Last week, we heard rumblings that Sony was gearing up to announce the PS5 Pro console, a mid-gen refresh of the current PlayStation 5. The announcement is supposedly scheduled to take place sometime this month.
Although Sony has yet to even acknowledge the PS5 Pro's existence, it seems the company may have slipped a bit of a teaser into its PlayStation 30th Anniversary post. On the PlayStation Blog, Sony outlined some of the ways they will commemorate PlayStation's 30th anniversary this year but it was the header image for the post that drew the most attention.
The image features silhouettes of various PlayStation consoles, accessories, and handhelds from the past. If you look close enough though, tucked between the PlayStation icon and the "3" in "30th" is what appears to be the PS5 Pro.
The icon looks similar to the sketch that was leaked online last month by reliable insider billbill-kun via Dealabs. His sketch was supposedly based on leaked packaging visuals.
The biggest hint that this is the PS5 Pro is the existence of multiple lines through the middle section of the console. These lines are not present on the current PlayStation 5 base models but are supposedly on the PS5 Pro.
Given the similarities between this console in the image -- which is a console we've not yet seen officially from Sony -- and the leaked images from last month, it seems to be confirmation that the PS5 Pro does exist and that its reveal is likely just days, or weeks away. The PS5 Pro is rumored to be announced in the first half of September.
Meanwhile, fans have Astro Bot to look forward to on PlayStation 5. The highly anticipated adventure platformer starring the cutesy little robot, which has sort of become PlayStation's defacto mascot, launches on Friday, September 6th. The standalone game feels like it's coming exactly at the right time, as it features plenty of references to PlayStation's rich gaming history.
In addition to Astro Bot, Sony's plans for PlayStation's 30th anniversary include the Spotify release of digital soundtracks from fan-favorite PlayStation franchises -- including God of War, Twisted Metal, and Starhawk among others -- from October through January. You'll be able to stream these soundtracks on Spotify or purchase them through various digital music storefronts, including Amazon Music and Apple Music.
Also launching in December is a new collection of products called "Shapes of Play." Crafted by the team that designs PlayStation consoles, these products let you create and play with Sony's iconic shapes:
- Shapes of Play: Battle is a board game where you can challenge a friend to line up four different shapes of the same color on the board to win.
- Shapes of Play: Create is a set of magnetic blocks that you can position in any direction to create fun shapes.
- Shapes of Play: Recharge lets you experience a new way to recharge between games, especially after that tough boss battle.
This seems to be just the tip of the iceberg. Be sure to stay tuned as Sony reveals more celebratory plans in the coming weeks.