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PS5 Pro: $699 Is It Worth it? - The Digital Foundry Take

Romulus

Member
Eh.. not really.

We know for a fact TLOU Part II runs on Pro at higher settings/better IQ than the Fidelity PS5 Mode, but at double the framerate. I know it's a Remaster of an old gen game, but runs at native 4K.

There is evidence of software going from Med to High setting and 45-60fps on a PS5, to Max settings, locked 60fps, and higher resolution (with no PSSR). Gran Turismo 7 runs at 8K even.

We'll see. Personally, if Pro won't be able to turn every Fidelity Mode into a Performance one, I'll be disappointed.

I've always said the only reason I would get a Pro would be to play Fidelity at 60fps, and I've been told many times that would be impossible and unrealistic to expect because it would cost thousands. The moment Cerny said this is the sole purpose of the Pro, I was instantly hooked no matter the price.

But the thing is we already have performance mode on almost all base PS5 games. So you're already at 45-60fps. Usually closer to 60fps. So at that point you're just paying for a slightly better framerate in most cases(hopefully) and better IQ, but with no disc drive and a high price. Just doesn't seem remotely worth it to me.
 

Vick

Member
People here told you that a Pro console wouldn’t increase the visual quality of the Performance modes in games?

I Dont Believe You Will Ferrell GIF
The Fidelity mode, with its RT and high resolution. Yes, many times.
 

Ozriel

M$FT
The Fidelity mode, with its RT and high resolution. Yes, many times.

Of all the expectations for the PS5 Pro, this was easily the no-brainer. Even from the earliest rumors. Because it was always going to have the biggest focus tied to the GPU, and certainly RT in RDNA4 was much better than that shipped in RDNA 2.

It’s taking the performance mode and using the more powerful GPU and more RAM to amp up the visuals and RT. Even your grandmother could have predicted that in her sleep.
 

Romulus

Member
Running the game at “double the framerate” of the PS5’s fidelity mode is a disingenuous and false way to look at it when you realize the PS5 also runs all of these games at 60fps.

The Pro is not “doubling the framerate” of what the PS5 is capable of doing in these games. It’s not.

It’s simply allowing you to run the same games at the same 60fps target we all know and love right now, but with the fidelity of the “fidelity mode”.

The PS4 Pro did the exact same thing that the PS5 Pro is promising to do - Run games at the same framerate targets, while looking a hell of a lot better doing it. The only difference this generation is that the framerate targets are 60 instead of 30.

You need to remove the “30fps fidelity mode” from the equation and then things will start to make a lot more sense.

When PS5 Pro runs a game at 60 that the PS5 can only manage to run at 30, then we can talk about “doubling framerates”. But as DF themselves have already said multiple times - that’s very unlikely to happen.

This whole thing would be a different story if most PS5 games were 30fps. That's just not the case at all.
 

Loxus

Member
jayz2 cucks has no clue about pc hardware. complete amateur.

where is windows, mouse, keyboard? an rx 6800 has no pssr which is much closer to dlss than fsr. let alone rdna 4 rt cores. not to mention the ps5 pro does ALL this at 200 watts around. the rx 6800 alone ist at almost 250 watts customs even much higher. lmao

what cringe videos to get the clicks for the hype and negativity.

but thanks for the laugh yet again
He with with a Nvidia card because of DLSS.
Did you even watch the video?, Jay said it's difficult to build a PC that matches the PS5 Pro but the one he built gets the job done.
 
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Romulus

Member
I dropped $650 on Steam Deck OLED and didn’t bat an eye. But for some reason $700 seems like way too much for a console upgrade. To each their own.

That actually makes sense to me because of portability and OLED on the go. PS5 Pro does not, especially for people who already have a XSX or PS5. Not to me, anyway
 

Parazels

Member
Again, our beloved hobby is getting very, very expensive. It’s not just Sony.
It's not that expensive, if you don't collect useless game stuff. I personally always sell retired consoles, buy games only on sales, and invest in only one platform (Xbox) to have everything in the one place.
 
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Ozriel

M$FT
You know what? You convinced me, I'll trust you over what Cerny said when explaining the only reason for this console to exist.

Cerny specifically said the console exists to bring the visual settings of the Fidelity mode to the 60fps Performance mode.

That actually makes sense to me because of portability and OLED on the go. PS5 Pro does not, especially for people who already have a XSX or PS5. Not to me, anyway

Bridges the gap between a high end PC and a console. A 4070 tier GPU isn’t a slouch at all. A bit slimy not to have a disc drive at the price, but I’ll be copping one.
 
At least one of them had the sense to argue that PC in the living room just still isn't there yet and that's what console players want.
 

Vick

Member
But the thing is we already have performance mode on almost all base PS5 games. So you're already at 45-60fps. Usually closer to 60fps. So at that point you're just paying for a slightly better framerate in most cases(hopefully) and better IQ, but with no disc drive and a high price. Just doesn't seem remotely worth it to me.
Actually, more than 90% are already 60fps on PS5, and most perfectly stable also, so for already released games I won't be getting even that.

It's those current gen only, ambitious titles on the horizon I'm worried about. Those aren't going to look good on PS5 if they want to offer good performance, and the only alternative would be to severely upgrade my PC.

To me the value is there, as I want 60fps only and great IQ, and most of the time the solutions alternative to RT for their Performance Modes are half-assed, if included at all, and that bothers me. Not having to worry about how the Performance Mode of a game is going to look is more than worth it alone. But I get your point of view as well.
 
Again, our beloved hobby is getting very, very expensive. It’s not just Sony consoles.

It's really not that expensive. Golfing is expensive. Car hobbies are expensive. Hell training depending on the kind you do can be expensive. Cross fit gyms are expensive as hell. MMA gyms are almost always around $150+. Just going to the movies I end up spending $60+ for me and my wife and that's just for two hours.

$700 payment for something I will be using for hours and hours on end is a hell of a deal for me. Puts the cost of my BJJ gym to shame which is basically two PS5 pros a year.
 

Eszti

Banned
The second is just not realistic. Even if MS releases a new console in 2026 it won't be seen as "next gen"
if they change the cpu it is next gen. next gen wtf is that even supposed to mrean. pro has next gen amd gpu capabilities in it and pssr which is absolutely next gen even so much that not even amd figured it out yet, because fsr is terrible.

next gen is a buzzword. new consoles will have faster cpus and gpus but the front is no software not hardware. aka upscaling and smart way to render rt without killing the gpu :messenger_tears_of_joy:

next gen my ass an 4090 is so much next gen that i doubt that a ps6 apu will be much faster if it even reaches its rt capabilities. what now
 

Crayon

Member
I dropped $650 on Steam Deck OLED and didn’t bat an eye. But for some reason $700 seems like way too much for a console upgrade. To each their own.

So weird how that works. I'll buy a jacket for $xxx (embarrassing) but then I look at some gaming hardware that I am going to use a ton and start getting all gunshy. I wanted to get a gpu recently and was so miserly about it lol.
 
The thing is...I bought the PS4 Pro and for the most part the benefit was an increased resolution. Some games had marginally better IQ than base PS4, others were much better. Sometimes the framerate was more stable than the base model, but that was basically it.

Shadow of the Colossus was the game that had the most transformative change compared to OG PS4: the performance mode that doubled the framerate (30 fps to a very stable 60fps) while maintaining 1080p.

But increased resolution and more stable framerates were the only benefits and sometimes you could only enjoy one of these.

But IF (AND ONLY IF) this leak brought by Moore's Law is Dead is legit, than I'M DEFINATELY buying a PS5 Pro because it will be a much more meaningful upgrade compared to what the PS4 Pro ever was.

That leak, if legit, shows that the PS5 Pro has the potential to cover all bases at the same time:

- Noticeable increase in resolution (1080p - 1600p to 1600p - 4K)
- Noticeable incease in asset quality (mix of medium and high settings to everything using maximum presets)
- Substancial framerate increase (a minimum of 45fps to a stable 60fps)

And all of that without trurning PSSR on which could make things even better.

So...yes. I'm definately excited for this machine.
 
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Crayon

Member
The thing is...I bought the PS4 Pro and for the most part the benefit was an increased resolution. Some games had marginally better IQ than base PS4, others were much better. Sometimes the framerate was more stable than the base model, but that was basically it.

Shadow of the Colossus was the game that had the most transformative change compared to OG PS4: the performance mode that doubled the framerate (30 fps to a very stable 60fps) while maintaining 1080p.

But increased resolution and more stable framerates were the only benefits and sometimes you could only enjoy one of these.

But IF (AND ONLY IF) this leak brought by Moore's Law is Dead is legit, than I'M DEFINATELY buying a PS5 Pro because it will be a much more meaningful upgrade compared to PS4 Pro ever was.

That leak, of legit, shows that the PS5 Pro has the potential to cover all bases at the same time:

- Noticeable increase in resolution (1080p - 1600p to 1600p - 4K)
- Noticeable incease in asset quality (mix of medium and high settings to everything using maximum presets)
- Substancial framerate increase (a minimum of 45fps to a stable 60fps)

And all of that without trurning PSSR on which could make thing even better.

So...yes. I'm definately excited for this machine.

Price aside, it's a much bigger improvement than the PS4 pro. I hardly looked at that thing and it was only $400.

$700 PS5 Pro -

fear-and-loathing-the-fear.gif
 

HeWhoWalks

Gold Member
Don't listen to these clowns for anything gaming related.

It's worth it if you want it.

The PS5 pro will do very well and it will clock some really solid revenue for the company. The profit margins on this thing must be healthy to say the least, so it will help their profits as well.

Personally I would never spend $700+ on a machine with such an outdated CPU, it just makes no sense, but that's likely because I'm used to building my own PCs, most people on this forum prefer to buy the boxes, so if you want a bit of extra fidelity, this is your only choice, for now..
Only area I disagree is on if I'd buy this or not. But, I'm with you on the PC talk. Ironically, it's why I don't mind the price. I happily drop thousands on rigs, so $700 isn't going to break anything. :p
 

RCX

Member
The Pro has not been released and they are dismissing it. Pretty lame from them. All those people that want the Pro to fail, will be pretty pissed off if the thing is sold out at Day one.
Its guaranteed to sell out on day 1. Sony wont make crazy amount as they want to test demand and not overextend themselves.

The measure of its success will be over the next 1-2 years. Odds are it'll do fine, just like the ps4/equivalent. But it won't be the second coming of god like PS marketing wants everyone to believe.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
If you dont want to bother watching the 10 min video, the DF crew grilled it. The first minute is literally them laughing at the price.
 
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bundylove

Banned
Hell yes brother, reward yourself. This thing is not for everyone but if you want one, get one.
Exactly. If its what you want, if its what makes you happy why deprive yourself from it.

I gave up a lot of freedom and self care for my family so yeah i deserve this much and they are supportive.

They know this is my hobby and they dont dare to make me feel bad about it.

And others should do the same.

The more they shit on the pro the more i know it will be a good investment.

I get the comparable but i follow my heart.
 

Et3rn1ty

Neo Member
They could had reduced the it to 1TB, reduce the price $50-100 and let any hardcore gamer amped up on Pro bring over their Samsung SSD to the new system bringing the total back to 2TB or more. How many people in any hardware prediction poll that stated they wanted 2TB standard? Probably none.

But they forced it in because they want to make money off it. Excluding disc and stand makes them more money because those are separately as profit drivers. They arent selling those individually for a loss. And they didn't want to bake into the system because adding it in (like PS5 OG) is only a $50 bump over Digital. Selling them separately is $110 retail, which is probably $80 for Sony.

They also artificially bumped up Europe to 800, which 100 bucks more than needed even when factoring exchange rates and taxes. While Canada/Aussie prices are more straight up 1:1 conversions. So there's something odd going on Europeans get shafted another 100 Euros on top of a reasonable conversion.

Not confusing at all for Sony to sell for losses or even breakeven. They've historically done that since the beginning. Their latest earnings slides even says one down driver of profits is a loss on hardware. So even in 2024, PS5s are sold for a loss. So if the trend is there (PS3 was even bigger), the current Sony strategy of boosting prices big is a 180 compared what they do with any console release whether it's a new gen or mid gen.

In terms of business strategy, doing this for PS5 Pro to improve margins is probably fine. But tell that to consumers. The typical consumer doesn't care about a change in strategy. They just want a good product at reasonable prices. And compared to older PS gens, the prices and asking for additional drive and stand costs is sticker shock territory.
A very good indeed explanation of the situation..
Please also dont forget that europe saved ps brand from the disaster of ps3 era...
This arrogant sony i hope europe turn its back to them.
From day one byer went for the first time to the logic of gaming pc...
1250 euros if you include a stand ,a disc drive,a ps subscription and a game...
Whats now the excuse console players to not turn your head to SONY?
Ps. I am a day one ps owner off all consoles....
 

ap_puff

Banned
Its guaranteed to sell out on day 1. Sony wont make crazy amount as they want to test demand and not overextend themselves.

The measure of its success will be over the next 1-2 years. Odds are it'll do fine, just like the ps4/equivalent. But it won't be the second coming of god like PS marketing wants everyone to believe.
I really think this will sell substantially less than the ps4 pro did. I think analysts are crazy to think it'll sell over 10m, personally I think it'll be around 5m without a drastic price cut. People just don't have as much cash as they used to due to inflation going crazy. The narrative around the price is still dumb though, the hardware is almost guaranteed to be worth the price, it's just not targeted at the masses. Outside of a few 3rd party titles the base ps5 is more than adequate for the majority of people.
 

Mibu no ookami

Demoted Member® Pro™
At the end I get it.

What the PS5 Pro represents to a lot of people is the end of competition in the console gaming industry. An industry that has had pretty serious competition for over 3 decades.

A lack of competition isn't good for consumers, but I also don't think the PS5 Pro creates a lack of competition, rather it's just a symptom of it.

The position we find ourselves in today stemmed from people not putting more pressure on Microsoft to deliver consistent competition to Sony. Making excuses for Phil Spencer.

Or in other words the exact same behavior that's happening now.

People didn't buy the PS3 and Sony had to get right and adjusted. They started making better games and better hardware. Listening to developers more.

It's a reality that by the end of this generation, Halo is going to be on PS5, and it's going to play better on a PS5 Pro than an XSX. That's just a reality of where we are today.

It's also a reality that no PC built for 700 dollars is going to be as powerful as a PS5 Pro.

It's also a reality that the Switch 2 is going to launch for a minimum of 400 dollars, while being less powerful than a PS4 Pro.

What's also a reality is none of that matters.

1. Halo is still going to be on XSX
2. Who cares whether a 700 dollar PC is as powerful as a PS5 Pro or if 1200 dollar PC is more powerful as a PS5 Pro. Just buy the products you like and what you think is a good use of your money.
3. Who cares if the Switch 2 is more expensive. I'll probably be buying it day 1 and it'll be my first Nintendo product since the GBA as long as it has enhanced backwards compatibility.
 
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