The PlayStation 5 has been on the market since November 2020, meaning that it’s about time that Sony came out with a fresh new iteration of the console. We’ve already seen the long-awaited PS5 Slim arrive in the form of a more compact replacement for the original PS5 model. Still, judging by the three-year gap between the release of the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 4 Pro, it seems likely that we’re also going to see some kind of “Pro” version of the console announced in the near future.
With the high likelihood of a potential Nintendo Switch 2 or Xbox hardware revision showing up in the coming months, it only makes sense that Sony would want to bring its 'A' game with a more powerful successor, too. There’s so much more than just an increase in raw power that a potential PS5 Pro could bring to the table to improve the gaming experience. As an avid PS5 player and hardware expert, these are my top predictions as to what a PS5 Pro could entail.
1. More power under the hood
It almost goes without saying, but the PS5 Pro should be more powerful than the base PS5 or PS5 Slim. The PS4 Pro boasted a series of upgrades to its CPU, which ran at a 30% higher clock speed. This came with the doubling of its GPU power compared to the base PS4. Seeing the same performance increase as we move towards the PS5 Pro would likely be more than enough to tempt me into an upgrade.
Most PS5 games support 4K video output, but not many can reach that resolution at 60fps. Most titles opt to cut the resolution down to 1440p to hit a 60fps target, with 4K visuals instead displayed at 30fps. It’s by no means unpleasant to play a game at 30fps, but I would prefer not having to compromise on image quality to get to that buttery smooth 60.
The PS5 also supports 120fps, though very few titles make use of it at the moment. I’ve loved diving into the likes of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands with a lightning-fast HDMI 2.1 cable and a 120Hz gaming TV, to take full advantage of this feature, and I would love to see a PS5 Pro that allowed even more games to hit this lofty performance target.
It would also enable games to take better advantage of ray tracing, which feels underutilized at the moment. I was blown away by some of the advanced reflections in Control Ultimate Edition. Seeing even more games made to look as incredible as that can only be a good thing.
2. Improved storage capacity out of the box
It’s really remarkable just how quickly the paltry allowance of around 660GB of usable internal storage space has filled up on my PS5. With the massive 100GB+ sizes of many of the best PS5 games, I’m definitely not alone in this regard either. Even after installing a 1TB WD Black SN850 SSD to expand its capacity, it feels like I’m always scrambling to delete things whenever I make a digital purchase.
The PS5 Slim has brought some improvement in this regard, with closer to 850GB of usable storage, but the PS5 Pro needs to offer even more. If it was fitted with about 2TB of internal storage space, we'd get access to roughly 1.5TB of usable storage out of the box which would go a long way to help solve this issue. It could make the PS5 Pro more future-proof, too, since I only expect game file sizes to keep getting bigger as the generation progresses.
3. Wi-Fi 7 for seriously speedy downloads
The arrival of Wi-Fi 7 might not be on your radar - but it really should be. A new Wi-Fi standard that’s going to become pretty widely available throughout this year, Wi-Fi 7 is set to offer speeds up to five times faster than its previous incarnation, Wi-Fi 6 (which is supported by the base PS5). Like a potential storage boost, the addition of Wi-Fi 7 support would massively benefit the PS5 Pro down the line.
While you’re probably quite unlikely to drop everything to rush out and buy an expensive router (not to mention a pricey broadband plan) that supports the new standard straight away, there’s quite a high chance that you’re going to end up with Wi-Fi 7 at some point, as it becomes increasingly widespread. The benefit here could be huge, drastically cutting down the time taken to download your games. PlayStation Portal users would even benefit, reducing the chances of slow Wi-Fi interfering with remote play.
Faster internet speeds would also help those who like to use their PS5 as more of a media center in addition to gaming. It would allow you to stream higher-quality video content with fewer visual hiccups from popular streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
4. A better DualSense controller
The DualSense Wireless Controller is easily my favorite controller on the market right now, thanks to its layout. But it does have some pretty significant issues holding it back. For starters, there’s the battery life, which is just unacceptably short. Having to charge the controller every few hours is a major pain, and an improved model with better battery life would help cut down one of the biggest annoyances that I encounter while trying to play.
I’ve also had one DualSense break as a result of a dead zone developing in its thumbsticks. Swapping in some Hall effect thumbsticks could be a game-changer, giving the controller a much-needed boost to its longevity. Thankfully, it appears that one of my wishes is already coming true after a mysterious listing for a “DualSense V2 controller” with better battery life was spotted at Walmart. I’ve got my fingers crossed that Sony is working to address some of the issues with the thumbsticks, too.
5. Some overdue OS upgrades
The PS5 operating system (OS) is perfectly functional, but very basic, which has led to it feeling stale after just a couple of years use. As a result, I would love to see some wider upgrades to enhance the OS alongside the launch of a PS5 Pro. This could be something as simple as bringing back themes, which allow you to customize the look of your home screen on the PS4, or altering the layout of the menus to make things feel fresh again.
The PlayStation Store could also use some love, as its current implementation is a strange drop-down menu on the home screen that is pretty awkward to browse at times. Gamelists (the PS5 equivalent to folders) should receive a bit of a rework, too. Though they can be useful, they are so buried in the game library screen that it’s easy to forget that they were even added in the first place.
There are loads of exciting things that Sony could be doing with the PS5 Pro to benefit PlayStation gamers. Though we don't know whether the system will be announced soon, it seems very likely that something is on the way, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a fair number of my wishes for the new console come true.
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