Game On: Sony unveils PS5 Pro a week after shuttering ‘Concord’

“Game On” is The Fly’s weekly recap of the stories powering up or beating down video game stocks.

NEW RELEASES: Among this week’s notable new releases is Bethesda’s (MSFT) “The Elder Scrolls Castles,” a life simulation in the “Elder Scrolls” series designed for mobile platforms. The game launches September 10 for iOS (AAPL) and Android (GOOGL). Also out this week is Capcom’s (CCOEY) “Marvel Vs. Capcom Fighting Collection,” a collection of arcade fighting games which launches September 12 for PlayStation 4 (SONY), Switch (NTDOY), and PC, with an Xbox One version set for release in 2025.

PS5 PRO: Nideaki Nishino, CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Platform Business Group, announced in a blog post that the company is releasing the PlayStation 5 Pro, an upgraded version of the PS5, on November 7. “Over the last four years since the launch of PS5, we’ve worked hard to continuously evolve the console experience and deliver the great games our players expect from us,” he said. “Today, I’m incredibly proud to announce the next step in that evolution and welcome PlayStation 5 Pro to the PlayStation family – our most advanced and innovative console hardware to date. We developed PS5 Pro with deeply engaged players and game creators in mind – as many have asked for a console that runs even higher fidelity graphics with smoother frame rates at 60FPS.”

“We achieved this on PS5 Pro with several key performance features,” Nishino continued.

“Upgraded GPU: With PS5 Pro, we are upgrading to a GPU that has 67% more Compute Units than the current PS5 console and 28% faster memory. Overall, this enables up to 45% faster rendering for gameplay, making the experience much smoother. Advanced Ray Tracing: We’ve added even more powerful ray tracing that provides more dynamic reflection and refraction of light. This allows the rays to be cast at double, and at times triple, the speeds of the current PS5 console. AI-Driven Upscaling: We’re also introducing PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, an AI-driven upscaling that uses a machine learning-based technology to provide super sharp image clarity by adding an extraordinary amount of detail. PS5 Pro provides gamers with amazing graphics at high frame rates. You can hear Mark Cerny, lead architect for PS5 Pro, discuss the key innovations from PS5 Pro in the following video presentation. This presentation provides a deep dive into the key performance features that make PS5 Pro truly special. Other enhancements include PS5 Pro Game Boost, which can apply to more than 8,500 backward compatible PS4 games playable on PS5 Pro. This feature may stabilize or improve the performance of supported PS4 and PS5 games. Enhanced Image Quality for PS4 games is also available to improve the resolution on select PS4 games. PS5 Pro will also launch with the latest wireless technology, Wi-Fi 7, in territories supporting this standard. VRR and 8K gaming are also supported.”

The PS5 Pro console will be available this holiday at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $699.99, GBP699.99, EUR799.99, and JPY119,980 JPY. It will include a 2TB SSD, a DualSense wireless controller and a copy of “Astro’s Playroom” pre-installed in every PS5 Pro purchase. PS5 Pro is available as a disc-less console, with the option to purchase the currently available Disc Drive for PS5 separately.

‘CONCORD’ SHUT DOWN: Last week, Ryan Ellis, game director at Firewalk Studios, said in a blog post that Sony-published multiplayer shooter “Concord,” which came out in late August for PC and PlayStation 5, would be taken offline starting September 6. “Concord fans – we’ve been listening closely to your feedback since the launch of Concord on PlayStation 5 and PC and want to thank everyone who has joined the journey aboard the Northstar,” Ellis said. “Your support and the passionate community that has grown around the game has meant the world to us. However, while many qualities of the experience resonated with players, we also recognize that other aspects of the game and our initial launch didn’t land the way we’d intended. Therefore, at this time, we have decided to take the game offline beginning September 6, 2024, and explore options, including those that will better reach our players. While we determine the best path ahead, Concord sales will cease immediately and we will begin to offer a full refund for all gamers who have purchased the game for PS5 or PC. If you purchased the game for PlayStation 5 from the PlayStation Store or PlayStation Direct, a refund will be issued back to your original payment method.”

INVESTOR WANTS UBISOFT TO GO PRIVATE: Slovakia-based hedge fund AJ Investments, which holds less than 1% in Ubisoft (UBSFY), sent a letter to the game maker’s management saying it was unsatisfied with the current performance and strategic direction of the company, noting that it wants the company to go private, the Wall Street Journal’s Mauro Orru and Christian Moess Laursen reported Monday. Juraj Krupa, founder and chief executive of AJ Investments, said in the letter that he wanted investors to feel some kind of wake-up call, adding that Ubisoft should go private and urging the Guillemot family not to block a sale process, the authors said. The firm also called for the installment of a new CEO willing to weigh the sale of certain development studios and cut staff in an effort to reduce costs, the authors noted.

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MORE VIDEO GAME NEWS:

• Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier reported that six Rockstar (TTWO) employees told him that they had not been informed of any delay to “Grand Theft Auto VI,” despite some rumors
• At its company event Monday, Apple announced that Tencent’s (TCEHY) game “Honor of Kings: World” is coming to iPhone 16 next year