Sony is holding a surprise tech showcase this week to update PS5 players on “innovations in gaming technology,” the company revealed today. It didn’t mention the PS5 Pro at all, but with rumors swirling around the mid-gen update, it certainly sounds like the kind of thing designed to let Sony show off the capabilities of the improved hardware.
“Join us for a streamed presentation hosted by Mark Cerny, Lead Architect of the PS5 console,” the company wrote on the PlayStation Blog today. “The 9-minute Technical Presentation will focus on PS5 and innovations in gaming technology.” The event will be streamed on September 10 starting at 11:00 a.m. ET over on the PlayStation YouTube channel.
Cerny has been leading design efforts on Sony consoles for years now, and was the one who originally revealed the the specs for the PS5 back in 2020, alongside an in-depth presentation on the capabilities of the then next-gen hardware and what it would mean for upcoming games, including better graphics, audio design, and much faster load times.
A PS5 Pro is expected to improve on many of those areas, especially when it comes to upscaled resolutions and frame rates, with many hoping that the new console will have an easier time hitting 60fps in technically demanding games, with performance modes sacrificing less visual fidelity in exchange for the smoother look and feel. One big question, however, is what the new machine will cost. The existing PS5 still hasn’t received a price cut four years into its life, fueling speculation that a PS5 Pro might be $600 or more, even without a disc drive attached.
It’s possible this week’s tech presentation won’t be about the new hardware at all, though. Fans have also been waiting to hear more about the PS5’s backwards compatibility improvements as well as new game streaming capabilities that go beyond remote play. We’ll find out soon enough when the presentation airs tomorrow.
Update 9/9/2024 3:45 p.m. ET: An unlisted video on the PlayStation YouTube channel teasing the presentation briefly contained the title “PS5 Pro.” It has since been edited out, but leaves little doubt that tomorrow’s livestream will be a demo of the long-rumored mid-gen console refresh.