Sony’s $700 PlayStation 5 Pro promises improved graphics and gameplay. The midcycle upgrade, releasing next month, aims to keep the console competitive with — or better than — ever-evolving game PCs. Sony says the new model supports 8K gaming, an upgrade to the native 4K available with the PS5. For those gamers interested in a disc drive for the PS5 Pro, an $80 model is available. Sony Interactive Entertainment’s popular “Gran Turismo 7” racing simulation game is poised to be the first 8K title for the PS5 Pro. Sony says the GPU on the PS5 Pro has 67 percent more compute and 28 percent faster memory, for rendering that is 45 percent faster than its predecessor.

Ray tracing is also improved for more dynamic lighting, according to the company. Another upgrade, AI upscaling, enhances image clarity and detail.

Upscaling “uses artificial intelligence to create images with more detail and lighting effects without as much need for raw performance,” CNET explains. Sony calls the result PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution. This latest iteration also has PS5 Pro Game Boost.

Sony has not shared details of how the PS5 Pro gets to 8K. GamesRadar explores the question, saying it “could be the first truly 8K console.”

It hasn’t made the new device available to reviewers, but CNET tried the machine at Sony’s office, writing that “sitting in front of an 80-inch TV playing ‘Gran Turismo 7’ is an immersive experience. It’s even more realistic in 8K resolution.”

Sony has also made Enhanced Image Quality available to improve the resolution on select PS4 games, the company explains on the PlayStation Blog, adding that Wi-Fi 7 is supported in territories where the standard is available. Variable rate resolution, commonly used by televisions, is also supported.

Sony says it will provide free software updates that allow existing games to take advantage of many PS5 Pro features, with those titles carrying a “PS5 Pro Enhanced” label. In all, Sony says more than 8,500 PlayStation games can play on the newer machine.

“Microsoft is clearly eyeing the discless direction with Xbox as well,” with both companies “testing the waters for going all-digital for the PlayStation 6 and the next-generation Xbox — or at least offering disc drives separately,” reports The Verge.

The PS5 Pro will launch on November 7, available at participating retailers and directly from PlayStation. Preorders will begin on September 26.