This story is part of our new Future of Gaming series, a three-site look at gaming’s most pioneering technologies, players, and makers.
Time will tell if those “PS5 Pro” rumors have any truth behind them. But until then, discussion about a hypothetical PS5 upgrade is a good opportunity to flesh out what we’d even want from such a machine in the first place.
So we turned to you, dear readers, to discover what would compel you to spend another couple-hundred bucks on an upgrade to Sony’s current console.
As suspected, the desire for an upgrade to the PS5 isn’t universal. Many of you said there was no need for one, regardless of whatever bells and whistles it might offer. Meanwhile, others made it clear that if such a thing were to exist, then it ought to deliver very clear performance standards. Other desires drifted into the “probably never gonna happen” category, especially those concerning backwards compatibility for games that pre-date the PS4.
Let’s dig into what you had to say about a possible “PS5 Pro.”
A new design
RECTANGLE SHAPE or at least a flat bottom for chrissakes, the current design is the worst console to physically interact with ever. — ApocalypticBoredom
100% agree. The only reason I am still rocking my PS4 Pro is this very reason. I refuse to rearrange my entertainment center to accommodate Sony’s poor design choices. — paradescar
I feel like [the PS5’s] design brief also was that it was going to be the centerpiece of your living room and needed to be some kind of statement piece sitting upright in all its massive glory, rather than just another box packed underneath your TV. […] I don’t need a statement piece, I just want a functional rectangle, ideally in black so it fades into my shelving. I want understated, not ostentatious. I want the design style of the PS4. — NegativeZero
Can’t stand the look of the PS5 either, but thankfully my TV stand has opaque cabinet doors. Obviously I keep the door open when gaming for airflow, but when I just want to watch TV, my PS5 and other consoles are completely hidden from view. When I’m actively playing a game, my eyes are focused on the TV, not on the ugly console. — John Smith
I’m ok with the odd angles, but I agree with the flat bottom. I needed to stack a few of those felt pads that stick to the bottom of chairs under the right side of the system. The pads used to help furniture slide better on hardware floors. — Kang81
Weirder design. Just because I find the design complaints dumb. Make it a lumpy rhomboid or a pentagonal plushie. Integrate a fish tank or a toaster oven (get some extra use out of that heat). — necgray
4K 60FPS Across all games
Actually powerful enough to run 4k at 60fps on any game, not just varying degrees of.
None of this “30 fps”, or “performance mode at (maybe) 60fps stuff”, or with reduced settings. When both the PS5 and Xbox X specs were released years ago, I knew right away that there would be compromises. — bullshooter4040
4k60 path tracing without dlss. — Kahlessj
4k60 standard in every game — Pat Dorsman
4K 60fps target for games — badbob001
I want more horsepower for:
– More consistently high resolutions
– More detailed particle effects, denser foliage, cloud simulation, textures, etc.
– More raytracing features
– More consistent frame rates in performance modes — coolsocks
higher resolution output to psvr2 for higher end games. specifically Gran Turismo. — Hadjimurad
More storage, better cooling, rearrangement of existing peripheral ports (or extra ones)
From a realistic hardware perspective – More storage (factory default, I understand you can install a second drive or use external storage, not the point).I would also prefer better cooling, it gets HOT and if anyone recalls the situation that happened at Evo this year with people using third-party fight sticks and literal melting connectors, that’s pretty bad. I get nervous if I plug in too many things at once for fear or potentially ruining a USB connector for a $US150+ headset for example. — YhcrananarchY
I bought the Sense controller charging station specifically because the system lacks USB ports, particularly in the front. — necgray
Counterpoint:
My PS5 makes a FANTASTIC space heater in the winter. — MrMcGeein3D
Better quality DualSense controllers
[I want] the Dualsense controllers to not wear out after a year. I’m about to order a third one because as soon as they get out of warranty, the left stick goes to shit. — Rafibomb
I’m now on my 3rd DualSense and thankfully it’s worked ever since. Two defective DualSense controllers within a week was not promising though. — Kang81
More expansive backwards compatibility
Physical backwards compatibility. I’ve accepted at this point that it probably won’t happen, but it’s a home run in terms of brand perception. Slightly annoying having to hook up various old systems to play different things. I’ve got a vast library of PS1, PS2, PS3, PS4 and now PS5 games that I’ve amassed over 30 years. — SeikenFreak
local ps1/2/3 emulation — badbob001
Ideally enabling emulation for all past systems, including PS3 and PS Vita games — coolsocks
Things you don’t need new hardware for
I’d like more games designed exclusively for the PS5 (and Series X) long before talks of a Pro model for either system. I’m not talking about better looking games, but games that technically could not function on previous gen consoles. — Kang81
The real answer is all the quality-of-life ecosystem stuff that Xbox has.
- Free cloud saves instead of locked behind a PS Plus subscription and a toggle
- Free next-gen upgrades from PS4 to PS5, automatic install of the correct version depending on console—no more having to pick the correct version (AKA Xbox Smart Delivery)
- Cross-save from PS5 to PS4 (currently you can “upgrade” PS4 saves to PS5 saves, but not the other way around)
- Included PC and PS4 copies with every PS5 game, allowing installation on any platform (AKA Xbox Play Anywhere)
- Save syncing between PC, PS4, and PS5 versions of a game
- DualShock 4 controller support for PS5 — Nick Ha
Sony needs to go back and patch their existing games to properly support PS5. Why is The Last Guardian still capped at 30 FPS? Why has Bloodborne not been updated in any way? Much of Sony’s first-party library looks and runs like crap because it’s capped at low resolutions and framerates from the PS3 and PS4 days. — Jerykk
Or maybe just no ‘PS5 Pro’ at all
I don’t want a pro. I want consoles to be finished and in their final form (not including slims) from day 1. “Pro” consoles are console makers double-dipping. If we are at the point where the current ps5 isn’t considered acceptable in terms of performance, then it’s time for the ps6. Not that I actually think we are at that point. — chaos2992
Absolutely nothing. Just like with the PS4 Pro, there’s no reason whatsoever for something like this to exist. — hugh-manity
I’d rather have a price drop than a pro model. — Cactrot
Honestly? It doesn’t seem worth it. Even less-so than the ps4 pro was.
Right now, the biggest advances in gaming tech have been with ray tracing and AI upscaling, but neither of these particularly benefit from huge uplifts on AMDs hardware (that is powering xbox and ps). Ray Tracing is still quite bad on their hardware, and they have gone with a platform agnostic upscaling solution which is SUPER user-friendly (and allows FSR on current consoles, which is great), Obviously, an upgrade would perform better, but it feels like it would really be drops in the bucket — dragonfliet
Orb
Give me a PS9 — therubixcube22
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