The PlayStation 5 Pro was first shown off at a technical presentation on September 10, 2024, and released on November 7. With so many upgrades, redesigns, and new features, the PS5 Pro is touted as the console killer for this generation.
However, this upgrade comes at a cost, with the newer console priced at $250 more than the regular PlayStation. So, is this new console worth upgrading to, or should you stick to the base or the slim model?
In this article, we’ll take a look at the performance, specs, and design improvements and decide whether the new console is something you should buy.
Performance & Specs Compared
The PS5 Pro has a lot of upgrades compared to the original PS5, and it shows. Mainly, the new console features a better GPU, which has a 67% bump in compute units. The memory is 28% faster, meaning that the new PS5 Pro can render games 45% faster.
This is a huge improvement over the PS5, which only had 10.28 TFLOPs, whereas the PS5 Pro has 16.7 TFLOPs.
Pro also has advanced ray tracing, which allows the PS5 Pro to render more realistic shadows, reflections, and lighting. This was shown off during the Technical Presentation where they showed off Gran Turismo 7.
It’s 2024, so we can’t forget about AI. The PS5 Pro has a brand new feature called PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), which allows the Pro to add more detail to images without limiting framerates.
Another big thing we see is an upgraded SSD capacity. The base PS5 came with an 825GB SSD and the Slim has a 1TB SSD. The Pro model, on the other hand, comes with a 2TB SSD.
Now, the more premium console comes with the latest Wi-Fi 7 technology, compared to the older Wi-Fi 6 tech in the original PS5. This is the perfect time to add the latest Wi-Fi tech to the console since Comcast announced their DOCSIS 4.0 gateway, which comes with Wi-Fi 7.
If you’re someone who uses remote play features on your phone or the PlayStation Portal to play PS5 games, the PS5 Pro should pair up amazingly well with any of the Xfinity Internet plans, allowing you to play games without lag on the go.
Not just that, you should also have a smoother online gaming experience with the Pro console, compared to the original PS5.
Size Changes & Design Improvements
The PS5 Pro measures 15.2 x 3.5 x 8.5in or 388 x 89 x 216mm. This means that it has similar dimensions to the original PS5, and is a little taller than the PS5 Slim. It weighs 6.8 lbs or 3.1kg, almost the same as the PS5 Slim, which weighs 7.1 lbs or 3.2kg.
The front of the console has a Type-C USB port that supports 10Gbps speeds as well as a second high-speed Type-C USB port. On the back of the console, you’ll find two Type-A USB ports that support 10Gbps as well as an Ethernet, Power, and HDMI port.
The design of the PS5 Pro is similar to the Slim version since they share the same aesthetic and design language. However, the Pro features more stripes in the middle part of the console. Other than this, the front has the same design as the original PS5.
You’ll be able to swap out the face plates later on once they’re available for the console.
One thing to know is that the PS5 Pro comes in a digital-only format for now. However, you can buy the vertical stand and the disc drive separately, since they aren’t included in the box. The disc drive will allow you to play PS5 and PS4 discs, as well as DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K discs.
You can also expand the storage using an M.2 NVMe SSD or use external storage using the USB ports.
Our Verdict on the PS5 Pro
The $699.99 price tag for the PS5 Pro is hard to justify, especially if you buy the disc drive and the vertical stand, costing $79.99 and $29.99 respectively, which means that the entire console can cost you more than $800 at full price.
Currently, there aren’t a lot of games that take full advantage of the hardware upgrade. Games confirmed include Alan Wake 2, Dragon’s Dogma 2, Demon’s Souls, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Gran Turismo 7, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, The Last of Us Part I, and The Last of Us Part II Remastered.
While the fidelity and performance upgrades sound appealing, most games are optimized for the base PS5 console. If you already own a PlayStation 5, you probably don’t need to upgrade to the Pro version, unless you have a 120Hz display and wish to play at 4K resolution with a consistent framerate.
We recommend getting the PS5 Slim version with the disc drive, which should leave you with enough money for games, as well as the DualSense Edge controller that offers a significant amount of customization.
