PS5 Disc version now only £15 more expensive than Digital version, hinting at close release date for PS5 Pro

We might be very close to the unveiling of the PS5 Pro, as per recent developments. Rumors, leaks, and speculations surrounding this upcoming premium alternative to the PS5 emerged as early as 2021 and have shaped up into a believable sheet now. While the initial predictions of an 8K gaming machine have subsided, current rumors indicate a more modest performance bump that will utilize the latest in the PC market to improve the gaming experience.

The upcoming PS5 Pro will be up to 230% faster than the machine launched back in 2020. While this might feel unnecessary, it is a futureproofing measure. It is a smart move to build devices that will last longer amidst this tumultuous world economy in which multiple developed nations have headed into recession.

Besides this, the costlier PS5 disc edition will command just £15 more than the Digital Edition in the UK. The version, with the BluRay drive built-in, will cost you £404.99, with its cheaper alternative being sold at just £389.99. Industry expert Tom Henderson has speculated this is because Sony wants to get rid of the Disc edition, which will likely be discontinued following the launch of the PS5 Pro.

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What will the PS5 Pro offer over the PS5?

The rumor mill suggests the disc drive will become an added accessory to the PlayStation. Gamers can pay extra to use it. With the rise in popularity of digital downloads and plans like PS Plus Premium, disc sales have plummeted. Now, they constitute only about 40% of all sales on the PlayStation.

Leaked specs of the upcoming PS5 Pro (Image via @Zuby_Tech/Twitter)

In addition to this, the upcoming console will be powered by a more advanced AMD APU that will employ a mix of Zen 4 and RDNA 3 architecture to deliver up to 23 TFLOPs of graphics rendering performance. In comparison, the base model PS5 delivers only up to 10 TFLOPs.

Furthermore, the upcoming console will ship with 20 GB of GDDR6X memory, up from the 16 GB GDDR6 VRAM on the PS5. This will help game developers use larger textures in the upcoming titles.

A concrete release date for the improved Pro variant isn't out yet. While some sources suggest 2024, the sudden price drop in the UK market might suggest the console would launch earlier than expected.