Strauss Zelnick, the CEO of Take-Two Interactive, has indicated that the GTA 6 publisher expects to see a PS5 Pro console in the future but doesn’t believe the hardware will dramatically shift the console landscape.
In a recent interview with Gamesindustry.biz, Strauss stated that “we probably will” see a PS5 Pro released during this current console generation. But he also noted that the launch of a more powerful PS5 model won’t “affect the business very much.”
These quotes are interesting for several reasons. For starters, Take-Two Interactive is an important partner to Sony, so no doubt the two keep each other aware of internal developments. And secondly, Strauss’ assertion that a PS5 Pro likely won’t impact the gaming market significantly would indicate that it’ll be another interstitial mid-gen refresh similar to the difference between the PS4 and the PS4 Pro.
Of course, these quotes from Strauss do not directly confirm the existence of a PS5 Pro. But if a major player in the industry considers its release highly probable, there is almost certainly a good reason for that. And we can take these comments as a positive sign the console does indeed exist in some form.
In the same interview, any discussion about GTA 6 was quickly brushed off by the CEO. “We’re not talking about specific titles,” Strauss said when asked about the next installment in the best-selling popular open-world crime series. However, Take-Two’s most recent set of financial reports and projections may indicate that GTA 6 will release in late 2024.
PS5 Pro — what we know so far
Sony has yet to officially confirm the existence of a PS5 Pro, but there are dozens of online rumors hinting at its potential release date and what hardware improvements it could bring to the table.
It’s been suggested that legendary PlayStation console architect Mark Cerny is involved in its creation and that the machine would have a strong focus on ray-tracing technology and target a resolution of 8K.
It’s also been tipped for release in 2024, with a prolific leaker claiming it’s “100% in development” and that dev kits could be shipped sometime this year. Another rumor claims that the PS5 Pro is likely to share a launch window with the Nintendo Switch 2 — another piece of gaming hardware that is heavily rumored but not technically confirmed as of yet.
Assuming the PS5 Pro is in active development, a 2024 release date seems fairly likely. That would see the new hardware launch roughly four years after the release of the current PS5, which would be the same gap as we saw between the launch of the PS4 (in 2013) and the PS4 Pro (in 2016). However, there have been questions surrounding the necessity of a PS5 Pro, especially as developers have yet to fully take advantage of the existing PS5 hardware.
It’s also been hinted that the PS5 Pro is not the only new hardware that Sony has in the pipeline. Tom Henderson of Insider Gaming has repeatedly claimed a redesigned version of the current PS5 is on the way, and it will sport a detachable disc drive. The same source has also suggested that Sony is currently working on a new handheld device that is codenamed “Q Lite” but it won’t be a PlayStation Vita 2 instead it’ll centered around the PS5’s Remote Play features.