It’s hard to believe, but the PlayStation 5 will be three years old this November. The console has only recently overcome supply shortages but some are already clamoring for an upgraded model. According to Tom Henderson of InsiderGaming—historically known as a reliable leaker of game information—while the fifth iteration of the PS5 will be getting a refreshed model, there won’t be a “Pro” version. Instead, Sony will focus on the next full-number version.
Well, that’s not going to happen this time around, at least if Tom’s information is accurate. He says that despite persistent rumors of a new model of the PS5, he doesn’t think there’s any chance that it’s a “Pro” or slim model. Instead, his information indicates that the upcoming revision to the PS5 will simply be a second generation of the hardware, possibly with a detachable disc drive.
Additionally, he says he thinks that the revised PS5 won’t even look much different compared to the current model. We presume he means the digital-only system, since the disc drive will apparently be removable. Henderson says that this model will start production in April and begin selling in September, although we’re not sure if he means this year or next year, as he says that the normal PS5 will halt production at the end of this year.
As for the concept of the “PS5 Pro”, Tom says that he doesn’t think the regular version has been “fully utilized,” and that’s easy to agree with. Almost all PS5 games to this point have been developed in tandem with a PS4 version of the same game. That means that those titles can’t take full advantage of the PS5’s features, particularly its super-fast onboard SSD.
Given that, it makes sense that a “Pro” version of the PS5 isn’t in the cards anytime soon. Actually, Tom says he’s heard more about the PS6 than a PS5 Pro, and so have we. As a part of its arguments against the purchase of Activision-Blizzard-King by Microsoft, Sony stated that if its access to Call of Duty didn’t extend past 2027, then the PlayStation 6 would launch without the franchise. Sony reasoned this would make gamers jump from PlayStation to Xbox.
That’s pretty thin evidence to say that the PlayStation 6 will launch in 2028, but at the same time, it’s entirely possible. If we look at the lifetime of each Sony console, the gaps have been six years, six years, seven years, and then seven years. A wait of eight years between the PS5 and PS6 wouldn’t be impossible at all. It would be an awful long time to be stuck with the same capabilities, though. PC gamers on high-end hardware are already enjoying CPUs and GPUs that put the current-generation consoles to shame.
Whatever Sony ends up doing, we’re just glad that the PlayStation 4 is finally being put out to pasture. It’s had a good run over the last decade, but it’s well past time to move on from that system’s aged Jaguar CPUs and GCN GPU.
