PS5 Pro unveiled – trusted source reveals design and release plans

There has been speculation on a mid-generation refresh for the PlayStation 5 for a couple of years now, but it seems we're on the brink of Sony's worst kept secret finally breaking cover.

We've previously heard about pre-orders for the PS5 Pro potentially opening next month, and have had several developers confirm its existence in recent times, but the latest leak is perhaps the most significant yet.

Leaker bill-bilkun, who almost always releases accurate Sony gaming info long before it is made official, has written on Dealabs (via VGC) that a State of Play presentation at the end of September will finally, officially unveil the PlayStation 5 Pro. He has also confirmed that the name will, indeed, be "PS5 Pro".

However, that's not even the most exciting part of his post.

The source also claims to have seen a retail box for the new Sony console and has, therefore, got a peek at its design.

Not wishing to post the box art due to "copyright reasons", bill-bilkun has instead drawn a reportedly accurate picture of the Pro, which you can see on Dealabs and below.

If genuine, the new machine has a similar aesthetic to the slimmer PS5 model released last November. However, there are additional offset cuts in the case and, it looks like, better ventilation.

This latter element makes sense considering the extra firepower the Pro is expected to carry. As we know, beefier processing (CPU and GPU) can result in more heat to dissipate.

There don't seem to be many other major design changes over the PS5 Slim, to be honest – not visual ones anyway. But, if this leak (and the couple before it) turn out to be true, it won't be long before we find out for real anyway. It could be just a matter of weeks now.

You'd certainly better start saving as there are indications that the price will be hefty – between $600 and $700 hefty. That could equate to over £500 in the UK and almost AU$1,000.

That'll be considerably more than the price of the PlayStation 4 Pro when it was released in 2016 as a mid-gen refresh. That came out at $399 / £349 / $560. But then, the standard PS5 is considerably more than that already.

It might be that we'll get plenty of deals on the standard PS5 this Black Friday, so even if the PS5 Pro does turn out to be budget-busting, it could still be great news for those in the market for a new console, anyway.