Sony India has announced that the highly anticipated PlayStation 5 Pro, which is expected to include cutting-edge hardware enhancements and Wi-Fi 7 (IEEE 802.11be) connectivity, would not be released in India or many other markets where the 6GHz wireless band required by Wi-Fi 7 has not yet been approved. According to a Sony spokesperson, “PS5 Pro will not be available in some countries (which presently includes India) where the 6GHz wireless band used in IEEE 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7) has not yet been allowed.”
The regulatory hurdle is a huge roadblock for Indian gamers eager to try out the latest in Sony’s system lineup. The PS5 Pro, a powerful console intended for better visuals and immersive gameplay, relies on Wi-Fi 7’s increased connectivity capabilities to perform. The most recent standard, Wi-Fi 7, provides ultra-high speeds and minimal latency, allowing for smoother streaming, faster downloads, and seamless online gaming—critical improvements for a console like the PS5 Pro, which was designed with top-tier gaming experiences in mind.
What the PS5 Pro brings
The PS5 Pro, announced as an upgrade to the original PS5, boasts a powerful bespoke AMD processor as well as graphical upgrades capable of supporting native 4K and even 8K in select games. The console is also rumored to include ray tracing enhancements, better frame rates, and expanded storage possibilities, giving users the ideal gaming experience.
Wi-Fi 7 is crucial to these developments. The standard can achieve speeds of up to 46 Gbps, which is an improvement over Wi-Fi 6 and 6E, making it perfect for data-intensive applications such as game streaming and high-resolution content downloads. This connectivity upgrade is expected to greatly improve multiplayer gaming, reduce lag, and improve overall network performance on the PlayStation 5 Pro.
Why Wi-Fi 7 is important—and why India is missing out.
The PS5 Pro’s reliance on Wi-Fi 7 reflects a broader trend in the technology industry, as gadgets increasingly incorporate better bandwidth connectivity. While several regions have already cleared the 6GHz band required for Wi-Fi 7, Indian officials have failed to approve the frequency for commercial use, affecting device rollouts for any technology that relies on this standard.