PS5 Pro Reveal Fails to Impress
In what is likely the most known about secret in gaming, it was revealed last week that we would be getting a mid-generation console refresh for the PS5 later this year on November 7th. Of course, this was widely speculated about before the reveal and most people within the gaming industry expected to see Sony unveil the PS5 Pro sometime before the end of the year. What they may not have expected, however, was just how much the console was going to cost and all the implications that go along with that reveal.
We’ll get to the actual additions to the Pro later (since there aren’t too many) but the part of the console that has everybody talking is it’s price. The Pro will launch at £699.99/$699.99 making it the company’s second most expensive console ever when accounting for inflation (the PS3 and its insane price point retains its crown for now). This is compared to the current asking price of £479.99 for a base PS5. A £220 bump is a lot of money and, for what is being added, it seems a little steep.
As you can imagine, many fans are none too happy with this reveal. Comments on the YouTube video and PlayStation blog are awash with criticisms about the slight improvements at a premium price point. The most egregious part, however, is that the console will be all digital. That means that you’ll have to but the roughly £99.99 disc drive if you want to play any physical games. On top of that, there isn’t even a vertical stand included in this apparently premium product. Take a look at some of the comments left below:
“The Presentation was a disaster. It was too short, and with YouTube video compression, you couldn’t even tell the difference. The price is way too high. No detailed spec sheet on what the console has, no disc drive or stand included. At least add a pro controller if that is the price” – phil-busta
“That price tag for a console with next to zero first party output is well-and-truly in line with your baffling decisions this generation. At that price, buy a PC. All titles are going there anyway, and are way better quality and way lower prices with no PS+ requirements”- ozgamer16
Moving on from the discourse, what is being included in the Pro? What sets it apart from the base model? Well, in the announcement video, Sony confirmed that there were a trio of ‘big three’ changes that make the console worth buying. These are an upgraded GPU, advanced ray tracing and AI upscaling that are all tooled at making games look even better than they did before. But what does this mean for games on the console? For one, it means that performance and fidelity modes are now one in the same as players don’t have to choose between improved graphics and frame rate. It also means better performance with improved graphics thanks to AI upscaling. There will also be improved graphical quality for over 8,500 backwards compatible PS4 games according to the announcement.
Image by PlayStation
While these changes are impressive, even the most diehard Sony fans may find it hard to justify the £700 price. Of course, nobody is forcing anyone to buy the pro and the base console will still be able to play all games coming in the next few years, but this reveal left a lot to be desired. The PS5 Pro will launch on November 8th this year with pre-orders beginning on September 26th. If you’re looking to have the ultimate PlayStation experience, this is undoubtedly it. Whether you’re willing to pay the massive asking price for it is another question entirely.
