The PS5 Pro and its $700 price tag divide our staff

Being able to afford something means more than just having the money it costs. It also means having the necessary desire and need to convince yourself that the price matches its value. When I say I can’t afford to take a $40 Uber ride home from the office, but then spend $60 on Uber Eats when I get home, what I mean is that I find being cooked for more valuable than being chauffeured. (Especially since I live in a city with the best food and the best public transit system in the country—no matter how badly we New Yorkers talk about the latter.)

Likewise, if My city Editor Zack Zwiezen claims $700 for a PS5 Pro is a “fair price,” but our senior editor Alyssa Mercante writes, “I can’t justify spending more on a video game console than I do on a quarterly Botox session.” They’re telling us what experiences are so important to them that they’re willing to pay extra for them.

My version of Alyssa’s Botox argument is that for the price of a PS5 that’s only slightly more advanced than the one I already own, I might as well buy two or three cool RRL pieces for fall, my favorite season to wear, so that’s probably going to be my next big purchase, not the PS5 Pro.

But maybe you’re still undecided. If so, read on to learn Zack and Alyssa’s differing thoughts in detail, as well as the internet’s reaction to Sony’s announcement, side-by-side comparisons between games on the PS5 and PS5 Pro, and information on when you can pre-order one if you care more about graphics than Botox or fashion.