Changes Sony Needs To Make For The PS5 Pro

It's tough to say that the PlayStation 5 didn't experience a fairly tremendous launch. It had some solid titles ready to go upon release, such as Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Demon's Souls. The system sold so well that it became practically impossible to find. Sony probably doesn't have much to complain about, but that doesn't mean there isn't any room for improvement. In fact, Sony could step up its game quite a bit if it decided to release a PlayStation 5 Pro in the future.

A PlayStation 5 Pro would give Sony an opportunity to right some of the wrongs that surrounded the PlayStation 5's release. It would enable the company to address some of the shortcomings that came with that console and ensure that, someday, the PlayStation 6 doesn't encounter the same pitfalls. It may seem a little soon to start talking about a potential PS5 Pro, seeing as the original PlayStation 5 is still a baby in terms of console lifespan. Some of the ways a PS5 Pro could improve upon the PS5, though, may be worth talking about.

Here are the changes Sony needs to make for the PS5 Pro.

According to The Washington Post, the PlayStation 5 is "15.4 inches tall, 10.24 inches deep and 4.09 inches wide." That is a pretty far cry from an NES Classic; in fact, it is approaching large PC tower territory. The PlayStation 5 puts even the most spacious entertainment centers to the test, daring you to locate a space for the console so you can actually play the thing. Sony made a lot of really good decisions with the PS5, but some would argue its size wasn't one of them.

One of the beautiful things about technological progress, though, is that devices tend to get both smaller and more powerful over time. Think about the first car phones — those hulking beasts make today's smartphones look downright microscopic. What if Sony waits a few years and uses advances in console tech and manufacturing to ensure the PlayStation 5 Pro has a smaller footprint? Not only could you look forward to some more powerful hardware, you could also stop stressing about where the PS5 Pro might fit.

With the PlayStation 5's design, Sony seemingly went for something that looked highly futuristic. The curves found on the body of the machine. The outer shell that juts out past the guts of the console on either side. Whoever came up with the look of Sony's latest console wanted to build something that no one had ever seen before, and they arguably succeeded. Do you know what would be great with a PS5 Pro, though? A console design that isn't so wild.

In order to stand the PlayStation 5 either horizontally or vertically, you need to use a detachable stand. If you are moving the console — either while traveling or relocating — you might be concerned about those "flaps" that extend out on the PS5. Will they break in transit? Will they hold? With the PlayStation 5 Pro, Sony could go for a more traditional design that can stand on its while not taking on quite as crazy a shape. Both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro were mostly flat, and those designs worked. Hopefully Sony goes back to basics with the PS5 Pro.

Video games these days are giant storage hogs. Once upon a time, a game lived on a console or disc and didn't require any storage space at all. Now — even if you buy a physical copy of a game on PlayStation 5 — it must be installed to internal storage, and there are all sorts of DLC downloads to worry about, too. The issue is even more pronounced on PS5 due to the fact that the console only comes with 667.2 GB of usable storage space, according to GamesRadar. That is not a lot.

If Sony comes out with a PlayStation 5 Pro, the company could really get with the times by acknowledging that games (like Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War) take up a lot of space, and storage in the hundreds of gigabytes simply isn't enough. A drive with several terabytes of space would likely be more suitable for the job, and because the PS5 Pro could serve as a more "premium" version of the PS5, gamers may be willing to pay for it. Blockbuster games aren't going to suddenly shrink in size; we'll likely see larger and larger titles as time goes on. If Sony wants the PS5 Pro to be ready for that future, it'll definitely need more storage space than the standard PS5 came with at launch.

The ever-expanding size of video games means that, at some point, you will likely run out of available storage for the titles you want to keep installed. This is an especially large problem on the PlayStation 5, because — at the time of this writing — it's not even possible to expand the PS5's internal storage. Even when Sony does enable that capability, gamers will still need to crack open their PlayStation 5 consoles and install an NVMe storage drive the old fashioned way. If Sony introduces at PS5 Pro at some point, perhaps it could streamline this process.

That's not to say Sony would do away with the current storage upgrade path altogether. Some may want to add storage in that way, and Sony could keep that option on the table. For everyone else, though, Sony could think about introducing external storage cards similar to the ones Microsoft and Seagate have rolled out for the Xbox Series X and S. It would make the act of adding more storage space to the PlayStation 5 a lot friendlier for all involved, and would let PlayStation 5 Pro owners purchase, download, and play more games.

Ever since the PlayStation 5 launched on Nov. 12, 2020, it has been consistently sold out just about everywhere. At press time — nearly two months later — is still a herculean task to track down and purchase a PS5. The demand greatly outweighs the supply, and a budding secondary scalper market has sprung up to try and sell PlayStation 5s for hundreds of dollars more than the suggested retail price. If ever there is a PlayStation 5 Pro, a lot of gamers will likely hope Sony handles the manufacturing and distribution side of things a lot better.

To start, Sony could potentially work with retailers to ensure there is a "one household, one console" rule in effect. The company could also kick off manufacturing well in advance, ensuring there are plenty of PlayStation 5 Pro consoles for those who want to buy them. Sony likely can't complain about how many people want a PlayStation 5 at the moment, as having a product people are eager to purchase is a very good thing. The fact remains, though, that every PS5 someone can't buy is money that Sony doesn't earn. With the PS5 Pro, Sony could try to get this aspect of its console business straightened out.