PS5 Pro Drops At $700, Gamers Suddenly Realize They Have Hobbies, Friends, And Grass To Touch
Look, I get it. The PS5 Pro is finally here, and Sony has decided that the price of admission to the next generation of gaming is roughly the same as a used Honda Civic with a check engine light. The official price tag is $699.99, which in real people money is “are you out of your goddamn mind?” But let’s not pretend this is a surprise. Sony has been edging us for months with rumors, leaks, and the subtle implication that if you don’t buy this, you’re basically a caveman playing with a rock and a stick.
The specs are, admittedly, not terrible. You get a souped-up GPU that can actually do ray tracing without making your console sound like a jet engine trying to take off from a runway made of broken dreams. There’s 2TB of storage, which is enough to hold maybe three Call of Duty games and a single screenshot of Elden Ring. And yes, it supports Wi-Fi 7, which is great if you live in a Best Buy parking lot and need to download 4K porn at the speed of light.
But here’s the real kicker: the PS5 Pro doesn’t come with a disc drive. Oh, you want to play the physical copies of games you already own? That’ll be an extra $80 for the attachable disc drive. And a vertical stand? That’s another $30. So if you want the full experience, you’re looking at a cool $810 before tax, before a single game, before you realize you could have just bought a mid-tier gaming PC and a bag of weed for the same price.
The internet, predictably, has lost its collective mind. Reddit is currently a dumpster fire of hot takes, with threads like “Is Sony trying to speedrun bankruptcy?” and “I can’t believe I’m defending the Xbox Series S, but here we are.” The AITA crowd is already chiming in: “AITA for telling my friend he’s an idiot for buying a PS5 Pro at launch?” The answer is NTA, by the way. But also, yes, you are the asshole for caring this much about someone else’s bad financial decisions.
Let’s talk about the actual value proposition. Sony claims the PS5 Pro will deliver “stunning 4K visuals” and “60 frames per second without compromise.” But here’s the thing: the base PS5 already does that for most games. The Pro is essentially a console for people who have a 4K OLED TV, a magnifying glass, and a burning need to see the individual pores on Nathan Drake’s face while he’s hanging off a cliff for the fifth time.
The real target audience here isn’t hardcore gamers. It’s the FOMO crowd. The same people who bought a PS4 Pro and then immediately realized their PS4 was fine. The same people who upgraded their iPhone every year and then complained about having to buy a new charger. Sony knows that if you’ve already spent $500 on a base PS5, you’re probably not going to drop another $700 for marginal improvements. But if you’re the kind of person who buys a new graphics card every time Nvidia sneezes, you’re already lining up outside GameStop with a tent and a protein bar.
And let’s not forget the games. What exclusive titles are going to make this console worth it? Spider-Man 2? Already on PS5. God of War Ragnarök? Already on PS5. The Last of Us Part III? Not even announced. So you’re basically paying $700 for a console that plays the same games, but slightly prettier. It’s like buying a Ferrari to drive to the grocery store. Yeah, it’s cool, but you’re still buying expired milk and a bag of chips.
The real irony here is that Sony is releasing this console at a time when the industry is in a weird place. Games are taking longer to make, budgets are ballooning, and everyone is obsessed with “live service” crap that nobody asked for. The PS5 Pro feels like a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist. It’s the gaming equivalent of buying a $1,000 office chair when you work from home, but you spend most of your day lying on the couch anyway.
But hey, let’s not be totally negative. There are some upsides. For one, the PS5 Pro might actually be quieter than the base model. Remember when Sony had to recall those early PS5s because they sounded like a lawnmower? Good times. The Pro also has more powerful ray tracing, which means you can see your own reflection in a puddle while you’re getting your ass kicked by a boss. Progress.
Also, the price drop of the original PS5 is already happening. If you don’t care about 8K or whatever, you can snag a base PS5 for like $400 during Black Friday. That’s basically a steal. But let’s be real, you’re probably going to buy the Pro anyway because you have no self-control and you want to flex on your friends who still have a PS4.
So, what’s the verdict? Is the PS5 Pro worth it? If you have more money than sense, sure. If you’re a normal human being with bills, a social life, and the ability to touch grass, just stick with what you have. The PS5 Pro is a luxury item for people who care about frame rates more than their 401k. And honestly, that’s fine. We all have our vices. Some people buy $5 lattes. Some people buy $700 consoles. Some people do both and wonder why they’re broke.
But if you’re still reading this and you’re seriously considering dropping a grand on a console that doesn’t even come with a disc drive, just know that I’m judging you. And so is everyone else.
Final Thoughts
After years of chasing raw power, the PS5 Pro feels less like a generational leap and more like a high-end luxury trim for an existing car—smoother, quieter, and sharper, but fundamentally the same journey. While the PSSR upscaling and ray tracing upgrades are impressive on a technical level, the real question is whether gamers are willing to pay a premium for a console that largely solves problems the base model didn't have, rather than creating new experiences. Ultimately, the Pro serves a niche audience of enthusiasts with deep pockets and 120Hz displays, but for the vast majority, the standard PS5 remains the more compelling—and sensible—investment.