In Tony’s PlayStation 5 Pro review, he’ll help you decide whether the PS5 Pro is worth it, especially for those considering the upgrade from the PS5. In addition to explaining the difference between PS5 and PS5 Pro, Tony will demo the highlights of his PlayStation 5 Pro gameplay highlights experience. But he’ll also wager some of the ways that the PS5 Pro didn’t blow his mind, even if it’s objectively Sony’s best gaming console ever.
Category
🤖
TechTranscript
00:00Look, for $700, I wanted the PlayStation 5 Pro
00:02to blow my mind, and there's no doubt
00:04this is objectively Sony's most impressive,
00:06most powerful gaming system so far.
00:08But after testing this mid-generation refresh
00:10with its updated GPU, ray tracing, and AR upscaling,
00:13does it live up to the hype?
00:14Or did I set my PS5 Pro expectations a little too high?
00:19At launch, the original PS5 offered excellent performance
00:22for a gaming console, but over the years,
00:24it started to fall behind even some lower-end gaming PCs.
00:27Enter the PlayStation 5 Pro,
00:29which, like the PS4 Pro before it,
00:30gives you a noticeable boost in visuals and performance.
00:34The upgraded CPU certainly makes a difference
00:36in the games I played.
00:37Titles like Marvel's Spider-Man 2,
00:39The Last of Us 2 Remastered,
00:40and Horizon Forbidden West runs buttery smooth
00:42no matter if you're playing in their respective
00:44Fidelity or Performance Pro settings,
00:47especially if you enable features like VRR
00:49and 120Hz mode.
00:51Oh yeah, look at those buildings.
00:53Glorious ray tracing.
00:55Like on the regular PS5,
00:56I could easily tell the difference between Fidelity
00:58and Performance modes, with the latter looking
01:00and feeling much smoother than the former.
01:02However, thanks to the PS5 Pro's boosted CPU,
01:05games run much smoother
01:06than in the equivalent PS5 graphical modes.
01:08This is the smoothest I've seen these titles run,
01:10which is pretty incredible.
01:12So not only do games run better,
01:14but they also look better as well,
01:15no matter which mode you've enabled.
01:17Fidelity Pro mode in games outputs at 4K resolution,
01:20while Performance Pro upscales to 4K from 1440p.
01:23In most cases, you'll enjoy features like ray tracing
01:25and other graphical enhancements in either mode,
01:28ensuring the best visual performance possible.
01:30I personally prefer Fidelity Pro
01:32since I get the highest possible resolution
01:34and graphical settings, even at games run under 60fps.
01:38Ray tracing is easily my favorite feature
01:40introduced on the regular PS5,
01:41and I have to say it looks even better
01:43and more impressive on the PS5 Pro.
01:45Right here, you can see this billboard
01:47is being reflected off of this building right here,
01:49even though the building is a block down.
01:52I love swinging around Times Square in Spider-Man 2
01:54and seeing all the reflections on glass and buildings.
01:56It makes my hometown city feel a lot more realistic.
01:59Natural environments like those in Horizon Zero Dawn Remake
02:02also look phenomenal
02:03thanks to the PS5 Pro's enhanced visuals.
02:06Thanks to the overall sharper image quality,
02:08boosted ray tracing, and AI-driven upscaling,
02:10games on PS5 Pro are a feast for the eyes.
02:13And as I said,
02:13you don't have to sacrifice graphical fidelity
02:16or performance no matter what mode you're playing on.
02:18That said, you'll need a TV
02:19with a minimum 120Hz refresh rate,
02:22which supports VRR to take full advantage
02:24of the PS5 Pro's AI upscaling.
02:26I'd recommend the LG C4, which is an excellent gaming TV.
02:30One of my biggest pet peeves with the PS5
02:32was the skimpy storage capacity.
02:33While 825 gigs might sound like a lot of storage,
02:36that amount gets obliterated
02:37when you're installing games like GTA 5
02:39and Call of Duty Modern Warfare.
02:41Thankfully, the PS5 Pro packs much more storage.
02:44Out of the box, the PS5 Pro has a 2TB SSD.
02:47Even accounting for games with huge file sizes,
02:50there's much more space for games.
02:51And since you get that much more storage from the jump,
02:54you might not need to upgrade to a bigger SSD,
02:56though you can if you want.
02:57For most players, 2TB of storage should be plenty.
03:00I'm really glad Sony didn't skimp on storage
03:02with the PS5 Pro because that alone could convince me
03:04to upgrade from my PS5.
03:07But let me know what you guys think of the PS5 Pro
03:08in the comments,
03:09and don't forget to hit the subscribe button.
03:11Are you sold yet or not sure
03:12whether you should be upgrading?
03:13If that's the case,
03:14you'll wanna stick around for the next section.
03:16Let's get right to the main reason
03:18you might wanna skip the PS5 Pro.
03:19It's hefty price.
03:21While the current PS5 with the disc drive costs $499,
03:24the PS5 costs $699.
03:26For that, you get the console, a dual-sense controller,
03:29and a digital copy of Astro's Playroom.
03:31This console doesn't have a disc drive,
03:33so if you wanna play physical games,
03:35you'll need to plunk down an additional $79
03:38for the PS5 Pro disc drive.
03:39And if you want to safely stand the system vertically,
03:42you'll need to spend another $29 for the optional stand.
03:46I haven't seen a console cost this much
03:47since the Neo Geo back in the 90s.
03:49And like that system,
03:50the PS5 Pro targets enthusiast gamers and first adopters.
03:54While a small consolation were people's wallets,
03:56the high price somewhat makes sense in that regard.
03:58Still, if you're considering getting a PS5 Pro,
04:01the price will probably make you think twice.
04:03Like the regular PS5,
04:04games on PS5 Pro offer two graphical modes,
04:06fidelity and performance.
04:08Though both modes look and perform better
04:10than their PS5 equivalents,
04:12it's a bit of a bummer that we have to choose
04:14between modes in this Pro system.
04:16You might feel cheated since you'll still have to decide
04:18between sharper graphics or smoother gameplay.
04:20I should note that some games
04:21like The Last of Us 2 Remastered
04:23do offer a single PS5 Pro mode.
04:26That tells me that it would be up to developers
04:27how they wish to implement Pro features.
04:30If you're like me and like tinkering with visual settings,
04:32this might not be an issue.
04:34But if you just want to play your games,
04:35fiddling around in settings to get the right balance
04:37of fidelity and performance might be annoying,
04:40especially if you expect the PS5 Pro
04:42to run every game at 4K 60.
04:44In the end, the PS5 Pro still offers sharp visuals
04:47and strong performance,
04:48even if you have to choose between the two.
04:50And lastly, the PS5 Pro is undoubtedly
04:52an impressive console,
04:53but it won't make the regular PS5 obsolete.
04:56In fact, Sony's current gen system
04:57is still worth considering for most people
04:59looking for a console with a robust gaming library.
05:03While the PS5 doesn't have many first-party exclusive games,
05:06the ones it does have are some of the finest games out there.
05:08You also get nearly every single third-party game
05:10available on other systems.
05:12Given the PS5's popularity,
05:14you get a boatload of games to choose from.
05:16And though the PS5 often makes you choose
05:18between performance and fidelity modes in many games,
05:20you still get a decent gaming experience regardless.
05:23Yeah, those modes are upgraded on PS5 Pro,
05:25but they're still good on PS5.
05:27In the end, the PS5 is still an awesome system
05:30for most people.
05:32The PS5 Pro is an impressive gaming console
05:34that delivers sharper visuals and smoother gameplay
05:37compared to the regular PS5.
05:39Hardcore PlayStation enthusiasts will no doubt
05:41fall in love with this powerful system.
05:43On the flip side,
05:44if you're happy with how games look and run
05:46on your PS5, you can save yourself $700.
05:48Are you getting a PS5 Pro or are you skipping it?
05:51Let me know in the comments below.
05:52For more coverage, hit up Tom's Guide
05:54for a full PS5 Pro review.
05:56Also, make sure to follow us at Tom's Guide on social media.
05:59I'll see you guys next time.
06:00Game on!
06:08Yeah, it's on real BC.
06:12All right, here we go.