Technical specifications
The main advantage of the Pro version over the base PS5 is its improved graphics chip. The number of compute units in the “Pro” increased by 67% — this allowed performance to rise from 10.28 to 16.7 TFLOPS.
The RAM has become 28% faster, although the amount of GDDR6 memory remained the same — 16 gigabytes. However, an additional two gigabytes of DDR5 appeared, allocated for system needs. Thanks to this, games gained more available GDDR6 memory that was previously used by the system.
As a result, maximum power consumption increased — from 350 to 390 W.
The SSD capacity has also grown. The console is equipped with a two-terabyte drive, compared to one terabyte in the Slim version and 800 gigabytes in the original “fat” model.
Additionally, the PS5 Pro features Wi-Fi 7, compared to version six in previous revisions, allowing games to download from the internet faster.
The console is slightly quieter than older revisions, discounting disc drive noise, which players are already complaining about. The device’s length is comparable to the Fat version, but its width is noticeably smaller.
Image courtesy of Sony Interactive Entertainment, source: Sony
An innovation with flaws
The main innovation of the PS5 Pro is the PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution upscaling technology — or PSSR. It is an analogue to Nvidia’s DLSS or AMD’s FSR.
Using PSSR, the console runs games at a lower resolution and, thanks to artificial intelligence, scales it up to 4K — this requires less computing power, freeing up performance for frame generation and ray tracing. At least in theory.
The main problem with PSSR is complex and lies in the overall unpolished state of the technology — DLSS, for example, only became truly indispensable by the 40th generation of graphics cards, even though it was introduced back in the 20th.
The technology does not work in games out of the box. To implement it, developers must release a special patch. Far from all game creators will be able to do this correctly, at least until they learn how to work with it.
Because of this, the technology is not as effective as it could be, and working with it is more difficult. This has resulted in graphical glitches: texture flickering has become a widespread problem found in many games enhanced for PS5 Pro: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Black Ops 6, as well as Alan Wake 2 — in the latter, the frame rate even began to drop after updating for the console’s new capabilities. Even games from the “blues” are not immune to this — such as Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
Image courtesy of Remedy Entertainment and Digital Foundry, source: YouTube
And in the case of the Silent Hill 2 Remake, players even complained that Sony’s algorithm “distorts” the game’s graphics.
Image courtesy of Bloober Team and Digital Foundry, source: YouTube
According to experts, this issue will become less relevant in at least 6–12 months — once system updates are released, the console’s AI is trained, and developers understand how to leverage PSSR to the fullest. For now, the problem can be addressed by switching to 120 fps mode — but not everywhere.
Furthermore, due to its shortcomings, PSSR struggles when working with older or unified engines — such as Unreal Engine 4.
The fact is that UE4 uses the version 9 SDK library, causing the system to automatically use the earliest version of PSSR with all its flaws. Running the latest versions of PSSR requires SDK 10 or higher — which is present in Unreal Engine 5 and other modern engines.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, built precisely on UE4, suffered from this, for example. The game’s resolution can drop as low as 648p, and the aforementioned texture shimmering bugs appear.
Image courtesy of Digital Foundry, source: YouTube
Additionally, the CPU in the “Pro” remained the same — a modified 3rd generation AMD Ryzen based on the 7nm Zen 2 microarchitecture. Only the clock speed was increased from 3.5 to 3.85 GHz — by 10%. It can be called the console’s primary “bottleneck.”
This architecture is already outdated — Zen 5 is the current standard today — and does not allow rendering objects at sufficient speed. Thus, one can only speak of performance gains proportional to the frequency boost. We end up in a situation where graphics performance gained 60%, while the CPU gained around 10%, judging by GFLOPS. There is no balance at all.
Therefore, far from all games can achieve the desired enhancements, as there are several CPU-heavy rather than GPU-heavy titles — such as Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2.
On the other hand, the console allows redirecting part of the graphics chip’s power — around 10% — to other needs, including supporting the rest of the system. This means that minor improvements in such games are still possible.
Things only got more complicated
The original PS5 — like the entire ninth generation of consoles — stood out with the introduction of visual presets: players were given the ability to choose between performance and graphics modes. The former focuses on maximum frame rate, while the latter aims for maximum visual fidelity.
When unveiling the PS5 Pro, Mark Cerny — PlayStation’s lead architect — stated that the “Pro” would free players from compromises: we would get the best graphics at 60 frames per second. In reality, the PS5 Pro has complicated everything, as games now feature even more modes and various settings: frame rate, resolution, ray tracing, and so on. This goes against the core console premise: “plug and play.”
Image courtesy of Shift Up and Digital Foundry, source: YouTube
The choice between “Quality” and “Performance” hasn’t gone anywhere. Only now, both options come with the “Pro” label.
For example, in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, the difference between these modes is that “Performance Pro” delivers 4K at 60 FPS — with visuals matching the “Quality” mode on the standard console. Meanwhile, “Quality Pro” delivers 4K at 30 FPS, but the graphics themselves improve: sharpness and draw distance increase, and more ray tracing features are added.
Another example is Dying Light 2. Previously, the game had the same two modes, but after being enhanced for PS5 Pro, the number of graphics modes expanded to four: “Resolution,” “Quality,” “Performance,” and “Balanced.” Meanwhile, the game itself barely explains the difference between them.
Real advantages, but…
The “Pro” does have its advantages. Thanks to increased hardware power, frame rates in games have become slightly higher and more stable — in Elden Ring, the FPS counter approached 60, whereas it previously hovered around 45. In Dragon’s Dogma 2 in “Quality” mode, the average frame rate also increased: from 35 to 45 on average.
It has become easier to play multiplayer games, as input lag — the time from when a signal is received by the display device until it appears on screen — has been noticeably reduced.
However, what specific TV, monitor, or projector you have also matters. Some displays can add response time milliseconds, while others, on the contrary, smooth out the flaws of poorly optimized games. For instance, a TV with VRR technology will help if the game’s frame rate is unstable.
Additionally, a new feature has appeared on the PS5 Pro — the ability to “Enhance Image Quality for PS4 Games.” It is enabled via the console settings.
Image courtesy of Sony Interactive Entertainment
In practice, this option only slightly increases image clarity by boosting its resolution. However, it can slightly affect the color palette and sharpness of the image. For example, in Batman: Arkham Knight, the original picture has a faint greenish tint, which disappears when the enhancement feature is enabled.
This option has no effect on the frame rate of eighth-generation games — because their FPS is locked at 30 frames, and a dedicated developer patch is required to lift the cap. Bloodborne and Red Dead Redemption 2 remain unchanged.
Image courtesy of Rocksteady Studios, source: YouTube
Yes, the PS5 Pro really does improve image quality in games — it becomes sharper and smoother, anti-aliasing appears, and the amount of detail increases. This is especially noticeable in games with many water locations — such as Horizon Forbidden West.
However, to notice these improvements, you often have to sit right next to the screen with a magnifying glass, comparing the original console’s graphics side by side with the “Pro.” There are not many exceptions here — mostly those rare games that ran with heavy compromises on the base PS5, such as Final Fantasy VII Rebirth or Forspoken.
Image courtesy of Guerrilla Games and NK Gaming, source: YouTube
Analysis
The PlayStation 5 Pro can make games look prettier thanks to the device’s increased performance and the PSSR system. Unfortunately, today this technology is very raw, far from all developers will release game patches, and the real improvements are very hard to spot.
The Achilles’ heel of the “Pro” is its price — it is twice as high as that of the standard version: 120,000–130,000 rubles compared to an average of 65,000, while actual gaming performance increases by only about 15–20%. At such a cost, these improvements are not worth it.
***
Cover image courtesy of Sony Interactive Entertainment, source: Sony