Not long after their launch in 2013, the PS4 and Xbox One were outdated gaming machines. And this is partially why each were rejuvenated with mid-cycle iterations, the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X. A half-step upgrade you may say, and it looks like Sony Interactive Entertainment is planning on doing this again with the PlayStation 5. In other words, it looks like a few years after the PS5 release, we'll get a PS5 Pro. Sony hasn't confirmed this is its intention, but it heavily suggested that's what's in the chamber for next-gen during a recent interview with Game Informer.

More specfically, according to Masayasu Ito -- the Executive Vice President of Hardware Engineering and Operation at Sony Interactive Entertainment -- console cycles are getting shorter, and this simply because technology is advancing at an increasing rate. So, consoles become obsolete quicker, technology wise at least. For Sony, the PS4 Pro was a way to extend the life of the PS4, and apparently the PS4 Pro was the "test case" for what would come next, the PS5.

“In the past, the cycle for a new platform was 7 to 10 years, but in view of the very rapid development and evolution of technology, it’s really a six to seven year platform cycle,” said Ito. “Then we cannot fully catch up with the rapid development of the technology, therefore our thinking is that as far as a platform is concerned for the PS5, it’s a cycle of maybe six to seven years. But doing that, a platform lifecycle, we should be able to change the hardware itself and try to incorporate advancements in technology. That was the thinking behind it, and the test case of that thinking was the PS4 Pro that launched in the midway of the PS4 launch cycle.”

As you may know, there was a report from earlier this year that claimed the PS5 was launching alongside the PS5 Pro. The report seemed pretty dubious at the time -- and still does -- but the idea that we will see a PS5 Pro -- or something like it -- at some point, seems increasingly likely.

Posted: Dec 08, 2019 12:27 pm
Related Forum: PlayStation Forum

Source: https://comicbook.com/gaming/2019/12/05/ps5-playstation-5-pro-sony-release/