro' beats Xbox to the AI graphics punch with its 'PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR)' feature — but it's $699.99 : Read more
    I find you very optimistic about the PS5 pro. I personally think it's going to be a big flop for several reasons!

    Very few developers will bother using proprietary technologies like PSSR or developing specifically for the PS5 Pro. We can clearly see the state of the video game industry currently. The constraints of development time, budget and resources have never been greater, I have difficulty seeing how developers are going to waste time on a console that will sell very little.

    Don't forget that if the game is not designed for this mid gen console, there will be no or marginal profit. The framerate or resolution boost is not automatic.

    The other reason is the price of course. I think Sony is doing really badly for daring to offer this kind of price, like having increased the price of current accessories. They are really testing the limits of acceptability of their hardware.

    Even for casual gamers who don't know much about video games, they are unlikely to be convinced.

    The other reason is the games, this PlayStation generation is probably the poorest in terms of first party games and even third party exclusives. I don't really see what would push you to buy this mid gen console.

    All mid gen have never sold much but this one risks being even worse with a particular context which I have drawn a few lines above: purchasing power at half mast, gaming industry forced to reduce their budget, etc...

    From what I see, Playstation increasingly has a negative image regarding the prices of their games, the price of their updates, the price of their DLC, the price of their accessories and the price of their consoles . And at the same time, they offer very little in terms of games, which hardly justifies such an investment. They also carry a negative image at the marketing level, people are less and less fooled by their marketing methods.

    Xbox does not need to follow PlayStation in this area, the Xbox Series is sufficient for this gen ! Most games don't use all xbox series power.

    I prefer that Xbox focuses on games and not so much on hardware like Sony does which has released more new hardware than games. (ps vr 2 > flop / ps portal > semi flop / ps5 slim / buds / etc..)

    I guess Xbox releasing the new generation of consoles a year early, which would also explain why they didn't want to release mid gen
    Reply
  • Ron-F
    At this price level, those interested in a premium gaming experience might lean towards PC gaming. It seems unlikely that this console will attract a significant audience.
    Reply
  • ShavedMonkey
    The interesting thing here for Xbox is the ability to scale up and switch on similar enhancements in the Cloud with no need for a console upgrade. The future of gaming.
    Reply
  • Lurking_Lurker_Lurks
    ShavedMonkey said:
    The interesting thing here for Xbox is the ability to scale up and switch on similar enhancements in the Cloud with no need for a console upgrade. The future of gaming.
    That's only if Microsoft switches from using Xbox hardware to run cloud gaming to PC hardware, but currently a big pull for Xbox Cloud Gaming is how many games just work on it without extra work because it runs on console hardware. Unlike Stadia where everything needed to be ported before even being added. And it's a little cheaper to operate than the really high end Nvidia. Though MS has promised PC cloud gaming so that point may be moot. As of now, upgrading cloud gaming hardware regardless means building new Xbox console hardware. And last time it lagged behind the generation because they used Xbox One S hardware at first (and only converted into series X like 1 to 2ish years in the generation; there were also controversies about it impacting available Series X consoles and potentially sales).
    Reply
  • Lurking_Lurker_Lurks
    Ron-F said:
    At this price level, those interested in a premium gaming experience might lean towards PC gaming. It seems unlikely that this console will attract a significant audience.
    This is my take. I feel like Sony doesn't realize or possibly care (and they're on their high horse) how much they are pushing gamers to PC gaming. There are always going to be the extreme loyalists who don't care about the price, but at $700 just as an entry point most people are going to think twice. And that's not including $80 a year (minimum) for paid multiplayer and cloud saves (both of which are free on PC) or any of the other stupid expensive accessories which keep rising in prices or the increased cost of games which Sony spearheaded. Or the reality that having a setup that can make use of any of what the PS5 Pro is promising is itself really expensive. Online gaming communities will bash on the Series S but a $300/$350 (easily $200 for sales) console with its technical capabilities is insane and so far the only confirmed constraint problem that actually impact game availablility is Baldur's Gate 3 and SOLELY because of the split screen (because otherwise Larian got BG3 running day one on Steam deck). The PS5 Pro literally costs at minimum twice as much as the Series S and yes it's significantly more powerful but whose it worth it for? I feel like Sony is getting rather out of touch with console players. Console gaming has always been about casual and plug and play experiences. People choose it over PC because it's both cheaper and more user friendly. But Sony is really pushing the limits of that. A pro model that costs $50 to $100 more is fine because it's not that much more and offers a premium experience that still isn't "as" powerful as the highest end PC but more than satisfies console users. But normally consoles both start at less and have gone down in price by now... yet here Sony is holding prices (even with their slim models which cost less to make) and charging an insans $200 premium to upgrade.

    There is a reason why the Nintendo Switch has become the best selling console since the PS2 (though that fact in of itself is a little depressing and I'd really hoped personally consoles would be selling far more units on average now) despite being weaker than even the Xbox One and PS4 consoles. Gaming isn't about some graphics and framerate fetish. It's about having fun and it's a freaking pass time for most people. Honestly its not just PC. People are going to see these rising prices and some are just going to choose a different hobby or form of entertainment all together (like getting an Apple TV and Netflix sub). And it's so interesting how this comes during a time when PC Gaming is getting easier to entire into and costs less. Like the Steam Deck starts at $400 and boasts the super user friendly and fluid Steam OS. Windows Handhelds average for about $500 to $800 and windows is doing a surprising amount to improve gaming on them (and third parties are doing even more). These are super powerful premium devices but offer a lot of benefits over consoles in a handheld form factor. Even otherwise as kids grow up on YouTube building PCs is becoming more popular and it's so much more cost effective. And then you have actual options for where to buy games and that makes prices and benefits more competitive.
    Reply
  • Lurking_Lurker_Lurks
    Okay it's a little frustrating seeing Xbox get blasted for "giving up on consoles" when business wise it's been Sony this generation acting like consoles are a dying business. Something I've learned in university is how businesses categorize products differently. What Sony has been doing this generation has been very similar to how a business acts when they don't expect to sell to new people or increase users and instead expect their products customers to slowly (even if very slowly) stagnate and die off. At that point with a product line the strategy becomes to bleed them dry. I imagine Sony is especially happy to do so with the rising costs of development and operating as both a publisher and platform manufacturer. And that's how they've been this generation. They were among the first to spearhead the increased cost of games, they kept increasing the cost of their subscriptions (even before any GP price hikes) with the lowest tier now sitting at $80 a year, they increased the cost of their accessories, they held on console prices unlike previous year and even increased it in places (and this is AFTER they lowered the cost of production), and pushed accessories that offered minimum value for premium prices (like the PS Portal). Sony has not acted like a business that expects their gaming platform to grow in users or for that matter even wants that to occur.

    From what I see Xbox feels like they're expanding. They don't solely care about console sales anymore, but there's no real indication that they don't see ANY future growth in it in the future. The Series S in particular is how I can tell that. As a SKU it does better to target new users than a Series X or Pro console could and we have seen MS report that most of their Series S purchases in the past have been brand new to the Xbox ecosystem. Consoles may not be their only growth sector anymore, but I don't see a "no console required" ad as them giving up entirely. I see a business pushing insane prices to bleed their user base dry as that. Xbox is positioning itself to grow and they could of course fumble the ball (any company can) but there's nothing really alarming to me with their current reality. Xbox has only really increased prices to keep up with the market norm usually after the market leader (Sony). Sony on the other hand, I think doesn't really have as much of a strategy to grow beyond the static console market nor are they trying to reach new users very much anymore. And then there's the question of how will they grow? The rumored PC store? Another bout into cloud gaming as a standalone service (like PS Now was? Which btw you could use PS Now on Sony smart tvs without a console way back in like 2014).

    I forsee a future where Xbox releases new consoles every 5 to 6 years. No pro just upgrades every 5 to 6 years. Xbox will probably never sell significantly more units because no console probably ever will. We've only JUST managed to get a console that is close to surpassing the PS2 in sales and that's really not a milestone when you consider how long a console's lifetime is, how much it costs, and how despite that they can't even break 200 million units (let me say it is a milestone for Nintendo that should be celebrated but overall with the console market it reveals a problem). But Playstation? I don't expect them to go away just like I don't expect Xbox or Nintendo to go away. But I'm rather alarmed at their strategy both for what it means to their platform and to their gamers. I was possibly going to buy a PS5 Pro but I can't justify and can't condone that price (which doesn't even include a disk drive... Why?!) making this the first generation I'm skipping the PS. Like for crying out loud I bought a Series X and S together AT LAUNCH for only $100 more than this singular Pro model PS5 costs 4 years later (only $20 more if I want to play disc games). With this precedent set how much will their hardware and games cost next generation? And as the console market leader they have so much sway. I don't want this to become any type of norm.
    Reply
  • Lurking_Lurker_Lurks
    This is a bit of a different subject but to pivot a bit: can we talk about that Japanese price? Because guys ¥120,000 is NOTHING to laugh at. Exchange rates are trash but in Japan that's just their normal money. Like ¥120,000 is still a LOT and this is Sony's home country. For a lot of people that is a big BIG chunk of their paycheck. We've already seen Xbox get a random sales boost in Japan last time Sony raised prices. Maybe Xbox ends this generation stealing more market share than expected solely because Playstation insists on costing a fortune. If they are releasing a new Xbox generation in 2026 and play it right with SKUs, pricing, and marketing on top of having the content, studios, and publishers then they could really start to achieve that dream of a massively popular ubiquitous ecosystem (console, cloud, PC, and mobile). No other gaming company is building as robust and expansive of an ecosystem. Now Xbox just needs to not be mediocre in each and go full speed ahead (and Microsoft windows is YOUR operating system, so do better as a windows gaming launcher and storefront and for God's sake give us an Xbox gaming mode to compete with steam).
    Reply
  • fjtorres5591
    Lurking_Lurker_Lurks said:
    This is my take. I feel like Sony doesn't realize or possibly care (and they're on their high horse) how much they are pushing gamers to PC gaming. There are always going to be the extreme loyalists who don't care about the price, but at $700 just as an entry point most people are going to think twice. And that's not including $80 a year (minimum) for paid multiplayer and cloud saves (both of which are free on PC) or any of the other stupid expensive accessories which keep rising in prices or the increased cost of games which Sony spearheaded. Or the reality that having a setup that can make use of any of what the PS5 Pro is promising is itself really expensive. Online gaming communities will bash on the Series S but a $300/$350 (easily $200 for sales) console with its technical capabilities is insane and so far the only confirmed constraint problem that actually impact game availablility is Baldur's Gate 3 and SOLELY because of the split screen (because otherwise Larian got BG3 running day one on Steam deck). The PS5 Pro literally costs at minimum twice as much as the Series S and yes it's significantly more powerful but whose it worth it for? I feel like Sony is getting rather out of touch with console players. Console gaming has always been about casual and plug and play experiences. People choose it over PC because it's both cheaper and more user friendly. But Sony is really pushing the limits of that. A pro model that costs $50 to $100 more is fine because it's not that much more and offers a premium experience that still isn't "as" powerful as the highest end PC but more than satisfies console users. But normally consoles both start at less and have gone down in price by now... yet here Sony is holding prices (even with their slim models which cost less to make) and charging an insans $200 premium to upgrade.

    There is a reason why the Nintendo Switch has become the best selling console since the PS2 (though that fact in of itself is a little depressing and I'd really hoped personally consoles would be selling far more units on average now) despite being weaker than even the Xbox One and PS4 consoles. Gaming isn't about some graphics and framerate fetish. It's about having fun and it's a freaking pass time for most people. Honestly its not just PC. People are going to see these rising prices and some are just going to choose a different hobby or form of entertainment all together (like getting an Apple TV and Netflix sub). And it's so interesting how this comes during a time when PC Gaming is getting easier to entire into and costs less. Like the Steam Deck starts at $400 and boasts the super user friendly and fluid Steam OS. Windows Handhelds average for about $500 to $800 and windows is doing a surprising amount to improve gaming on them (and third parties are doing even more). These are super powerful premium devices but offer a lot of benefits over consoles in a handheld form factor. Even otherwise as kids grow up on YouTube building PCs is becoming more popular and it's so much more cost effective. And then you have actual options for where to buy games and that makes prices and benefits more competitive.
    Sony is not necessarily wrong.
    Note that their US prices have been lower than in other regions for most of this generation. And historically (PS3 era) the Sony faithful have been willing to pay higher prices for the PS "cachet". The PS3 at $499/599 in 2006 was equivalent to $900-1000 in 2004 currency. It sold.

    They are simply charging what the market will bear and in the US, where XBOX is strongest it won't bear the equivalent of $900-1000 dollars but in the EU they'll play it. its a Playstation!
    Reply