What’s the real difference between the PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro anyway?

After various rumors and leaks, the PlayStation 5 Pro is finally official - complete with a new GPU, $700 price point, and no built-in disc drive. But is that pretty much it? What makes this new console 40 percent more expensive than the existing PS5 you can buy today for $500? The same one that's bound to go on sale during the holidays, not long after the Pro's November 7th launch date.

What are the differences between the PS5 and PS5 Pro that make it (depending who you ask) a worthwhile upgrade or a superfluous expense?

Spec and performance differences

The PS5 Pro has three core performance improvements over the standard PS5, according to Sony's technical presentation announcement, hosted by PS5 lead architect, Mark Cerny. It's got a new, more powerful GPU for more compute power and faster rendering; advanced ray tracing for improved in-game reflections and more immersive lighting; and a new PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) upscaler to keep frame rates high without sacrificing resolution and image quality.

The GPU is really the star of the show, as Sony is saying it promises to have 67 percent more compute units and 28 percent faster memory yielding 45 percent faster rendering. But the CPU and storage speed in the PS5 Pro is unchanged, so while it should deliver 4K resolution and maintain 60 fps or greater, it's possible the console won't load or boot up games any faster.

The biggest change for current PS5 owners here is that playing on a PS5 Pro will no longer require choosing between Performance and Fidelity modes (the decision many current games force on users for either prioritizing frame rate smoothness or crisper visuals). But Sony could just move those goal posts with the PS5 Pro, since the upcoming console also supports 8K gaming. It's possible Performance and Fidelity modes will still be with us if playing games in 8K means once again sacrificing frame rate - which it's sure to do. The difference there is that most people will not care, because who the hell owns an 8K TV right now?

As for ray tracing, that's a feature that's been supported in the PS5 since launch. But the PS5 Pro's advanced ray tracing is promising to make it better, with more dynamic reflections and light refractions. Basically, games with pretty lighting and lots of reflections should look a bit prettier (rejoice, Gran Turismo 7 fans). So far, ray tracing on the current PS5 has been a little lackluster compared to what's possible on PCs with high-end GPUs (which, to be fair, cost more than a PS5 Pro on their own). But that's more to do with the games themselves than the console. Many titles aren't optimized for ray tracing on console, although there have been some PS5 standouts like Marvel's Spider-Man 2 that have good ray tracing performance. The PS5 Pro should just make them look better without compromising for the sake of frame rates.