Is the PS5 Pro Worth $700? A Deep Dive into Sony’s Most Powerful Console

The highly anticipated PS5 Pro, set to hit the market on November 7th, has officially been crowned the most powerful PlayStation to date. The crucial question on many gamers’ minds is whether this powerhouse, costing a staggering $700 — the highest price ever for a Sony console — is truly justified.

To tackle this question, let’s first take a moment for a practical exercise: grab a measuring tape.

Measure the distance from your preferred gaming seat to the TV screen, and take a diagonal measurement of your display. Is your TV a popular size like 65 inches or 55 inches? Sitting more than 10 feet away? If this sounds familiar, the answer is likely no; investing $700 in the PS5 Pro may not yield the visual enhancements you’d hope for, even if your eyesight is as sharp as 20/20.

However, if you prefer to be seated closer to the screen, the PS5 Pro transforms select games into visual marvels. Imagine experiencing the vibrant detail of individual blades of grass, the rugged textures of stone pillars, and the intricacies of a backpack’s fabric; at a shorter distance, this heightened fidelity draws you in and may even compel you to reposition for an immersive experience, possibly connecting the PS5 Pro to a 4K computer monitor for a gaming PC-like experience.

In comparison, playing on the original PS5 might feel akin to peering through a murky window; the PS5 Pro unleashes its potential by effectively cleaning that window and enhancing the overall visual experience.

Sony PlayStation 5 Pro

$699

The Good

• It’s a PS5, but with mid-range PC graphics quality
• Fewer tough choices between fidelity and framerate
• Slight improvements to PS4 game sharpness too
• Smaller, lighter, and quieter than original PS5

The Bad

• 699 US dollars
• Disc drive costs extra
• No guarantees your favorite games will see improvements

It’s essential to understand that the PS5 Pro doesn’t automatically enhance every game. For noticeable improvements, players will need to seek out specifically patched “PS5 Pro Enhanced” games. Nonetheless, according to the respected Digital Foundry, it can also improve performance in some standard titles.

Additionally, the PS5 Pro should not be seen as a new generation console. Sony has been clear, making no promises of exclusive games or a groundbreaking new console generation; gamers will still enjoy access to their existing PS5 and PS4 libraries, all powered by the same AMD Zen 2 CPU cores, regular software updates, and the ergonomically acclaimed DualSense controller.

If players choose beloved games that already shine on the PS5, such as the endearing Astro Bot, they might find that the only noticeable differences will be physical. The upgraded PS5 Pro features three elegantly curved scimitar-shaped fins that nicely separate its upper and lower halves and offers silent operation and surprising lightness. Weighing three pounds less than the original 2020 model, even the optional disc drive couldn’t add significant heft to it. The console is also slightly smaller in size.

Size comparison: Original PS5, PS5 Pro, PS5 Pro with disc drive.

Yet the PS5 Pro boasts an impressive upgrade, featuring an additional 2GB of DDR5 memory, doubled storage capacity at 2TB, and most notably, a GPU that operates 62% faster, delivering an astonishing 16.7 teraflops of raw power. Coupled with PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), this console stands as the most formidable home gaming system ever created.

A few extra PS5 Pro reviewer’s notes:

• Two front USB-C ports are available, though one is the slower USB 2.0 version.
• The NVMe SSD expansion slot is still easy to upgrade.
• Remote Play may not see significant upgrades, but performance improvements boost resolution in PS5 Pro performance modes.
• It operates at cool temperatures, missing the chance to serve as an impromptu foot warmer yesterday.
• Many PS5 Pro Enhanced titles feature targeted rather than fixed framerates, boasting faster performance on variable refresh rate (VRR) screens.
• The PS5 Pro can boost the performance of non-enhanced games as well, provided they have unlocked framerates. See Digital Foundry for more.
• Some PS5 Pro Enhanced titles showcase 120Hz modes, which potentially offer lower latency — further testing is needed.
• Ray tracing aside, initial tests found the Pro to be slightly less powerful than my 5800X / 3060 Ti gaming PC, which can run Alan Wake II with superior textures and detail.

Ultimately, the impact on gaming depends significantly on the developers’ choices. However, many studios are now suggesting that players can experience both smoothness and fidelity with stunning 4K graphics at 60 frames per second — a remarkable achievement.

During Sony’s PS5 Pro preview event, I conveyed that the claim of true seamlessness wasn’t fully accurate; although with only 45 percent more rendering performance, some graphical compromises still persist, my experiences switching between the original 2020 PS5 and the new PS5 Pro for several days allowed me to grasp the essence of that “best of both worlds” claim.

Every title I played, while maintaining a seating distance no greater than eight feet from a 65-inch TV, demonstrated that the PS5 Pro undoubtedly provides an enhanced gaming experience.

In The Last of Us, I appreciated the clarity of individual blades of grass instead of a monotonous sea of green. Titles like Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered presented more definition with peach fuzz visible on Aloy’s cheeks. In other beloved games such as Spider-Man 2, Demon’s Souls, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and The Last of Us Part II, the greater sharpness and smoothness added realism to vibrant cityscapes and environments, enhancing the experience tremendously.

Even older PS4 titles received a welcome boost in clarity on the PS5 Pro; I revisited Bloodborne, Gravity Rush 2, and the family-friendly favorite Lego Dimensions, each benefiting from new image enhancement options available in the console’s settings menu.

However, my couch is situated 12 feet from the TV. At that distance, the differences between the PS5 and PS5 Pro become increasingly challenging to discern, with only subtle changes observable when I edge closer at 10 feet.

Most titles naturally won’t experience such significant improvements.

Tap here for full-size image. From left to right: PS5 “Performance-Sharp” mode, PS5 “Graphics” mode, PS5 Pro “Versatility” mode.

Nevertheless, don’t anticipate the PS5 Pro to necessarily boost graphics in ways you might desire. Titles such as FFVII Rebirth still exhibit the common pop-in phenomenon, with shrubs and flora materializing just as you approach them. The same can be said for Alan Wake II, where sideburns and facial hair flicker in and out of visibility.

Speaking of Alan Wake II, this title is among the few PS5 Pro Enhanced games that features an optional ray tracing mode. This mode offers ray-traced reflections, although it pales in comparison to the advanced ray tracing available on high-end gaming PCs. Nonetheless, the realistic reflections visible in the Oh Deer Diner’s windows showcasing the entire environment are genuinely impressive. While the game operates at a lowered 30fps, the performance remains playable and acceptable.

Image slider: swipe left to remove Alan Wake II’s ray traced reflections from the window and puddle. Larger images here and here.

The ray tracing capabilities observed in Alan Wake II (and titles like F1 24) provide a tantalizing glimpse into the PS5 Pro’s potential futures — assuming adequate sales propel developers to focus on new games tailored for this console. The PS4 Pro eventually boasted an extensive library of enhanced titles, but it opened at a more accessible price point of $400, complete with an optical drive, attractive trade-in offers at retailers, and a more convincing case for elevating games from 1080p to 4K resolution.

Setting the price tag of $700 poses a challenge for many potential buyers, especially in the absence of an optical drive. Personally, I found most of my PS5 and PS4 titles are disc-based, necessitating an $80 optical drive that I had to hunt down due to limited availability to play my games. Sony generously provided review codes as alternative access.

Adding the optional $80 disc drive is incredibly easy — no screws, just pop the panel off.

It’s also worth noting that reviewers did not have access to the complete collection of 55 PS5 Pro Enhanced patches promised by Sony for launch day. Prominent titles potentially benefiting from enhancements, such as the newly released Dragon Age: The Veilguard and Star Wars Jedi Survivor, have not yet released their patches. Therefore, some games that remain untested may showcase improvements (or lack thereof) compared to those I could evaluate. As it stands, after extensive hands-on experience, I felt I encountered a range from impressive to underwhelming. Like the PS4 Pro, there exists genuine potential if developers leverage the enhanced hardware correctly.

Following the PS5 Pro announcement, including its eye-watering price and absence of an optical drive, a wave of skepticism has emerged from tech enthusiasts. Some argue that spotting the differences in visual quality requires a magnifying glass. Others contend that assembling a gaming PC may offer a superior experience. While these points carry some merit, it might not be feasible to create a comparable setup for the same $700 budget.

To illustrate, I previously launched The Last of Us Part I on my mid-range gaming PC, which boasts a graphics card worth approximately $300 alone. Loading times were excruciating — a 15-minute wait to compile shaders, followed by a game plagued with graphical glitches like buggy hair and dull mirrors. Subsequent adjustments took an additional 20 minutes to make the gameplay somewhat enjoyable.

In contrast, setting up the PS5 Pro on the same 4K monitor resulted in immediate game loading, along with a visually stunning and playable experience right from the start.

For gamers who desire an effortless experience and seek top-notch performance, the PS5 Pro perfectly aligns with their craving for a seamless and immersive gaming experience. This console is perfect for anyone eager to invest in a superior gaming setup while positioning themselves very close to the screen for the ultimate experience.

Update, November 6th: Added links to Digital Foundry for discussion of how the PS5 Pro’s Game Boost can also speed up framerates in some normal PS5 games.

;_a]:shadow-underline-white”>of issues. In ‍contrast, the PS5 Pro is designed to deliver a more streamlined experience with less hassle. It ‍puts the focus back on gaming rather than the technical intricacies of system configuration that ‌often accompany PC gaming.

Ultimately, ‌the PS5 Pro​ seems to aim at cementing its place in⁣ the console market​ while catering⁢ to those ​who may be hesitant to ​embrace gaming PCs or face ‌the challenges ‍of upgrading their existing setup. The enticing aspect lies in its compatibility ‌with existing PS5 libraries and the promise of enhanced gaming experiences, ⁣albeit with some limitations observed during ​the⁣ early impressions.