© Robin Sabbadini for lemon squeezer
For ten years, my job has been to follow the news of the video game industry, to test consoles and to analyze the strategies of manufacturers. Since my first steps on the Game Boy Color, there have obviously been many upheavals in the video game industry: some happy, others making me want to scream at a cloud like Abe Simpson. The release of the PS5 Pro marks a decisive turning point that will fall into this last category.
Me seeing the price and the lack of PS5 Pro Blu-ray player © The Simpsons
Behind the desire to offer a console Behind the increased power lies a more complex reality that could permanently transform the video game market.
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Sony wants to make its PS5 Pro the most powerful console on the market. The Japanese company is therefore promising a GPU with 67% more processing units and 28% faster memory. compared to the base model. An increase that is supposed to translate into a 45% performance gain on game rendering.
Ray tracing< /strong>, a technology that revolutionizes lighting effects, also benefits from an evolution. The PS5 Pro processes these rays up to three times faster than its big sister. The aim here: to render reflections in the water, metallic surfaces or even ever more realistic transparency effects.
It wouldn’t be much of a tech product release in 2024 without a bit of artificial intelligence. The PS5 Pro features PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR). This AI-powered upscaling technology allows the console to generate ultra-sharp 4K images while maintaining optimal performance.
A technical feat that has been present on the PC market for a long time with Nvidia’s DLSS. A technique that will undoubtedly become the norm in the years to come.
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Sony chose minimalist communication for the launch of the PS5 Pro. An ad that was sent with a video of less than 10 minutes. A choice that is not insignificant since during this demonstration, the manufacturer is obliged to carry out many zooms to discover real visual improvements.
In real conditions, these more advanced graphics require paying close attention to what is happening go to screen. Regularly stopping your game to approach the TV while trying to find a graphical improvement is not a natural behavior when playing normally.
The most notable gain remains the increase from 30 to 60 FPS on certain display modes, a performance that the standard PS5 could already achieve by sacrificing certain graphical details.
Spider-Man 2 is one of the games optimized for the PS5 Pro and serves as a perfect technological showcase for the console. On our screenshots between PS5 and PS5 Pro, it is possible to see the improved reflections and the ray tracing pushed to its maximum on buildings.
Spider-Man 2 in fidelity mode on PS5 © Presse-citron
Spider-Man 2 in pro fidelity mode on PS5 Pro © Presse-citron
The game still has a fidelity mode and a performance mode, which are quite identical to those of the PS5 version. The choice is between 30 and 60 FPS, with more or less in-depth graphic elements. Once again, you will really have to have an eye to notice the visual improvements made by the PS5 Pro.
The modes offered on PS5 © Presse-citron
The modes offered on PS5 © Presse-citron
The modes offered on PS5 Pro © Presse-citron
The modes offered on PS5 Pro © Presse-citron
The Last of Us II Remastered is also an optimized title. As soon as it launches on PS5 Pro, the game prompts us to activate the PRO rendering mode, targeting 60 FPS with a super sampled output in 4K by the PSSR. Here, the graphical improvements are imperceptible in use.
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© Presse-citron
Les With the standard PS5's graphics already being exceptional, were such minimal improvements really necessary to enjoy the titles?? Considering that most of the Sony fans targeted by this this PS5 Pro will have already sanded down the compatible games, the answer seems pretty clear to me here.
The list of games that are compatible with the PS5 Pro's upgrades is already substantial. However, my tests revealed visual differences that were too minor to justify such a price gap between Sony's new console and its big sister.
Given the impressive PS5 fleet already installed, there is little chance that developers outside of Sony's studios will really bother to produce titles where the differences will be truly significant.
Let's give Sony the benefit of the doubt, by saying that, if the PS5 Pro doesn't really make sense right now, its extra power may have a real use in the years to come.
© Robin Sabbadini for Presse-citron
© Robin Sabbadini for Presse-citron
© Robin Sabbadini for Presse-citron
Nintendo which is not playing the race for power, Microsoft and its console sales which are plunging into the depths abyssal: here is a quick summary of the current state of the JV industry among the biggest manufacturers.
Suffice to say that gamers looking for a powerful console now have no other choice than to turn to Sony. With undeniable success, the Japanese giant is monopolizing an entire market. With particularly weakened direct competition, it is easy to impose its conditions as well as abusive prices.
18 years after trying to impose a PS3 at a price of 600 euros, the release of the PS5 Pro is also reminiscent of the iPhone X. Apple has managed to normalize paying more than 1,000 euros for a high-end smartphone. Sony seems to be following a similar strategy, preparing the ground for a PS6 whose base price can be imagined similar to that of the PS5 Pro.
Remember that this is 799.99 euros without counting the potential purchase of the disc player which costs 119.99 euros.
A box that announces the color © Presse-citron
Here is my perfect transition in order to evoke the strategy of all dematerialized that Sony is putting in place with this PS5 Pro. While the base PS5 and the Slim offered a choice between a version with a disc drive or not, the PS5 Pro does not offer this luxury.
Here, only a dematerialized version is offered for purchase. In order to be able to read your games in physical format (which means owning your games and not a user license), you will have to manage to obtain the reader sold separately. I chose the word manage intentionally here, since for several weeks, this famous reader has been constantly out of stock.
It is difficult to know here if the players have raided the stocks in preparation for the purchase of a PS5 Pro, or if Sony is making its distribution starved with the intention of forcing the player to switch to all dematerialized. A strategy that aims to eliminate intermediaries, and therefore increase profits.
However, this also means for the consumer that he will no longer have the chance to own a physical version of his games; collection, resale and second-hand purchase will be a distant memory. We must also not forget that ironically, dematerialized versions cost on average 20% more.
© Robin Sabbadini for Presse-citron
© Robin Sabbadini for Presse-citron
The PS5 Pro is symptomatic of the graphical glass ceiling that Sony's consoles have reached since the release of the PS4 over 10 years ago now.
The differences between the machines are only slightly significant compared to previous generations, who did not need zoomed videos to demonstrate the developments proposed.
The acquisition of the PS5 Pro represents more than just a purchase decision. It is a vote of confidence in a specific vision of video games. So, I appeal to your common sense to weigh up this purchase, which offers few advantages (for the moment at least) compared to the PS5/Slim available for 370 euros less including the disc reader.
The launch of the PS5 Pro undeniably marks a turning point in the history of video games with major long-term implications for the industry. It's up to us, the players, to decide whether we want to support this new direction or not.
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