The PlayStation 5 Pro seems like a tough sell, especially to gamers who already own the original PS5. It’s a feeling I had before attending a PS5 Pro reveal event and one I still have after spending a few hours with the new console.
If I didn’t already have a PS5, then the PS5 Pro would be on my shortlist – the level of detail it brings to Pro-enhanced games like Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth and Horizon Forbidden West is incredible, catapulting the gaming experience to such an extent that it now gets Performance Mode-style frame rates with Fidelity Mode-style graphics. And, of course, it does. The PS5 Pro’s hardware is superior to that of the base PS5 – it should make games look better. But nothing at the event convinced me that I should go out and buy a Pro when it launches. It’s clear that, for now at least, the base PS5 is still perfectly serviceable when it comes to playing PlayStation’s first-party titles. I’m more than happy to have saved my $700.
Pour mieux comprendre l'impact de la PS5 Pro sur la manière dont les studios propriétaires de PlayStation développeront leurs jeux à l'avenir, j'ai discuté avec Toshi Aoki, responsable produit principal de Sony Interactive Entertainment. Nous avons également discuté des détails techniques et du développement de la PS5 Pro, comme la mise en œuvre des systèmes de refroidissement de la console pour garantir que la Pro ne chauffe pas plus que la PS5 de base malgré les améliorations apportées au GPU.
La PS5 Pro apporte-t-elle quelque chose aux PlayStation Studios ? En ce qui concerne le travail qu'ils font sur leurs jeux, cette console les aide-t-elle d'une manière ou d'une autre ?
Toshi Aoki:Eh bien, les développeurs en veulent toujours plus. Tout ce que nous leur donnons, ils l'utilisent réellement, ce qui est une bonne chose car nous sommes là pour aider les créateurs à créer et à concrétiser leurs visions. Plus ils ont de choix ou d'options, plus ils sont heureux [they are]. And when creators are happy, they create great games, which then make players happy. That creates a great engine, and we want to make sure that creative vision continues to grow. I think that's a great direction we're taking with developers.
Many PlayStation games support both Performance and Fidelity modes. With the PS5 Pro, what about these modes? Is there still a noticeable difference between choosing one or the other? Or do they now behave pretty much the same?
This will differ per game depending on what modes are already available and how they are available. [their respective developers] I want to highlight [the game] to the players. So far we have [mostly] seen [developers] mostly [realizing] that you don't have to make that choice [anymore]. There is a mode that gives you both advantages. That's kind of the goal that the teams are pursuing.
From the games I've seen so far, there seem to be a range of differences between the games: Marvel's Spider-Man 2 had only a few differences, for example, while Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart had a more noticeable transformation between the standard PS5 in performance mode and the PS5 Pro. Is there a particular game that people should check out to see the biggest difference between what the PS5 and PS5 Pro can do?
Honestly, I like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. It's probably the one that's improved the most, when you look at the PS5 and PS5 Pro. Again, it varies from game to game of course, so it's hard to say what's good and what's even better. I think Final Fantasy is a good showcase that you should try.
[Rebirth] This is a game where I think when we see the screenshots, it's always from the fidelity mode. But if you're the person who wants to go to 60fps, the visuals are degraded to accommodate the hit. I think [performance mode] This is the choice that players make, and this is where we want to give players the best of both worlds.
As someone who likes to position all of their consoles together next to the TV so they look nice, but has to make sure they all have enough airflow, how hot does the PS5 Pro get, especially since it does so much more than the original PS5?
Our cooling system is fully designed to ensure that it is at the same level as the PS5. You will be able to see this later when you see the real system. [console]It is slightly larger and has more vents, which allows us to have more air circulation.
I'm someone who bought the PS5 on day one, and I pretty much only play it for PlayStation exclusives. Is the PS5 Pro a console for people like me?
Well, it's for the enthusiasts, the most engaged gamers. Which could be our early adopters who bought the PS5. And also people who haven't gotten there yet, maybe on other devices, but would like to play on the big screen TVs. Having that capability on the console now, that would be a game changer. We're not just targeting current PS5 owners, that's not it. It's more for the gaming enthusiasts who want to have that gaming experience, which could also be new users.
Given the PS5 Pro's higher specs, is there now a higher benchmark that PlayStation Studios can play to when designing games with performance and fidelity modes?
Well, we can't speculate about the future. But, history tells us, when creators have more things to play with, they do. [tend to] They push the boundaries and go further. Because I think creatively, they have so many ideas. They want to add so many details, so many gameplay details too, the fluidity side too.
The reality of 60fps is that you have to write a lot of pixels or use AI upscalers to do it for you. I think [studios] The performance of the devices they're installed on will continue to improve. I think that will continue. For now, I think the PS5 Pro will be the new benchmark that they'll aim for, and hopefully the best gaming experience will be on the PS5 Pro.
What's the one thing you're most excited for gamers to see and experience when they get their hands on this new console when it releases?
Well, when they play a game, they really immerse themselves in it. That's our goal: for players to play the game and love playing it without making that compromise that they might make now or now. [making a] selection they could be [forced] to do right away… It will really make me happy.