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In September, Sony announced the PlayStation 5 Pro and its $700 price tag. Immediately the reaction from folks online was negative. Many were confused by the high price point and weren’t convinced by Sony’s initial videos that the upgrades to games like Spider-Man 2 were worth it. After playing around with the PS5 Pro for a week ahead of its November 7 launch date, I’m both impressed by what it offers and reluctant to recommend that everyone picks one up.
Yet, for some, the PS5 Pro will be a worthwhile upgrade. The question is: Are you one of those potential people who will care about what the PS5 Pro offers? Let’s find out! I’m going to ask some questions, and we’ll figure out if you should buy a PS5 Pro. I’m here to help, so answer truthfully, and we’ll get through this together.
Do you have a 120hz 4K TV?
The PS5 technically supports 120 FPS video games, but in practice, most games can only manage 60 FPS on the base console. If that annoys you and you wish for more opportunities to play 120 FPS games, then the PS5 Pro will provide that. But you’ll need a 120hz TV to actually play games at 120 FPS. Likewise, the PS5 Pro—thanks to its AI upscaling tech known as PSSR—can run many games at 4K, leading to a sharper and cleaner image. But, again, if your TV is only 1080p, you won’t really get to enjoy that fancy upscaled 4K image.
I have a big, 4K 120hz TV with Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), which ensures gameplay is often smooth because my TV adjusts to the game’s frame rate, and all the bells and whistles. I bought it a few years ago during a really good Black Friday sale. So I’m able to fully enjoy all the PS5 Pro’s features and improvements. If you don’t have a television like that, or if you aren’t even sure if it supports 4K or 120hz, then you probably don’t need a PS5 Pro.
Do you care about ray tracing?
One of the big selling points of the PS5 Pro is the ability to play games at higher frame rates while not sacrificing all the visual features you get from 30 FPS fidelity modes. For many games, this means being able to play at 60 FPS while still having ray-traced reflections or lighting. This can make a game look more realistic and is better than screen space reflections, which tend to look messy and ugly, especially when viewed too closely.
Spider-Man: Miles Morales, for example, looks incredible at 60 FPS on PS5 Pro, with high-resolution reflections on skyscrapers helping it look almost photorealistic. Alan Wake 2’s reflections also look amazing on Pro, though the game is capped at 30 FPS. If you don’t care about enhanced reflections and shiny surfaces looking more accurate, then a lot of the PS5 Pro’s more subtle improvements, like increased draw distances in some games, will likely not matter to you either. So you probably don’t need to go buy a PS5 Pro.
Do you prefer fidelity modes over performance modes?
The moment I start a new game, the first thing I do is hop into the settings to see what I can tweak. Can I increase a game’s frame rate? Are there options to turn motion blur on or off? Is there a way to make it look nicer or run better? So, for me, a person obsessed with visuals and performance, the PS5 Pro has been a lot of fun. Most Pro-enhanced games offer multiple graphics options and performance tweaks, letting me enjoy games the way I want.
If you are someone who boots up a game and never checks the settings unless something breaks or annoys you, then the PS5 Pro might not be for you. The PS5 Pro is a console built for people who tinker with HDR settings, care about FOV, and flip between different performance options to see which they prefer. If that sounds annoying or tiring, then you likely aren’t the kind of person who would be happy spending $700+ on a PS5 Pro.
Do you already own a PS5?
If you already own a PS5 or bought one recently, then an upgrade is likely not your priority. However, if you don’t already own a PS5 and are looking to hop into this current generation of games, you might wonder if the PS5 Pro is the best option. You might think it being the most powerful console on the market and the best version of the PS5 makes it the default device to buy. But, as I’ve laid out above, the PS5 Pro isn’t for everyone.
If you just want to enjoy PS5 exclusive games like Spider-Man 2, Horizon: Forbidden West, Silent Hill 2, and a litany of other titles (and don’t own a PC that can run those games), a standard PlayStation 5 will get the job done. Games still look great on the console, and most offer solid performance modes, too. The only reason you should even think about buying a PS5 Pro as your first PS5 console is if you own a high-end TV already and care about things like VRR, 4K output, and 120 FPS options. Otherwise, just buy a base PS5 this holiday season and enjoy it.
So, who is the PS5 Pro for?
The PlayStation 5 Pro is for a rather meticulous gamer. This gamer is someone who already owns a high-quality 4K/120hz TV or plans to buy one. They’re someone who has already invested heavily in the PlayStation ecosystem and has a collection of PS5 games they can enjoy on the PS5 Pro. They’re the type of person who cares about in-game settings and visual options, and who gets excited over the various graphical settings each game offers. You need to be the kind of person who can spot the difference between a game running at 30 FPS versus 60 or 120. You also need to care about higher resolutions and image quality. You should not only know what ray tracing is but be excited to enable it when you can.
In other words, you need to be something of an A/V enthusiast to truly enjoy the PS5 Pro.
I’ve enjoyed playing around with the one Sony sent me over the last week, as I’m the kind of person this $700 super-console was designed for. But I’m not convinced most people should buy a PS5 Pro. That’s not to say the Pro is worthless or a bad idea.
While some online have scoffed at the idea of a more powerful PS5, I think Sony’s plan makes sense. As confirmed by Sony’s own data, players generally prefer performance modes over fidelity modes in most games. So building a console focused on letting players enjoy smooth frame rates without sacrificing fancy visuals or high resolutions is a sensible strategy.
The challenge Sony faces is that many people are satisfied with their base PS5 and the options it provides. And after spending a week with the PS5 Pro, I’m confident in saying it’s really for the detail-obsessed gamers willing to spend $700 to make already great-looking games look even better on their big 120hz TVs. That might not be you, and that’s okay because you aren’t missing out on anything you care about anyway.
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Kurt Indovina
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