Sony has commented on the PS5 Pro's controversial cost, while also revealing that the console was in development before the PS5 was released.
Speaking in a recent interview with IGN, PlayStation's senior principal product manager, Toshi Aoki, confirmed that there were already talks about the mid-generation console before the PS5 launched in 2020 as "technologies evolve every year".
"We started discussing it before the PS5 actually came out...because the PS5 specs were already locked in," Aoki said. "We were ready to launch and everything..."
When talking further about the PS5 Pro's specs, Aoki explained that the console's AI upscaling technology - PlayStation Spectral Super Revolution (PSSR) - wasn't available for the PS5 at the time of its development.
"I think it's more from the technological point of view of... Even the AI upscaling, it's not easy...it takes time to get there..." he said. "So as we were trying to target the best of both worlds...that's why we invested in seeing the other ways that we can get games into that space for high fidelity 60 FPS.
"That's why AI upscaling was the option that we took and we looked into and developed."
When the PS5 Pro was officially announced earlier this month, the console's $700 price tag caused quite a stir. However, according to Aoki, the console's many new features, including its PSSR tech, 8K support, and more, justify the price.
"Well, the technologies that I just mentioned that we are putting in to deliver new experiences for game players, and also not just the technological differences, but the SSD, the Wi-Fi 7, and the new technologies that surround the gameplay as well," Aoki said.
"So it's more of a full package that will give that exceptional value to the players... the most engaged players that we're targeting."
For those who want to stick to playing their physical games, they'll need to buy the optional disk drive, which will bring the total asking price to $800.
Aoki said that having the separate disk drive as an optional purchase was to give players more choice and that it's "more of the balance of the value proposition that we're giving".
"Well, with the PS5 Pro, we are offering all these new tech innovations, and we added the two terabyte SSD, as well as the Wi-Fi 7. We believe as a full package that it offers for the most players," he said.
"For the disc drive, it is an option for players. Not all players have discs, even though most players may...but we have the option for being able to add that for those players. So I think it's more of the balance of the value proposition that we're giving."
