【Brigitte Meyer】

PS5 Pro vs. PS5 is Brigitte Meyerthe showdown you'll want to stick around for to determine whether the PS5 Pro will be worth the upgrade.

Rumors have been flying around about a potential "PS5 Pro" for months. This supposedly more powerful variant of the PS5 is not a new console, but rather an enhanced re-release similar to 2016's PS4 Pro. It would play all the same games, but not all at the same level of graphical performance.

The question is, what will the PS5 Pro offer that the PS5 doesn't? Although the PS5 Pro isn't even out yet, we've got an idea.

PS5 Pro vs. PS5: 3 rumored new features

We don't know yet what the PS5 Pro looks like, how much it costs, or when it will come out. But based on solid reporting around the internet, here's what to expect in terms of tangible upgrades if and when it comes out.

Much faster GPU

In terms of raw numbers, word on the street is that the PS5 Pro will feature a new GPU that runs about 45 percent faster than the old one. Its ray-tracing hardware is also said to be three times faster than a regular PS5. This is all according to specs originally reported by Insider Gaming (and later corroborated by The Verge).

The CPU can be a little faster, too

Beyond that, the CPU is the same, but a new mode will give developers the ability to clock it at about 10 percent faster than normal.

The Verge's reporting also indicates that developers can use an additional 1.2GB of system memory for their games.

"Ultra-Boost"

The Verge ran another piece in mid-April outlining Sony's plans for how these spec upgrades will affect games. For starters, Sony's ambition is to have more games run at both 4K resolution and 60 frames per second (fps), with ray tracing turned on. That was the back-of-the-box promise when PS5 launched, but it hasn't played out that way. Many games can do 4K or60 fps, with ray-tracing often tied to one or the other. Very few games can do three all at the same time.

However, games that are locked at 30 fps can still be enhanced. The Verge says developers can use the PS5 Pro's horsepower to increase resolution without increasing frame rate, if that's what makes the most sense.

There's also talk of an "ultra-boost" mode that might be able to help games run at higher or more stable frame rates without extensive work by the developers. It should be noted that most of the above enhancements would theoretically require extra work by developers to accommodate, since they can't assume every customer who buys the game has a PS5 Pro. The PS4 Pro had a similar feature called "Boost Mode," so there's precedent for this.

Unfortunately, that's about all we've got in terms of what the PS5 Pro can actually do for you while playing games. Put simply, expect some games to run at higher resolutions, frame rates, or both, possibly with ray tracing enabled. It might just be a more expensive PS5 that can do what the original PS5 was supposed to do four years ago.

Be sure to check out our oft-updated PS5 Pro rumor hub for the latest leaks and rumors about the upcoming rumored PlayStation console.