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The PlayStation 5 Pro now costs $899.99 in the US. You read that right: $899.99. However, Americans aren't the only people getting smashed by the console's new prices. On May 1, many Asian nations will feel the impact of higher Sony production costs, including Singapore, where the PS5 Pro's price will rise to $1,167. Yikes. Yes, the PS5 Pro is more powerful than the two base PS5 models (which also received price hikes), thanks to superior AI upscaling, better ray tracing, and a faster Wi-Fi chip. But is it really worth nearly a grand? I reviewed both PlayStation 5 consoles and am here to tell you what to expect from each model before you set yourself back big bucks.
Price: The $250 Difference
Neither PlayStation 5 console was cheap to begin with, and they've each gotten more expensive over the years. At $899.99, the PS5 Pro is currently the priciest console available due to "continued pressures in the global economic landscape." It's not the only Sony system to receive a price hike. The standard PS5 with an optical drive is now $649.99, and the digital-only version moves to $599.99. This means the PS5 Pro is now at least $250 more expensive than the base PS5. That's a good chunk of money that could otherwise let you buy several PS5 games.
Winner: PS5
Ray Tracing: Which System Does It Better?
The PS5 has the necessary muscle to bring ray tracing to its game library, but the PS5 Pro is even better at it—with optimized titles. Ray tracing is a 3D rendering technology that simulates the behavior of light to produce realistic reflections and lighting effects. The PS5 Pro features a more advanced version of the PS5's ray tracing tech, which translates into more realistic light and reflections (Alan Wake II and Doom: The Dark Ages are standout titles). However, the effects only appear in select titles specifically enhanced for the PS5 Pro, and not every game on that limited list uses it.
Winner: PS5 Pro
AI Upscaling: Giving Games a 4K Boost
The PS5 Pro introduces PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR). Sony refers to it as "AI-enhanced resolution," which enhances games to 4K while maintaining a high frame rate. It wasn't entirely clear when PSSR was active during testing, but the PS5 Pro consistently produced higher frame rates and a sharper 4K picture than the PS5 under the same conditions. Similar to the ray tracing situation, games must be PS5 Pro Enhanced to use PSSR.
Winner: PS5 Pro
Game Performance: Will Your Favorite Titles Run Faster?
Games on the PS5 Pro Enhanced list see better performance and visual fidelity. The problem? Of the hundreds of titles in the PS5's library, only 50+ releases benefit from the extra power. If the game you want to play isn't one of them, it won't receive much, if any, frame rate or graphics improvements. So, most games will play roughly the same on both systems.
Winner: Tie
Wi-Fi: Version 6 vs. Version 7
The PS5 Pro has an upgrade worth highlighting: support for the newer Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) wireless standard. The PS5 only supports Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), which is very fast but not exactly future-proof.
Winner: PS5 Pro
Storage: Which Console Has the Space to Hold Your Games?
The PS5 Pro features a 2TB SSD, which offers significantly more storage capacity than the PS5 Slim (1TB SSD) and the original PS5 (825GB). More storage is better, especially if you plan to go digital-only or play incredibly large games, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, which weighs in at over 300GB with all its content installed.
Winner: PS5 Pro
Optical Drive: Do You Need One?
This is where the PS5 Pro represents a step down from the base model. The $649.99 PS5 Slim features an optical drive, whereas the $899.99 PS5 Pro does not. Instead, you must pony up an extra $79.99 for the Sony Disc Drive if you want physical game support with the Pro. That's just shy of $980 in total!
Winner: PS5
And The Winner Is...
Sony PlayStation 5
The PS5 Pro is unquestionably the more powerful of the two consoles, which is why it wins many categories in this head-to-head comparison. However, it isn't the system we recommend to most people. The standard PS5 still packs a punch, with strong 4K performance and ray tracing effects, for at least $250 less. It would be a more difficult decision if the PS5 Pro had an optical drive, but its exclusion means you'd pay an additional $79.99 for an external disc drive if you're already invested in physical media. Plus, there's no guarantee that the PS5 Pro will improve the visual quality of your games, as little more than 50 titles currently support Pro-based enhancements. That's a lot of ifs to justify a hefty premium. With that in mind, most PlayStation buyers will be plenty happy with the regular PS5, and with an extra $250 in their pocket to buy games.
