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    • PlayStation 5 Pro: 5 burning questions we have about Sony’s new console
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    PlayStation 5 Pro: 5 burning questions we have about Sony’s new console

    Vaseline Posted on

    Finally Sony has the curtain lifted on the PlayStation 5 Pro. This new console will be significantly more powerful than the standard PS5, with new upscaling technology, better frame rates, and significantly improved ray tracing capabilities. But with that increased power comes a higher cost.

    As we await the PS5 Pro’s November 7 release, we tackle the biggest questions surrounding the new console at the moment. Is its higher price tag justified? How many games will actually benefit from all its horsepower? And why on earth are we still being charged extra for a kickstand? Here are our burning questions about the PS5 Pro.

    Is it really too expensive?

    The PlayStation 5 Pro was easily one of the worst-kept secrets in gaming, so its announcement didn’t exactly come as a surprise to most gamers. What did shock many, however, was the price tag. Sony is asking $699 for the Pro, which is a significant jump from the $449 MSRP for the standard, drive-less PS5. Many gamers feel that the PS5 Pro is just too expensive.

    But is that a fair assessment? Yes, the price difference is a lot bigger than what we saw with the PS4 and PS4 Pro. But Sony is specifically touting the vastly improved GPU. When you consider that in the PC gaming space, a decent mid-range card like the Radeon RX 6800 costs around $500 on its own, is $699 for a full-fledged high-end gaming rig really such a bad deal?

    Also consider that the PlayStation 3 originally launched in 2006 for $600. This isn’t the first time Sony has released new hardware at a significant premium over its competitors. The PS3 may have been twice as expensive as the Nintendo Wii at the time, but it was also vastly more powerful. And let’s not forget that the recently announced iPhone 16which is designed to play AAA games with hardware-accelerated ray tracing, is available starting at a suggested retail price of $999.

    Is $699 for a full-fledged, high-end gaming console really such a bad deal?

    On the other hand, the PS3 comparison is a bit off when you consider that that console represented a generational leap forward in graphical fidelity. The PS5 Pro is merely a mid-generation revision of an existing console.

    As for the iPhone, while it may be a lot more expensive than a PS5 Pro, it’s also a much more versatile multimedia device (and a phone, of course!). A Steam Deck might be a better comparison, and even the most expensive model is still cheaper than the PS5 Pro.

    Ultimately, the PS5 Pro probably isn’t too expensive for what it offers. Yes, you can build a modest gaming PC for $699, but that PC can’t compete on the same graphical playing field. Even with a price tag that high, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Sony sell this console at a loss.

    The real question is whether the PS5 Pro offers enough benefits to justify the 64% price increase over the base model. We’ll have to wait until we see real-world benchmarks and get a feel for how games actually look and perform on the new console.

    How many games are being improved for the PS5 Pro?

    The PS5 Pro’s main selling point is clear: it’s intended to offer better gaming performance than the standard PS5. The aim of this system is to eliminate the need for separate performance and fidelity modes. Gamers no longer have to choose between a high, stable framerate and the highest possible resolution. The Pro does both simultaneously.

    It’s anyone’s guess when or even if we’ll see games designed from the ground up with the PS5 Pro in mind. But we do know that Many existing PS5 games will be ‘PS5 Pro Enhanced’,” meaning they will receive updates to take full advantage of the more powerful hardware. That list includes Alan Wake 2, Gran Turismo 7, Hogwarts Legacy, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, among many others.

    The question is, how many games will be PS5 Pro Enhanced? Will this be a standard feature going forward? Will Sony make it mandatory for new games to support the PS5 Pro? Will we continue to see older first-party titles added to the PS5 Pro Enhanced lineup, like the God of War games or the earlier Spider-Man games?

    And what about the PS4 back catalogue? We know that Sony is also looking to improve upon last-gen games with features like PS5 Pro Game Boost and Enhanced Image Quality. How much of the PS4 back catalogue will be supported, and will we see new games added to the lineup over time?

    How committed is Sony to ensuring that new and existing games take advantage of this more powerful hardware? And more importantly, what happens if the PS5 Pro doesn’t sell well immediately? Sony made a big push into VR gaming when the PSVR2 launched in February 2023, but that has since slowed as it’s become clear that the headset is a niche product. If gamers aren’t sold on the PS5 Pro’s higher price tag, how aggressively do you think Sony will be in pushing out the PS5 Pro Enhanced catalog in 6-12 months’ time?

    Will Developers Charge for PS5 Pro Improvements?

    We can imagine that Sony wants as many games as possible to be included in the PS5 Pro Enhanced catalog, with every major game currently in development likely including PS5 Pro support in some form. But will we see some developers start charging money for the ability to take advantage of the new hardware? Will “PS5 Pro Enhanced” become a paid upgrade in some cases?

    For the most part, we don’t think so. Sony gave no indication in their presentation that these would be paid upgrades, and it might be difficult to expect gamers to shell out the cash for the new hardware and then pay even more on top of that to actually enjoy the full benefits of PS5 Pro gaming.

    In the case of games that are also available on PC, we think most of the work has already been done in terms of making enhanced game modes available for better hardware. In short, we doubt that “PS5 Pro Enhanced” will be a paid upgrade in most cases, unless significantly more work is done to update the base game for the new hardware. Asking for more money for better framerates and resolutions isn’t enough.

    How much better will GTA 6 look on PS Pro?

    At this point, the PS5 Pro’s success may be inextricably linked to Grand Theft Auto 6. GTA 6 is quickly developing into a one of the most important games ever releasedand it’s going to be a huge system seller. Will it be the biggest argument for buying a PS5 Pro?

    The trailer for GTA 6 is visually stunning, making us wonder if the game can really live up to that early teaser. The incredibly detailed character models and environments, and advanced lighting techniques promise to push current-gen consoles to their limits. The standard PS5 and Xbox Series X will likely be lucky to run at a stable 30fps. How much better will the experience be on the PS5 Pro?

    Based on our technical analysis of the GTA 6 trailerThe game appears to be running at 30fps at an internal base resolution of 1440p. Can the PS5 Pro beat that? Is this the only way to play GTA 6 at 60fps and/or 4K resolution? Is this where we’ll see what Sony’s new PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution technology can do?

    With GTA 6 not coming to PC right away, it’s probably safe to assume that the PS5 Pro version of the game will be the best looking and best playing version of the game available. But how big of a difference will the game be? Will the game simply run smoother, or will it genuinely feel like a leap in quality from mid-generation? If the latter, we could see a lot more gamers suddenly making the switch to the PS5 Pro a year from now.

    Why are the disk drive and stand not included?

    As we’ve already explored, the PS5 Pro probably won’t be too expensive given the sheer, raw processing power Sony is packing here. But that doesn’t mean $699 isn’t a bitter pill for most gamers to swallow. And Sony has made it that much harder to swallow by leaving out two staple pieces of hardware: the disc drive and the kickstand.

    The disc drive’s absence isn’t necessarily surprising, given how Sony and Microsoft have both begun to downplay discs in recent years. And it’s not like the option is gone. It just requires gamers to plunk down the $80 for the drive.

    Still, the lack of a disc drive stings. Really, Sony couldn’t have thrown us a bone and added a disc drive to their most expensive version of the PS5? With ridiculously high resolution being the big selling point here, don’t you want to encourage owners to max out the system and watch 4K Blu-rays instead of streaming all their video content? And what about the people upgrading from a standard disc-drive-equipped PS5 to the Pro? Why force them to choose between paying $80 extra or paying to “upgrade” to digital versions of their games?

    And what about the people upgrading from a standard disc-based PS5 to the Pro? Why force them to choose between paying an extra $80 or paying to “upgrade” to digital versions of their games?

    As for the stand, that’s just rubbing salt in the wound. Is it really necessary to charge $30 for a vertical stand? Sony couldn’t have just given the damn thing to the people who pay the better part of a month’s rent for their new console?

    The real problem here is that these additional purchases add up quickly. If you want to be able to display your PS5 Pro standing up and use your collection of physical games and Blu-rays, the price of a PS5 Pro suddenly approaches $800. In this economy? Perhaps Sony is asking too much of gamers and leaving them stuck with these extra add-ons.

    But what do you think? Is the hefty price tag justified? Will the PS5 Pro be the ultimate way to play GTA 6? What are your biggest questions about the new hardware? Let us know in the comments below.

    Vaseline
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