Sony PS5 Pro vs PS5: Why the price hike and is it worth paying more?

Sony revealed the PS5 Pro to the public earlier this week, featuring an all-new GPU, a 2TB SSD, AI-powered upscaling, and a significantly higher price tag of $699 (around ₹60,000). This price has divided gamers, raising the question of whether the PS5 Pro is worth the extra money compared to the base PS5 console, which costs $499, or ₹54,990 in India. As it stands, the PS5 Pro is a mid-cycle refresh, similar to how the PS4 Pro was to the PS4 Slim, and it is being introduced to address the growing demand for enhanced performance—high frame rates while maintaining graphical fidelity. Sony claims that this is precisely what the PS5 Pro offers, but the console comes with several other features. Read on to determine if spending an additional $699 on the PS5 Pro makes sense.

PS5 Pro For $699: Are You Getting Your Money’s Worth?

The PS5 delivers impressive visuals for a console priced at ₹54,990, and if you were to build a PC around this price, you’d be disappointed with the performance—it cannot sustain the same level of performance, even four years after the PS5’s launch. This highlights the value for money that the PS5 offers. However, for enthusiasts, having the best of both worlds—performance and visuals—is crucial, and that’s where the PS5 Pro comes in. 

Simply put, the PS5 typically offers two gameplay modes: Performance or Fidelity. Most players choose the Performance mode for higher frame rates, but this lowers the resolution and makes the visuals less striking. The PS5 Pro aims to change this by allowing players to enjoy popular games like The Last of Us Part II, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, and Hogwarts Legacy in Fidelity mode at 60fps. This is achievable thanks to the PS5 Pro’s new GPU, which gets 67% more Compute Units than the current PS5 console and features 28% faster memory. Additionally, Sony claims that ray tracing performance is now double or even triple that of the current PS5.

Sony is also introducing its own version of NVIDIA’s DLSS, called PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution. Sony asserts that this technology uses AI and machine learning to enhance visual detail by upscaling images. These features come with the PS5 Pro, and while they may not be essential for everyone, enthusiasts seeking the best possible experience with Sony’s exclusives will certainly appreciate them.

PS5 Pro: These Reasons May Have Contributed to the Price Increase

At $699 without the disc drive, the PS5 Pro is an expensive console. However, considering factors such as inflation, rising manufacturing costs, and the underperformance of rivals like Microsoft, a price hike was anticipated. It is also worth noting that the Nintendo Switch 2 has not yet been released, which may have given Sony the leverage to set a higher price.

The backlash may also stem from past trends. For instance, the PS4 Pro launched at $400, the same price as the PS4, which was subsequently discounted. But that was eight years ago, and the tech landscape has significantly changed since then, with Sony leading in console sales and high manufacturing demand.