Photo Credit: Sony

Sony’s PlayStation 5 has been a massive success. Four years later, in hopes of riding consumer enthusiasm, the PlayStation 5 Pro version has finally been unveiled and confirmed for a release date of November 7, 2024. Nevertheless, this new version comes with a plethora of new features and caveats that may turn many players off.

The main selling point of the PS5 Pro is its upgraded specs. The console boasts 8K resolution and a GPU with 67% more compute units (a measure of resource expenditure). Its memory is 28% faster than its predecessor, rendering games 45% faster. It also includes AI upscaling for a sharper picture and enhanced raytracing, allowing light rays to be rendered at double the speed of the original PS5. The internal storage of the console has been increased from 825 GB on the base console (or 1 TB on the slim model) to 2 TB.
The console’s lead architect, Mark Cerny, explained in the console showcase that the main goal of these features was to eliminate the need for players to choose between ‘Performance’ and ‘Fidelity’ modes. Following these enhancements, several PS5 games will be updated for the new console, including the console’s best sellers such as Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart.

While these enhancements are impressive, many problems prevent this version of the console from becoming the definitive one. First, the console is not cheap, costing a staggering 959.99 CAD. If that wasn’t bad enough, the console will not come with a disc drive installed, meaning that people who prefer physical games will have to spend additional money for an external reader. For comparison, the original PS5 cost 629.99 CAD and featured a disc drive packaged in.

To make things worse, the console’s enhancements are, in truth, quite meager compared to how they sound. Images of the original PS5 gameplay compared to PS5 Pro gameplay show few differences aside from far-off details being slightly clearer. For the hefty price, the improved graphics are not enough to sell most people on getting this console, especially if they already have a PS5.

So far, the reception of the PS5 Pro has been very mixed among players. The price and overall lackluster improvement in graphics have turned many people away from purchasing the console. This is the second Pro version of a console Sony has made, the first one being for the PS4. If this is the direction Pro consoles are going, that’s not a good sign for the overall future of game consoles if companies are allowed to charge so much while delivering so little. Only time will tell how those future consoles will fare.