A fast-spreading rumor asserts that PS5 Pro will launch at the same time as PS5, and though it should be taken with a grain of salt, it may not be all that far-fetched. The rumor apparently started at this year's Computer Entertainment Developers Conference in Yokohama, Japan, which was attended by journalist Zenji Nishikawa. He happened to explain all this while livestreaming Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (starting at about 29 minutes in).
Nishikawa says it was a rumor he wasn't able to discuss on backspace.fm, the tech podcast he co-hosts, but he still goes on to share a few details: "Somehow at the venue of this year's CEDEC, the rumors that were flowing were quite interesting," Nishikawa says. Note that I used YouTube's automatic translation feature together with my limited understanding of Japanese to put these quotes together, so they're bound to be imperfect.
Anyway, Nishikawa notes that when PS4 came out, the only difference between models was in their storage capacity. Then PS4 Pro launched three years later and broadened the PS4 family tree into two main branches and the market responded well. Other products like iPhone have proven that consumers can embrace multiple versions of the same basic product at launch.
"This time from the beginning the aim is for PS5 and PS5 Pro to be released simultaneously," Nishikawa says, again citing rumors that were circulating at the conference.
The big question, aside from whether those rumors were accurate, is how a PS5 Pro's specs would differ to a standard PS5 at launch. Unfortunately, Nishikawa didn't expand much on the subject. What we know about PS5 so far is that it will have a solid-state drive to cut loading times, and that it will likely support up to 8K graphics with ray tracing supported from the beginning. That sounds, uh, really good already. So what would a PS5 Pro do on top of that to establish itself as the top-of-the-line PlayStation experience?
I'm still unconvinced that this rumor is accurate, but after listening to Nishikawa's explanation I'm more open to the idea of PS5 Pro coming at launch. Assuming PS5 arrives in 2020, we'll likely know one way or the other by this time next year.
Our picks on the list of the best PS4 games will keep you busy until the next generation arrives.
