The PlayStation 5 is one of the stars of the year when it comes to leaks, with Microsoft already losing a huge marketing battle to Sony — the PS5’s name is already official, making it a lot easier to stay on top of the news.
Both devices will feature nearly identical specs, including processor, graphics card, and storage, and each platform will try to lure in fans with a few unique perks. Microsoft, recent reports said, might have two Xbox Scarlett versions in stores next winter, including a more affordable model. Sony isn’t expected to go down the same route, but the company is supposedly planning a PS5 Pro release already.
The PS5 Pro was mentioned back in September, when Japanese journalist Zenji Nishikawa claimed that a Pro model would be unveiled at the same time as the PS5, reports Dutch-language blog LetsGoDigital. That was just a rumor, however. There’s no indication that a Pro model could launch as soon as next year.
But just a few days ago, Sony’s Executive Vice President of Hardware Engineering and Operation Masayasu Ito addressed the PS5 Pro in an interview with Game Informer. He suggested that a PlayStation Pro is inevitable. That’s because Sony is looking to keep up with hardware developments between major PlayStation releases, and the only way to do so is to launch a Pro model mid-cycle:
Indeed, in the past, the cycle for a new platform was 7 to 10 years, but in view of the very rapid development and evolution of technology, it’s really a six to seven-year platform cycle. Then we cannot fully catch up with the rapid development of the technology, therefore our thinking is that as far as a platform is concerned for the PS5, it’s a cycle of maybe six to seven years. But doing that, a platform lifecycle, we should be able to change the hardware itself and try to incorporate advancements in technology. That was the thinking behind it, and the test case of that thinking was the PS4 Pro that launched in the midway of the PS4 launch cycle.
Whether a PS5 Pro is coming in a few years or not, it sure looks like Sony is determined to upgrade the PS5’s hardware following its launch, which should excite PlayStation fans. We still have no idea when the PS5 will be unveiled, but there is a rumor that says Sony is planning a mid-February launch for the device.
