Report: PlayStation 5 Pro and base PlayStation 5 coming in 2020

Sony may release two PS5 consoles in 2020: A more powerful, but more expensive PlayStation Pro, and a lower-end and cheaper base PlayStation 5 SKU.

3

Verified NeoGAF user VFXVeteran reinforces previous rumors of a dual-console PS5 launch. According to the user, who cites unnamed industry sources, the PS5 Pro is expected to match or exceed the Xbox Series X's 12 TFLOPs of GPU power, whereas the PS5 model is expected to hit about 9 TFLOPs.

No other specs were detailed for the base PS5, but if it's real, expect the console to use the same 7nm AMD SoC as the PS5 Pro, just dialed down quite a bit. The base PS5 should also have the same super-fast PCIe 4.0 SSD

The idea is that Sony follows Microsoft's plan and releases two next-gen consoles to meet two price and performance markets. The PS5 Pro would cost more but deliver high-end perf like 8K gaming, possibly for $499. The cheaper base PS5 would shave off a portion of that raw power as well as the price, and could be sold at, say, $399.

3

If this is accurate, Sony's base PS5 could be significantly dialed down. Microsoft's rumored plans with Lockhart (also referred to as the Xbox Series S), the cheaper next-gen Xbox, could give us an idea of what to expect from the cheaper PlayStation 5.

Reports say Lockhart will target 1440p 60FPS gaming instead of the Xbox Series X's 4K 120FPS. The lower-end Xbox will ship with dialed-down specs, including a massively weaker 4TFLOP GPU and 'significantly less RAM'.

Microsoft has yet to confirm any info on Lockhart, and it's worth mentioning some of the details could be completely inaccurate.

If Lockhart is any comparison, the base PS5 could hit impressive specs with 9TFLOPs of GPU power for around $399 or maybe $449. This discrepancy in mid-gen power could denote a difference in price.

3

Admittedly the info is shaky and is purely second-hand, but it somewhat matches previous reports of a PS5 Pro model from September 2019.

Sony launching a PlayStation 5 family in 2020 would make developers' jobs more complicated, especially since current-gen PS4 and PS4 Pro systems will live along the PS5 for some time. Sony typically waits a few years after a base console launch to release a mid-gen refresh with boosted specs--the PS4 Pro came 3 years into the PS4's lifecycle--and pushing out too many consoles too fast could saturate the market, confuse consumers, and disrupt development pipelines.

The console will release in Holiday 2020, and it may cost $499.

Check below for more info on everything we know about the PlayStation 5 so far:

PlayStation 5 specs and details:

• Custom SoC with second-gen Navi GPU, Zen 2 CPU
• 8-Core, 16-thread Zen 2 CPU at 3.2GHz
• Navi GPU at 2.0GHz with 36 Compute Units
• Navi, Zen SoC uses new AMD RDNA 2.0 architecture
• Ultra-fast SSD
• Support for 4K 120 Hz TVs
• Ray-tracing enabled
• 8K output support (for gaming)
• Plays all PS4 games
• Separate games that ship on BD-XL Blu-ray discs
• New controller with extensive haptic and tactile feedback

PlayStation 5 Coverage:

• PlayStation 5 could use Samsung's 980 QVO SSDs
• PlayStation 5 is beating Xbox Series X in dev kit form right now
• Hardly any devs are making next-gen PS5, Xbox Series X games
• Sony working on new horror IP for PlayStation 5
• PlayStation 5 devkit UI possibly leaked
• Leaked PlayStation 5 concepts show weird X-shaped case
• Sony's first-party PS4 exclusives are coming to PC
• PlayStation 5's new DualShock 5 may be usable on PS4
• Sony skips E3 2020, has two major events planned for February
• Next-gen console exclusives will be few and far between through 2021
• PlayStation 5's biggest features have yet to be announced, Sony says
• PS4 has sold over 1 billion games and 106 million consoles
• PlayStation 5 backward compatibility should support every PS4 game
• Sony reveals the PlayStation 5...logo
• New trapezoidal PS5 render is an expensive accident waiting to happen
• A $399 PlayStation 5 will conquer next-gen
• PlayStation 5 to outsell Xbox Series X in 2020, analyst predicts
• PS5 may only enhance PS4 games, legacy PS1, PS2 and PS3 games unlikely
• PlayStation 5 prototype dev kit console gets V-shaped clean
• Sony: The future is coming at CES 2020
• PlayStation 5 GPU: 9.2 TFLOPs with 36 custom Navi compute units
• PlayStation 5 GPU emulates PS4, PS4 Pro with special modes
• PS5, Xbox Series X SSD may use software-defined flash to boost speeds
• PS5's SSD is 'exceptionally powerful,' may beat Xbox Series X speeds
• DualShock 5 renders show new trigger design, USB-C, ergonomic shell
• PlayStation 5 to support 8K gaming, Sony confirms
• New PlayStation 5 renders show off radical different design, again
• Leaked PlayStation 5 ad prices console at $1,000, is totally fake
• Sony seeks a new Head of Strategy for Worldwide Studios
• Leaked PlayStation 5 devkit photos show new DualShock controller
• PS5, Xbox Scarlett SSD may use Optane-like ReRAM to supercharge speeds
• NVIDIA G-Sync monitors to improve PlayStation 5 and Xbox Scarlett
• PlayStation 5: Everything We Know So Far
• PlayStation 5 confirmed to have 8C/16T Zen 2 CPU from AMD
• PS5, Project Scarlett may use Samsung's 6th gen V-NAND NVMe SSDs
• PS5 backward compatibility confirmed, will play PS4 games
• Sony's next-gen PlayStation 5 has 4K 120Hz output support
• PS5, Project Scarlett to hit over 10TFLOPs of power, sources say
• PS4 will be supported into 2022, to live alongside PS5
• Sony: ultra-high-speed SSD is 'the key' to next-gen PS5
• PS5 dev kit rumor: 'ultra-fast RAM', Navi GPU with 13 TFLOPs
• PlayStation 5 rumored to ship with 2TB of super-fast SSD for $499
• Insider: PlayStation 5 dev kit faster than Xbox Scarlett right now
• PS5 cartridges aren't real, patents are for Sony kids toys
• PS5's SSD may benefit PS4 games the most
• PS5 powered by Navi in 2020, AMD making Navi with Sony input
• Cloud-powered PlayStation controller may let you play free game demos
• Gran Turismo 7 is a PlayStation 5 launch title: launches Nov 20, 2020
• PS5 confirmed to support 8K video, ray tracing, all on Navi
• PlayStation 5 rumored to cost $499, launches November 20, 2020
• PlayStation game demos are coming back with Sony's ambitious new plan
• PS5 controller: Built-in mic, USB-C, no lightbar, ergonomic design
• PlayStation 5 concept video shows totally new design
• Sony solves PS5's biggest issue
• Sony: PS5 development going according to plan
• New Viking Assassin's Creed may be next-gen console launch game
• AMD working on 'secret sauce' for next-gen Xbox/PlayStation
• The first real photo of a PlayStation 5 dev kit appears
• Next-gen PS5/Xbox Scarlett open-world game: 'best real-time graphics'
• Sony restructures workforce to prepare for PS5
• PlayStation VR 2: built-in cameras, wireless, ready for PS5
• PS5 games will ship on 100GB Blu-ray BDXL discs
• PS5 and Xbox Scarlett will both handle ray tracing differently
• PlayStation 5 could feature AI-powered 'PlayStation Assist'
• Sony won't abandon singleplayer story-driven games on PS5
• PS5 rumor: GPU is nearly as powerful as RTX 2080, GPU clocked at 2GHz
• PlayStation 5 rumored to be unveiled on February 12, 2020
• Sony to raise PS5 cost thanks to U.S. tariffs