Rumor is the GPU is either based on the Radeon RX 7600 XT or the RX 7700 XT, so RDNA 3 then. Not sure on what to expect on the CPU, they may pull a PS4 Pro and stick with the same CPU running at higher clock rates for easier porting, or they may move from Zen 2 up to Zen 3 or 4.

There have been complaints about the rumor mill running non-stop.  There have been complaints from people who bought into the hype and rumors and were ultimately let down when only a screen refresh was implemented.  And there have been complaints from folks who never wanted a Switch, who don't really like Nintendo games, and are just happy to complain about the Switch not being powerful enough to compete with dedicated home console hardware. Yes, there have been massive complaints.

It made a big difference for PSVR yet indeed for regular games, basically the larger HDD was the biggest upgrade :/

As I can't see the difference between 1440p and native 4K anyway from my sitting position, it will be the same as with ps4 pro. Significant advantages for PSVR2 (super sampling, higher resolutions, native 90/120 fps) and I'll get one. As for ray tracing, still haven't seen anything yet that makes it worth paying extra for or sacrificing other details. Fully ray traced games will come, but as enhancements it's just not convincing.

The PS4 Pro is a much more powerful system than the standard PS4, but the extra power was harnessesd primarily for resolutions. As far as I'm concerned, increasing resolution past 1080p is overrated, and past 1440p is the biggest gimmick/lie/waste of resources in gaming history (RT is up there too but that depends on the application/execution). Except for VR that is, which will probably still see meaningful clarity improvements up to 8K.

My hope is that this time, PS5 Pro would compell some devs to target lower native resolutions on the standard PS5, thereby giving the generation a noticeable graphics/physics bump. They can lower the native resolution down to 720p (and reconstruct it to a higher output via FSR2) for all I care.

Both the PS3 slim and the PS4 pro came out 3 years after the console's initial release. 

This 'waaah, early adopters are getting screwed' take is so weird to me. You know what you're getting into getting any game or console at launch. Technology improves. Prices tend to go down. Deals and discounts happen after release. Been like that basically as long as there's been media or technology of ANY kind. If you don't...maybe you shouldn't be investing in hardware or software because you're clearly a child with no concept of time and technological progression yet. 

** User Runa216 was given a warning for calling a user childish.

For me it's PS6 in 2026. Makes the most sense overall as far as I'm concerned, for Sony anyway.

PS5 Pro in 2024, to me, seems like Sony would be putting a target and some heat on Series S. MS would have to answer within a year with a new console, and based on their direction, there won't be any new next gen marketing. It'll just be a new XB, maybe called Series something, maybe not. Point is once a PS5 Pro launches, devs who aren't exactly thrilled about Series S, will be extremely unhappy about it, and even more so with a new top XB.
MS would likely be pressured into discontinuing it if they didn't plan on it. That wouldn't be terrible for MS though because that would give Series S 4-5 years on the market which is enough.
Whether MS would require devs to keep making Series S games would be the next question. After 5 years I could potentially see MS dropping Series S support, but before that would be questionable. If MS did keep supporting Series S after a new top tier model was introduced, they would have to allow devs to drop the quality of Series S games substantially. I don't see this being a huge problem for MS though, as plenty of gamers will be fine with 720p/30 low quality on their outdated Series S. Those who aren't will just have to upgrade to Series X, and the way MS has been handling hardware, it wouldn't be a surprise if they had a decent trade in plan for those gamers.

How many would upgrade from Series S right away? How many would get a Series X if it's all that's available, or the new XB if it's ready by late 2024? How many would switch to the PS5 or Pro, especially if Pro was out 1 year before the next XB upgrade?

To me, waiting until PS6 is best choice for Sony right now, but also would be best for XB and MS. Maybe Sony thinks PS5 Pro would be a little worse for them, but would be far worse for MS?

I mean who am I to disagree with an expert. I am certain that Sony and Microsoft are putting some work in on upgraded consoles in case market conditions change, or in case their competitor is doing it. The real question is whether they have any intention of ever releasing them. It's unclear that there's a major GPU deficit - I can see reasonably high pixel counts continuing for the next few years. It's unclear whether there's demand for it. And it's also unclear that mid-range offerings are getting better fast enough to price a 20-30TF console in 2024/5 at anything less than $800.

Those who bought a One X had three years of use before the Series X came out, PS4 Pro had four years of use until PS5. So I do agree that 2024/5 is the time to release one. But i'm not sure that that timing lines up with either demand or the technical realities of the hardware market at the moment.

Agreed on all points.  I was expecting to be blown away by the increased resolution...  and nope.  During normal play (not zooming in on rocks) I barely could tell a difference between the base model and pro.  On the ps5 I set everything to performance.  A 60 fps is amazing and way better than increased native resolution.  RT hasn't done much for me.  Now I will say 120 hz is legit.  Ratchet is super smooth at 120 hz.  

I don't think it is necessary nor that it would sell a lot, but yes I would buy just for improved performance.

Dang you got a warning for that, I need to be careful with my wording now I'm nearly 50. Most of you are all children to me :p

But I notice the same, hardware is not an investment, it's never future proof. Nor does it last forever, especially not the modern crap. Early adopters always get 'screwed'. I waited to jump into 4K HDR until HDMI 2.0, still too soon as now HDMI 2.1 and VRR are out, while I still have a 1.4 receiver that is now limited to HDMI Arc lossy 5.1. Basically 4K coming out screwed me out of lossless sound quality. But that's technology, and early VRR adopters are / will be 'screwed' again.

PC components are like buying a car, lose half the value when you drive it off the lot. Build a 'future' proof PC, some new tech will be out the next year you didn't account for...

No idea why people would be happy about the end of generations, there's still so much more to discover out there. Why settle for what we have, always keep improving. A PS5 pro would indeed give incentive to push gaming further. By making the pro the (imo useless) 4K / 120 fps machine, more games on the 'base' console will be allowed to exist as 1440p30 or even 1080p releases. Thus making it possible to push gaming systems further instead of wasting CPU/GPU on pixel counting.

Maybe the realization comes with age. 7 years is not a long time anymore for me. And I would still like to see many console / VR generations come and go before I go. Got 40 more gaming years in me I hope, bring on the holo deck! Why do we still not have quantum computers and holographic displays! I'm not ready to settle. Btw Holy shit, I played Switchback VR last night, Holy shit :)