So, you may have seen the PlayStation 5 Pro review. I haven’t had the device long enough for a full, critical breakdown, but I’ve had enough time with the expensive new kit to figure out my early feelings about it. It’s easy to sum it up: Sony is weird.
There’s a lot I like about this console – Final Fantasy 7 Reborn plays like a dream and feels almost like a whole new game, for example – but there are some confusing elements to the design decisions , makes me wonder if this being a full mid-gen update for the game was a last-minute decision rather than a comprehensive business strategy that was properly thought out and executed.
I’ve tried to break down my biggest surprises in the list below, and I’ve even put together some “early” console experience summaries for you at the bottom of the page (skip to that if that’s you) and basically TL;DR later).
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PlayStation’s data transfer solution for console-to-console setup still sucks
The last time I exported data from one PlayStation console to another was via PS4 to PS4 Pro. I decided not to do this on my PS4 Pro to PS5 because, honestly, my first experience was so bad that I opted to just flush my internet connection and download all the “fresh” content to my retail PS5.
This time, though, I just wanted to pick up and play – export my existing PS5 setup, sava data, and games and get started as quickly as possible. No dice. After plugging in both consoles, connecting them to my router via a wired connection, and jumping through the weird user interface Sony gives you to get started, I spent 45 minutes troubleshooting why my base PS5 wouldn’t start transferring data. . This seems to be because my DualSense isn’t fully updated (yes, it’s true).
Once I solved this particular problem, I started transferring files from one machine to another. Any hopes I had of using the Pro on my first day were immediately wiped out when it told me it would take me about 20 hours to move to 600GB of data. Why? I have a fiber optic internet connection, running on a wired LAN setup, and I know that when I plug it in, the speed drops to close to 100MB/s (80MB/s on WiFi).
I know PS Store download speeds are slow, especially compared to the speeds I ran Black Ops 6 on the Series X. But I was surprised to find that a game like this takes the better part of a day to move. I’m surprised it hasn’t gotten better since the PS4 days. In fact, I think it could be worse.
Unable to tell from the library which games are PS5 Pro Enhanced Editions
Yes, I could be wrong here, but I can’t seem to immediately identify which games in my library have Pro enhancements. For a console whose sole selling point is “your games run better here,” that’s confusing. So far, over 50 games have benefited from the update: tell me what they are! ? Even Xbox Series X/S has a nifty little tag on the X-enhanced games in the library. This is a very, very low bar.
Now, I work in the industry, so I’ve been keeping an inside track on which games are getting performance-boosting patches and when they’ll arrive (because, no, not all games are ready for the PS5 Pro release date – not really) Right, Gran Turismo 7? ) The layman wouldn’t realize this; I expect people will just want to boot up their consoles and play, and not be able to tell which games have had some spit and polish from your own catalog, which is especially puzzling since many game will It runs better without patches, but professional patches are required to take full advantage of the console’s capabilities.
I had to turn to the store. Go do the math. Browsing the special tabs in the PS Store app tells me which games will run on the new hardware, but there’s no clear, obvious indication in your own collection. Myself and three other members of iGamesNews have been looking for something to help you identify this, but to no avail. Sure, it’s a simple fix, but it’s a very surprising oversight. You might even remember that when the PS5 launched, there was also no way to tell which version (native/backward-compatible) you had installed, and Sony doesn’t seem to have learned that yet.
The front USB slots are all USB-C, no USB-A
Standard PS5 consoles (discless and with optical drive) have one USB-C and one USB-A port on the front. This is handy for headphone adapters, plugging in a thumb drive to transfer your screen, adding a flash drive, or charging your device.
PS5 Pro only comes with USB-C on the front. That’s not a bad thing in and of itself, the DualSense comes with a USB-C to USB-C cable in the box (rather than the A to C cable that comes in the regular PS5 box), but it’s worth considering if you don’t Like farting behind the device to insert the thumb drive.
Oh, and to make things even more confusing, one of the C ports supports the slower HighSpeed standard (instead of SuperSpeed 10GB/S). So ditching USB-A entirely feels…unwise?
Works better with PS Portal than base PS5
This one is more anecdotal since I didn’t have time to test it. But you’ve seen above how good my internet connection is (thanks London). Previously, using the PS Portal (located directly above the router where the PS5 is plugged in) in my office was a risky proposition. Sometimes it’ll be perfect, sometimes it’ll be terrible, and sometimes the connection will drop completely. Not sure why; I’ve tried everything in Sony’s FAQ to address this issue, but the portal is flaky even under the best of circumstances.
I played Elden Ring on the portal for about two hours last night with absolutely no buffering, quality loss, lag, or tearing. What? Is this related to the Pro using Wi-Fi 7? This doesn’t matter too much to me since the Pro is hardwired. I’m not complaining! I will Now, if that’s a benefit, use my portal more.
It still won’t automatically detect a wired connection
But by the way, don’t expect PS5 Pro to Know When an Ethernet cable gets stuck on its back end. Another frankly confusing aspect of the product design is that the Pro – like the vanilla 5 before it – can’t automatically detect when it’s running on a wired connection. If you want to switch from WiFi to wired (which is what I did because I need quite a few PS5s in my office), you’ll need to manually go in and flip the switch yourself. Keep this in mind if you’re wondering why your download speeds are slower than usual.
The standing stand isn’t as premium as you might think for £25.
Small complaint, but hey, worth saying. It’s a joke that everything about the PS5 Pro is “sold separately,” but considering the machine is already 265% more expensive than the PS5 Slim, consumers might be a little annoyed by the fact that they’ll have to spend money. more Simply use the console according to the manufacturer’s instructions. After unpacking and installing the base, I have to say that it’s not as secure or sturdy as you might think; you manually screw it into the bottom of the console, but it still feels a little bent and loose. It stands up, which is nice, but I feel like it would snap under a little pressure.
Like I said, I move the console from room to room almost every week, and a stand like this feels cheap…it really doesn’t make me feel confident.
For a machine with a price tag of £700, I was a bit surprised at the obstacles and challenges I encountered setting up and using it in the first few days of owning it. I’m familiar with consoles and technology – I do it every day – so I’ve managed to figure out and fix a lot of these issues myself. But honestly, I think the average consumer might be a little blindsided by all this. We’re still a long way from something that works “out of the box.”
That said, I’m having a great time with the software so far. I couldn’t get over being born again. Even “Elden Ring” seems to be just better Play. I fired up Bloodborne again and spent a few hours browsing through everything and enjoying the fast loading times. I will 100% use my Portal more now, thanks to any magic that allows it to “talk” to the machine better.
It still sucks that small but important features are locked behind a £700 paywall. I’m looking forward to running Monster Hunter Wilds on this machine – I imagine the performance boost it provides to Capcom’s RE engine will be meaningful (I regret not trying the latest beta on the Pro).
I do think I’ll enjoy using this machine now that the early issues are ironed out, I just wish Sony put the same thought and intent into the user interface and software design that they put into the hardware.
Stay tuned for more of our PS5 Pro coverage coming soon, including details on just how impressive the 8K display capabilities are.
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