Vortex Gaming

The console that countless gamers around the world have been waiting for. Sony's new console 'PS5 PRO', which had been rumored, finally made its official appearance today (11th).

Sony held a 'PS5 Technical Presentation' today through its PlayStation YouTube channel. As the presentation was held 4 years after the PS5 was released in 2020, it was expected that the 'PS5 PRO' would be revealed. The expectations and wishes of gamers have finally become a reality.

The presentation was led by Mark Cerny, a chief architect who is known as a genius in the American video game industry and is also famous for designing PS VITA, PS4, and PS5. The presentation began with an explanation of the PS5 hardware, graphics mode, and performance mode. When it was released in 2020, the PS5 was clearly a powerful console, but after 4 years, the gap with high-end PCs has widened.

The graphics mode boasted 4K resolution and graphics options, boasting excellent visuals, but it operated at 30FPS, and the performance mode operated at 60FPS, but had to give up the 4K high resolution that the PS5 boasts. The same goes for ray tracing. Being able to use ray tracing on a console is definitely a strength, but to do so, you had to sacrifice resolution and FPS.

In the end, there was bound to be regret either way. That regret will soon disappear. The PS5 PRO has finally been revealed. Chief architect Mark Cerny summarized the features of the 'PS5 PRO' into three main points. The first is the upgraded GPU. Compared to the PS5's GPU, it has 67% more computing units and 28% faster memory, boasting 45% faster rendering speed.

The second is Advanced Ray Tracing. Regarding this, Chief Architect Mark Cerny explained, "We have added ray tracing that provides more dynamic light reflection and refraction," and "It is possible to cast two to three times more rays compared to the PS5."

The third is AI-based upscaling, which applies machine learning-based technology to provide image quality that is incomparably clearer than existing upscaling. In the presentation video, you could see the comparison between PS5 and PS5 PRO in performance mode, and you could see that the image quality of PS5 PRO was noticeably better even though it was the same performance mode.

Meanwhile, PS5 PRO Game Boost, an improvement that was not introduced in the presentation, is also expected to be well received by gamers. It is explained that it can be used as a backward compatibility function to improve the resolution and performance of more than 8,500 PS4 and PS5 games. In addition, PS5 games will be able to use PS5 PRO functions through free software updates.

Unlike the PS5, which is divided into a general model with a Blu-ray disc drive and a digital edition model without a Blu-ray disc drive, the PS5 PRO is basically released as only one model without a disc drive. The disc drive is detachable, and the size and height are the same as the existing PS5.

The PS5 PRO is priced at $699.99 (approximately 940,000 won), 119,980 yen (approximately 1,130,000 won), and is expected to be close to 1 million won when officially released in Korea. The PS5 PRO is scheduled to be officially released on November 7, 2024. The Korean release date is undecided, and global pre-orders will begin on September 26, 2024.

Meanwhile, after finishing the explanation about the PS5 PRO, Chief Architect Mark Cerny emphasized, "Simply put, the PS5 PRO is the most powerful console."

(Update 2) The domestic release date and price of the PS5 PRO have been confirmed. Sony Interactive Entertainment Korea (SIEK) announced that the PS5 PRO is scheduled to be officially released in Korea on November 7, and pre-orders will be held through official retailers from September 26. The recommended retail price (including tax) is 1,118,000 won.

웹진 인벤윤홍만 기자
2024-09-11