Sony finally unveiled the PlayStation 5 Pro in a pre-recorded technical presentation yesterday. The presentation gave PlayStation fans a brief overview of the upgraded technology powering the latest and most powerful PS5 variant. But they also shared glimpses of existing PS5 titles that would benefit from the juiced PS5’s performance and, lucky for us, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is one of them.
Revealed first during a closing highlight reel showcasing PS5 Pro enhanced titles and then confirmed by official Final Fantasy VII social media accounts, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will be an enhanced PS5 Pro title when the console launches on November 7. We’ll learn more about what that entails over the next few weeks but, given the technical presentation’s emphasis on the PS5 Pro’s ability to bridge the gap between graphical fidelity and performance, we have an idea of what to expect at the onset.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth launched with Graphics and Performance Modes, allowing players to select their gaming experience. Graphics Mode heightened graphics and visual details but locked gameplay at 30 frames per second. Performance Mode, while having its share of issues at launch, sacrifices graphical enhancements to allow for a speedier and more consistent 60 frames per second. Given the technological limitations of current PS5 systems (and the fact that Rebirth still isn’t available on PC), it’s impossible for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth fans to have their cake and eat it too. With the PS5 Pro and what Sony is touting as its “Big 3” enhancements–upgraded GPU, advanced ray tracing, and AI-driven upscaling–PS5 Pro-enhanced Rebirth should be capable of clean and highly detailed visuals while also having the power to run at a constant 60 frames per second.
Scott Stein from CNET got an opportunity to play the PS5 Pro and some of the enhanced games at Sony’s San Mateo PlayStation headquarters. He wrote about his experiences and this is what he had to say about his time with Rebirth.
“Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth in particular popped compared to the fuzzier graphics on the existing PS5 version. Everything was sharper, and still 60fps smooth. It felt like putting new glasses on.”
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s director, Naoki Hamaguchi, also chimed in via X (formerally Twitter). He mentions that the team will “continue to look into various developments” when it comes to leveraging the PS5 Pro’s increased power. This makes it pretty clear that more enhancements to Rebirth on the PS5 Pro could be expected in the near future.
Preorders for the PS5 Pro begin on September 26 and it will retail for $699.99. For more details on the PS5 Pro, visit the PlayStation Blog.
