The PS5 Pro reveal is incredibly disappointing, as a $700 marginal upgrade to an already powerful console is a big ask.
Sony’s technical presentation showed off the PlayStation 5 Pro, a mid-generation upgrade from the base PS5. The features, broken down by Tom’s Guide, are as follows:
The PS5 Pro will have 65% more GPU, 28% faster memory, advanced ray-tracing, and PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) which should provide sharper images and increase clarity.
All of this is to say that the Pro model will try to provide the player with better graphics and a smoother gameplay experience, cutting out the need to choose between fidelity(which prioritizes graphics) and performance (which prioritizes framerate/gameplay).
The “upgrades” that were made to the newer model are very minor, and I feel as though most people will not be able to tell the difference.
The consumer has to factor in that the Pro model does not come with a vertical stand or disk drive, accessories that should already come with the console. What if people want to play their physical copies of their games? What if you want to make the console stand up to make space? Sony is demanding an additional $100 combined if you want those items, which brings the total up to $800. Again, a big ask when you can pay $500 for all of these features on the PS5.
That is the problem. The base model, as explained by Sony, has much better details, graphical capabilities, a much higher frame cap at 60 FPS, and the DualSense controller that senses haptic feedback (with tension on the triggers and an environment-based vibration).
If you factor in the lightning-fast loading times and the ray-tracing capabilities/4k graphics, you already have a console that is far and away much better than the PS4.
These features are the reason I paid around $500 for mine a few months back. Why would I ever consider paying a couple hundred dollars more for minor upgrades? If The Pro was far better than the base, this would be an immediate buy from me, but I just do not see how anyone can get behind this.
There will be some games like Final Fantasy VII that will be greatly enhanced with the power of the PS5 Pro, but again, the base version is already powerful.
Is the Pro upgrade necessary? No, not really. You should keep saving money to get a gaming PC or buy the base model. However, if you do end up buying the PS5 Pro, make sure to get a high-end TV or a really good pair of glasses.
