Hardware refreshes are nothing new for a gaming console, especially from Sony and PlayStation. Ever since the PS2, there’s been at least one hardware refresh midway through the console generation. The PS3 Slim, the PS4 Slim, and new to this past generation was the PS4 Pro. Obviously with the PS5 just releasing a month ago, Sony’s not even remotely close to manufacturing, announcing, or perhaps even planning a new hardware refresh for this new generation. That being said, it is a pretty safe bet to expect a hardware refresh a few years down the line, especially so for the PS5.
It’s no secret that the PS5 has had its fair share of ups and downs this winter, and that’s without even counting the massive shortage of consoles and huge demand. Hardware experts have found component differences, potential problem spots, some of which are minor while others are concerning. Plus, considering how massive the PS5 is, even when compared to the Xbox Series X it’s still huge. A “slim” style model for the PS5 almost seems like an inevitability, and perhaps a PS5 Pro could come along as well. Usually this discussion is best reserved for a few years from now, but considering “PS5 Pro” was trending recently, a hardware refresh makes sense down the road.
For one thing, the PS5’s hardware has a few oddities that have been brought up by numerous users, now that the console is widely available. Perhaps the most perplexing detail discovered thus far is the seemingly arbitrary difference in cooling fans. Apparently, as initially reported by Les Numériques, there are two distinct fan designs going into PS5 consoles with no discernible reasoning why. One fan has more blades potentially leading to more airflow, while the other fan has fewer blades and theoretically needs to spin faster. It’s an unusual quirk that’s different between all PS5 consoles, one that can lead to some PS5 owners reporting a noticeably louder fan than others.
Outside of the fan quirks, there’s also been some interesting discoveries from some users as well. Some have echoed long-term heating concerns based on thermal testing, such as those done on the Gamers Nexus channel. Thermal cooling is evidently not fantastic in certain areas of the PS5, specifically with memory modules. However, thermal testing only proves that long term usage could potentially damage the hardware over time. This means that, over time, early adopters of the PS5 could start reporting hardware failures due to prolonged exposure to heat. These are the kinds of issues usually solved with hardware refreshes, iterating and improving on cooling.
Undoubtedly, the pandemic has also caused significant hardware shortages and manufacturing delays for both Sony and Microsoft. In the case of the PS5 it’s been especially impactful, considering Sony’s latest console has sold immediately every time a sale page has gone up. In particular, DRAM and NAND flash memory used inside PS5 (and Xbox Series X) consoles has been a hot commodity among the entire tech industry. Smartphones in particular are key draws for DRAM and NAND flash memory, which may have contributed to the PS5’s limited supply at launch.
These are the kind of things that people expect to be resolved in due time, but for the next few months it will be near impossible to snag a PS5 from stores. Demand will still be pretty strong for PS5, especially considering the millions of PS4 consoles sold since launch in 2013. While manufacturing efforts will certainly ramp up next year, a hardware refresh will almost certainly enter the planning stages. Like in the past, there will certainly be some kind of “Ps5 Pro,” and more certainly a “PS5 Slim” in the works for this console. One of the biggest observations (and not necessarily a bad thing) of the PS5 is its massive size compared to consoles like Nintendo Switch, PS4, or Xbox Series X/S.
Interestingly enough, there’s already been rumors about a “PS5 Pro” already in the planning stages. T3 reported on a dual-GPU PlayStation patent that ended up making the term “Ps5 Pro” trending on Twitter. Granted this was just based off a patent, with very little evidence other than that, it’s heavily circumstantial evidence that Sony is at least considering the idea. Even if a PS5 Pro truly is in the planning stages, this isn’t a console coming out in the next two or three years. Not to mention the very concept of a dual-GPU home console, a hardware interface that not even high-end gaming PCs bother doing anymore, is highly impractical.
However, that doesn’t eliminate the possibility of a “PS5 Pro” being in the works. What this patent was depicting likely isn’t anything close to a true representation of the product. However, it does mean that a Pro-like console is at the very least in the small-scale planning stages, presumably alongside a Slim model as well. A PS5 “Slim” model is far more likely, considering how massive the base PS5 model currently is and PlayStation’s hardware history. Every console generation since the PS2 has featured a “Slim” version for a hardware refresh. It’s not a far stretch to assume the same is coming for PS5 “Pro,” just don’t expect a proprietary AMD dual-GPU in it.
The PS5 is available now.
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