PS5 Pro: Price, New Features, And Is The Upgrade Really Worth It?

Remember the time when we witnessed people lining up for hours just to be able to purchase a boxed PlayStation 5 before stock ran out yet again? The PlayStation 5 was launched during the COVID-19 pandemic in November 2020, and the fact that the hype surrounding it has gradually died down four years later is no surprise. While many anticipated Sony to follow its previous pattern of refreshing a console with a "Pro" variant on the PlayStation 5's third anniversary last year, the gaming giant introduced the PlayStation 5 Slim instead.

Rumors and leaks about a potential PS5 Pro started surfacing earlier this year during March 2024, and sure enough, Sony officially announced the Pro variant of the PlayStation 5 today. The newest console is undoubtedly at the higher end of what the rumors suggested price-wise, and will retail for a hefty price of $700.

Ultimately, this raises the question — what does the PlayStation 5 Pro bring to the table, and are they compelling enough to convince you to upgrade? Or, would it be worth using the new release to your advantage and consider purchasing the PlayStation 5 at a discounted price instead? 

While it doesn't come with a disc drive, Mark Cerny, the lead architect of the PS5, mentioned that the PlayStation 5 Pro supersedes the PlayStation 5 in three key ways. The PlayStation 5 Pro boasts an upgraded, larger GPU with 67% more Computer Units than the standard PS5. It also has 28% faster RAM, ultimately enabling up to 45% faster rendering. Additionally, the PS5 Pro features advanced ray tracing capabilities, with Sony claiming that it can perform ray tracing calculations at double or even triple the speed of the regular PS5. Lastly, the PS5 Pro is also equipped with hardware dedicated to PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), an AI-assisted upscaling mode that enhances detail and graphics. The PlayStation 5 Pro includes a feature called Game Boost, which will enhance the performance of supported games by stabilizing or improving their performance and providing smoother gameplay.

Put simply, the PlayStation 5 Pro is no PlayStation 6, and it'd be unfair of us to expect that. Ultimately, this means that the newest iteration will feature incremental improvements targeted at enhancing your gaming experience. If better reflections in games like "Hogwarts Legacy" and overall graphical enhancements are important to you, the PS5 Pro could be worth the upgrade. However, for the average user, especially those who already own a PS5, the new model probably does not offer enough to justify the purchase.

With the PlayStation 6 likely still four years away, if the PS5 Pro's enhancements don't appeal to you, it might be wiser to wait for discounts on the standard PS5, which are likely to arrive once the Pro is released. This could make the original PS5 a more affordable option. The PlayStation 5 Pro is set to launch on November 7, 2024, with preorders starting on September 26, 2024.