Let me tell you a secret. This morning I wrote an outline of my reaction to Sony’s yet-to-be-announced PS5 Pro, including my desire to pre-order it. I felt like I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. In many ways I was right. In one major way I was wrong. What follows is that article, but now with added context about the PS5 Pro’s launch price.
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Sony has just revealed its long-rumored PS5 Pro. It feels like we knew about this console before the PS5 even came out, and it’s supposed to bridge the gap between the current PS5 (which, if you can believe it, is now four years old) and the The inevitable PS6 – Just like the PS4 is ahead of the PS5.
Yes, I found out about the PS5 Pro after watching a 9-minute presentation from PS5 chief architect Mark Cerny. However, it didn’t feel as popular as the PS4 Pro at the time, so why should I pre-order it? Honestly, I don’t know.
Note 1: I did not pre-order a PS5 Pro. Pre-orders open on September 26th, and the PS5 Pro costs £700 and does not have a disc drive. It costs more.
Game consoles are stationary machines, so once a powerful game console (or at least respectable If you see this kind of jeer from behind a giant PC, it’s going to get old fast. Game developers tend to squeeze as much out of consoles as they can, so it’s not obvious, but if you look at the high-end PC gaming space, it’s fair to say that console gamers are at least a generation behind.
PS5 Pro is a niche hardware for hardcore gamers (Note 2: £700 niche) For those who are willing to pay (Note 3: Probably not that many) It’s a console that doesn’t feel behind the cutting edge of gaming. So the question I asked myself, and the question you’re probably wondering, is: should I need this?
Note 4: You could stop there. I won’t. Unless I want to accept a divorce from my wife.
The word “need” is a bit awkward when it comes to justifying a purchase. Look around you and you’ll probably see that you don’t need need Most of the stuff on your desk, let alone in your home or apartment. So, no, I don’t need a PS5 Pro. I need essential nutrients in my food, a place to sleep, etc. I have a hard time convincing myself that I’ve had five cups of coffee today. Maybe “want” is a better word. But why would I want a PS5 Pro when I already have a PS5?
Note 5: Because I have £700 in my wallet? No.
The PS4 Pro is an easy sell indeed. I just got a new 4K TV, and God of War got a 4K update, which I guess makes sense considering I spend most of my gaming time on the PS4. The PS5 Pro enters a whole different world, at least for me. My PS5 and Xbox Series X both perform well at 4K, and I tend to use the Xbox more lately (which is a pretty big shift), and to be honest, I don’t feel the PS5 has performed well enough for me to consider it a burnout. What games will I play on this new console so that I won’t regret handing it over? [insert price]?
Note 6: £700, to be honest, it would probably take a miracle of a match to not result in a huge regret.
I think the main reason I rushed to book was FOMO (Note 7: I did not pre-order. See the previous point about the pre-order date and the shocking £700 price tag, fear of missing out.) Many games I’ve played recently feel like the visuals have suffered in some way, but that’s okay because everyone feels the same way. Alan Wake 2 looks much better at 30FPS, but plays much smoother at 60FPS. Starfighter 2 is almost silky smooth at 60FPS (at least on Series X), but image clarity suffers a lot. If these issues are fixed on the PS5 Pro, which I don’t have yet, I know I’ll probably have a better experience, and FOMO will set in.
Note 8: Alan Wake 2 has been shown, and the update seems to do exactly what I want. It will cost £700 though.
[More here on actual tech improvements]
Note 9: The PS5 Pro makes games sharper with AI upscaling, offers better frame rates than the PS5, and lets developers take better advantage of ray tracing. That’s all good, but £700 isn’t bad, right?
Let’s face it. I have a soft spot for new things, even though I know they’re unlikely to be used often. Today I pre-ordered The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, a game I doubt I’ll play for months, but I don’t want to miss out on the buzz surrounding it (as I said, I probably will). I almost pre-ordered another retro handheld this morning (the Retroid Pocket 5), but talked myself out of it. I also have an Anbernic RG35XX H portable that needs to be fully set up and used, and my PS Portal and PS VR2 sit next to me, both covered in a noticeable layer of dust. Hell, even my Steam Deck hasn’t been opened in two weeks.
Note 10: Actually, it took very little effort to stop me from pre-ordering a PS5. Just the £700 price tag would do.
When buying a new console, rationality isn’t always a factor. In the early 2000s, I bought multiple Nintendo GameCubes to get different colors. (Note 11: I could have bought five more GameCubes for £700).
I think the appeal of the PS5 Pro is greater than that, but I guess time will tell. Who’s going to feel FOMO when I play Wolverine in 2025 and his claws are reflected in the entire game world (when you turn on photo mode and zoom in at impossible angles during gameplay)? I won’t (Note 12: Actually it was me, as I didn’t spend £700). Absolutely not. (Note 13: Absolutely) I spent 15 hours playing this game before going back to play other games on Xbox Game Pass. Money well spent. Good job, me. You peasants (Note 14: Me, and everyone else) On a regular PS5, you can only see near The reflective area on his paw. This is so 2020!
(Note 15: Look, I thought it was going to be around £500.)
The PS5 Pro console will be available this holiday season with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $699.99, £699.99, $799.99 and ¥119,980 (tax included). It will include a 2TB SSD, a DualSense wireless controller and a copy of Astro’s Playroom pre-installed in every PS5 Pro. The PS5 Pro is available as a disc-free console, with the option to purchase the currently available PS5 disc drive separately.
PS5 Pro will be released on November 7It will be available at participating retailers and PlayStation Direct in 2024. Pre-orders will begin on September 26, 2024.
