I’ve been a PlayStation gamer ever since I bought a PS2 back in 2001. From then until now, I’ve purchased every subsequent Sony console, from the PS3 to the PS5. When PS5 Pro rumors began circulating, I assumed I’d get this mid-gen refresh system just as I did the PS4 Pro. Why wouldn’t I? I’m a PlayStation guy!
But now that the PS5 Pro is real and arriving on November 7, things have unexpectedly changed. For the first time in nearly 25 years, I will not buy the latest PlayStation system. While the lofty $699 price is the main factor, my decision is a bit more nuanced than that.
This is why I'm skipping the PS5 Pro.
"What are you going to play on it?"
About a month ago when another wave of PS5 Pro rumors popped up, I told a friend that I’d get the system on day one. Like I said above, I’ve purchased every PlayStation console since PS2. Buying Sony consoles has basically been an involuntary response. My friend then asked me the most obvious question — one I should have asked myself initially: what games are you going to play on it?
I’ve expressed my disappointment with this console generation in several articles, with my chief complaint being the lack of games developed specifically for modern hardware. The abundance of cross-gen games (titles that can run on both PS4 and PS5) has made the current console generation feel like a minor technological step forward instead of the big leap we used to see between generations. There was a huge difference between PS2 games and PS3 games, but we can’t say the same about PS4 and PS5 games.
Given the paltry number of actual PS5 games (i.e. titles not playable on PS4), what's the point of getting a PS5 Pro? To play old games? Sony even proved this point by spotlighting titles like The Last of Us Part II — a game that was originally released in 2020 on PS4 — during the PS5 technical showcase. If that’s not a sign that we’re not moving forward, I don’t know what is.
So even if I were to get a PS5 Pro, it wouldn’t resolve the core problem I’ve had for the past four years — the lack of actual PS5 games. Yes, games like Wolverine and Death Stranding 2 are coming, but other than that, I can’t think of many first-party PS5 titles that I absolutely must play on a PS5 Pro. I’m also not keen on revisiting games I’ve already finished just to see how they'll look and run on PS5 Pro.
I have a gaming PC
I had another conversation with a friend after the PS5 Pro was announced where I said why I wouldn’t get the system. Like my other friend, this pal also asked me a great question: would you get a PS5 Pro if you didn’t already own a gaming PC? The answer was, yes, I would.
$700 is a lot of money, but if I only played games on PlayStation and nowhere else, the price would be worth it. The system would undoubtedly let me enjoy both first and third-party games at their best on a home platform. This was the same situation I experienced with the PS4 Pro, which I sunk hundreds of hours into. However, I’ve owned one of the best gaming PCs since the end of 2021 and it has changed how I consume games.
With some exceptions like Star Wars Jedi Survivor which initially ran poorly on PC, I mostly play third-party games on my gaming rig or Steam Deck OLED. I especially like playing on my PC since it’s powerful enough to run the best PC games at 4K and well over 60 frames per second. Though I’m sure third-party games will look and run fantastically on the PS5 Pro, they might not run as well as on my PC. Sony said PS5 Pro is “targetting” 4K and 60 frames per second for games, not that it can consistently hit those metrics. My gaming PC doesn’t target anything, it just delivers.
There’s also the fact that more and more PlayStation games are coming to PC. Stellar Blade will land on PC soon, as will God of War: Ragnarok. If I’m patient and want to play PlayStation games looking and running at their best, I don’t have to play them on a PS5 Pro —I can wait for the inevitable PC port instead.
So while I think the PS5 Pro is a good value for PlayStation-only gamers who want the best console experience possible, it’s hard for a PC gamer like myself to justify spending that kind of money on a console I'll barely play due to the lack of exclusives.
Outlook
Everything I outlined above applies to me and shouldn’t be taken as a condemnation of the PS5 Pro. This machine should be the best PlayStation console ever. And if you’re primarily a PlayStation user, I’m sure you’ll have an incredible time with this machine. Though I don’t expect PS5 Pro to shatter sales records, I’m sure it’ll sell as well as PS4 Pro, which was itself a successful mid-gen refresh. For hardcore PlayStation players, the PS5 Pro will be hard to pass up.
As for myself, I’m about to break tradition and not get a new PlayStation system at launch. Again, the PS5 Pro is impressive but I can’t justify paying that much money for it. I can continue playing first-party games at launch on my PS5 or wait for a PC port. Either way, I won’t miss out on any upcoming exclusive games. I just won’t be playing them on PS5 Pro.
More from Tom's Guide
- Do we need a PS5 Pro and Xbox refresh?
- PS5 Pro — 3 reasons to buy and 2 reasons to skip
- Sony offers reason to spend $700 on PS5 Pro
