PS5 Pro pre-orders could start as soon as next month

It's pretty much beyond doubt at this stage that there's a PlayStation 5 Pro console on the way – Sony did it successfully for the PS4 generation, and every sign points toward a similar upgrade this time around. 

In lieu of any actual explicit confirmation from Sony, though, we're feeding on scraps when it comes to any expectations on timing - some people think the PS5 Pro will arrive next year, but at least one expert source doesn't agree.

Matt Swider has made a big success out of stock tracking and restock estimates for consoles - especially after the chaotic stock shortages of the launch years of both the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. He's published a piece arguing that Sony's historical choices of launch windows make it pretty likely that the PS5 Pro is imminent.

In fact, he thinks that pre-orders on the console might go live sometime in September - since that was the month when both the PS4 Pro and PS5 went up for pre-order, too. The more recent PS5 Slim model disproves this a little, having launched in November without a pre-order window, but it's fairly credible that this was the exception to the rule. 

This is far from an official confirmation, though, if that needs saying. Sony is keeping quiet on the potential console (unlike Nintendo acknowledging the next Switch, for example), and is likely to stay that way until it's completely ready to announce it. This will almost certainly involve a chunky presentation, though, so there's every chance that the next time Sony schedules in a State of Play or any similar booking, it'll set tongues wagging big-time. 

The console, when it comes, is likely to bring a chunky graphical upgrade to the table, although it won't be a generational change, obviously. Whether it'll be worth the upgrade from a base PS5 will doubtless be the source of fairly intense debate at that point. 

Still, if pre-orders do indeed go live in September after all then Swider will likely feel a degree of smugness about it - handily, he'll also be a useful source for stock alerts and guidance about where to order a PS5 Pro.