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

bundylove

Banned
I haven't gotten to play with a slim so that gives me a little hope I might be able to get away without one on the pro

I like the stability with having big dogs wrestling often and not always looking where they are going :)


But you can't add that $20 device to the pro, thought you guys were comparing the pro pricing to the LE Series X with only a $100 difference when in reality its $180 to be comparable minus the stand
Thats fair.

But then you dont think the pro ia worth 180 more compared to the competiton?

What would be a fair price of the pro in the current market against competitors in tbis case lets say the standard series x at 500.
 

HeisenbergFX4

Gold Member
Thats fair.

But then you dont think the pro ia worth 180 more compared to the competiton?

What would be a fair price of the pro in the current market against competitors in tbis case lets say the standard series x at 500.
Its not fair what I consider worth it as I spend money on silly shit most people here would think is dumb

I know you have those nice CNC machines but 4 or sometimes 5 times a year (starting next weekend with the Bears game) I rent $20k super suites for Colts football games and give out 20 tickets and people can eat and drink all they want on my dime

Twice a year is usually old teammates and twice a year family and super close friends

Most people wouldn't find great value in that :)
 

FireFly

Member
I don't believe the die size has been revealed yet. But I would say it's definitely more than $100 for the die and ram and ssd upgrades. Is it $250? No...
So, using a wafer calculator and assuming a cost of $10000 per 6nm wafer, I make the cost of the PS5 Slim APU ~$46. If the PS5 Pro APU is double the size, then the upper limit should be around 300mm^2 on 5nm, which gives a cost of ~$97, assuming a wafer cost of $18000. So that's a ~$51 difference.

For the SSD, the consumer cost difference between 1TB and 2 TB PCIe 4.0 SSDs is about $60, so a $40 cost difference for OEMs seems reasonable. That brings us to $91 for the APU + SSD, which leaves $9 for the slightly faster memory. The spot price of a GDDR6 chip is $2.3 (https://www.dramexchange.com/), so the existing 16GB would be expected to cost ~$37, and an extra $9 would represent a 25% increase. The increase might be more, but then in reality it's likely that the Pro APU will be smaller than 300mm^2 since the CPU is staying the same.
 
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bundylove

Banned
Its not fair what I consider worth it as I spend money on silly shit most people here would think is dumb

I know you have those nice CNC machines but 4 or sometimes 5 times a year (starting next weekend with the Bears game) I rent $20k super suites for Colts football games and give out 20 tickets and people can eat and drink all they want on my dime

Twice a year is usually old teammates and twice a year family and super close friends

Most people wouldn't find great value in that :)

Its not fair what I consider worth it as I spend money on silly shit most people here would think is dumb

I know you have those nice CNC machines but 4 or sometimes 5 times a year (starting next weekend with the Bears game) I rent $20k super suites for Colts football games and give out 20 tickets and people can eat and drink all they want on my dime

Twice a year is usually old teammates and twice a year family and super close friends

Most people wouldn't find great value in that :)
I get it. We are not in the same realm as most.

My manufacturing is growing ,getting more into commercail stuff yet my yields are worse so my waste is a lot of money.

I lose more in a day than 700 so i understand .

Dont get me started on spending money on silly things. I have over 1000 sealed lego sets and my wife gives me hell every time a new package shows up.

But when i put all this aside, i remember working my ass of to get a 3do as i really wanted one and i didnt look at the price and say oh jeez is it worth it.
 

Clear

CliffyB's Cock Holster
So, using a wafer calculator and assuming a cost of $10000 per 6nm wafer, I make the cost of the PS5 Slim APU ~$46. If the PS5 Pro APU is double the size, then the upper limit should be around 300mm^2 on 5nm, which gives a cost of ~$97, assuming a wafer cost of $18000. So that's a ~$51 difference.

You're assuming identical yields, which is absolutely not going to be the case.
 

HeisenbergFX4

Gold Member
I get it. We are not in the same realm as most.

My manufacturing is growing ,getting more into commercail stuff yet my yields are worse so my waste is a lot of money.

I lose more in a day than 700 so i understand .

Dont get me started on spending money on silly things. I have over 1000 sealed lego sets and my wife gives me hell every time a new package shows up.

But when i put all this aside, i remember working my ass of to get a 3do as i really wanted one and i didnt look at the price and say oh jeez is it worth it.
Still have my launch day 3DO and still works the last time I checked, so many battles of Way of the Warrior :)
 

RobRSG

Member
Alex: "What if I put the money I invest for a disc drive into a PC"

Like wtf are you talking about.
You have missed the point here.

What he wanted to say is that if you are really considering to buy a complete PS5 Pro (Console+Base+Disc Drive) you are dangerously close to spending 1000€, which translates to what a very capable PC would cost.

You are so pissed at Alex for whatever reason that there is zero willingness to interpret what he says at this point.
 

Three

Member
You have missed the point here.

What he wanted to say is that if you are really considering to buy a complete PS5 Pro (Console+Base+Disc Drive) you are dangerously close to spending 1000€, which translates to what a very capable PC would cost.

You are so pissed at Alex for whatever reason that there is zero willingness to interpret what he says at this point.
If you're spending on a disc drive it means you value a disc drive. Whether that's a game library you already have on discs, renting, ownership/resale, whatever that makes the disc drive a necessity to you. You don't think "OMG I have to buy a disc drive, let me throw the baby out with the bath water and spend another €100 even more on top of that to completely change my platform choice and not get a disc drive anyway". That's fanboy nonsense speaking there.
 
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bundylove

Banned
You have missed the point here.

What he wanted to say is that if you are really considering to buy a complete PS5 Pro (Console+Base+Disc Drive) you are dangerously close to spending 1000€, which translates to what a very capable PC would cost.

You are so pissed at Alex for whatever reason that there is zero willingness to interpret what he says at this point.
Sadly thats the truth.

Sony messed up. 9 minute nothing presentation early morning on a weekday with a high price as a closing pitch.
And we all know the last pitch is what people remember.

And then people start dissecting the facts and realise it doesnt even end at 700 you have to spend even more.

I said it before , i am happy with the 700 pro and no add ons but this presentation couldnt have happened any worse than it did.
And at that price you better put on a show with free drinks and what not.
 

FireFly

Member
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Bojji

Member
They say equivalent to RTX 4070 which is $540 and that's just for GPU. Not a stretch to think the rest brings it to around that asking price.

It's more than PS5 Pro (at least in US where Pro will be cheaper) but it also offers a lot more.
 

clintar

Member
It's more than PS5 Pro (at least in US where Pro will be cheaper) but it also offers a lot more.
Huh? Do you mean a full PC? PC vs. console is its own argument. If it is worth the price is a different argument.
 
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Bojji

Member

When you combine 4070 with rest of the components it will cost more than PS Pro but also offer more, I thought you were talking about PC parts.

Sony purchases parts from AMD for much less than that 4070 cost, I bet they are making a bit of money in US and A LOT of money everywhere else on every unit sold. They want to make money on every unit like Nintendo...
 
It's more than PS5 Pro (at least in US where Pro will be cheaper) but it also offers a lot more.
Offers a lot more if that is what you are wanting. Not everybody wants or needs a computer, and plenty of people don't want to play games on PC.

I love PC gaming and have been doing it since I was a little kid in the late 90s, but I fully understand why people prefer consoles and in general I probably play on consoles more then my PC.
 

Brigandier

Member
How can they possibly know if it's worth it when they know pretty much the same as what we do.... maybe wait until they get a console first and then make some "is it worth it" content.

Until then it's just shitty clickbait, Everything I've seen from them so far they're kinda just writing off PSSR and the RT capabilities or giving an impression they think they'll be meh before even testing.

Very unprofessional tbh but I don't expect anything less from them as they clearly don't really like PlayStation or Sony.
 
A new console is launching and instead of people being excited about it. The conversation has just been about PC vs console nonsense.

Really wish gaming was what it use to be….
 
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ap_puff

Banned

Ozriel

M$FT
How can they possibly know if it's worth it when they know pretty much the same as what we do.... maybe wait until they get a console first and then make some "is it worth it" content.

Until then it's just shitty clickbait, Everything I've seen from them so far they're kinda just writing off PSSR and the RT capabilities or giving an impression they think they'll be meh before even testing.

Very unprofessional tbh but I don't expect anything less from them as they clearly don't really like PlayStation or Sony.

And yet pretty much everyone here has had a value decision on this console the moment the price was released. For most, that’s the driver behind their decision to preorder or not.

Nothing wrong with the video.
 

Knot3D

Member
PS2 had a DVD drive which was still pretty new at the time. A DVD player was about $200 alone pending where you lived. First console to have one.

.
Exactly. EU DVD players were north of 300 Euros - and the PSone / Saturn era of consoles were still considered as "children's toys'.
The PS2 design & marketing aimed to elevate the console into luxury appliance stratosphere. Cost of life in general was way cheaper than now, so the PS2 launch price was as steep if not more than this PS5 Pro pricing.
Also, at that point in time, no one knew for certain if the DVD medium would actually boost game development.
Speaking of which, the PS2 launch library wasnt exactly phenomenal (Smugglers Run, Tekken Tag etc.)
BUT, we all got PS2 because it was an attainable way into DVD entertainment and we knew Metal Gear Solid 2 was coming to PS2.
 

scydrex

Member
Your comparison should be PS5 Digital at $450 vs $700. Or PS5 with disc and stand at $500 vs $810.
I agree but it's PS5 slim digital with 1tb ssd like a wd black for 2tb so $520 vs 700. Or ps5 slim disc 570 vs 700. Don't forget the 2tb space on the Pro. If it's the fat then 825gb + 1tb.
 
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akira__

Banned
You have missed the point here.

What he wanted to say is that if you are really considering to buy a complete PS5 Pro (Console+Base+Disc Drive) you are dangerously close to spending 1000€, which translates to what a very capable PC would cost.

You are so pissed at Alex for whatever reason that there is zero willingness to interpret what he says at this point.
Will that pc be with or without a disc drive?
 

ap_puff

Banned
So, using a wafer calculator and assuming a cost of $10000 per 6nm wafer, I make the cost of the PS5 Slim APU ~$46. If the PS5 Pro APU is double the size, then the upper limit should be around 300mm^2 on 5nm, which gives a cost of ~$97, assuming a wafer cost of $18000. So that's a ~$51 difference.

For the SSD, the consumer cost difference between 1TB and 2 TB PCIe 4.0 SSDs is about $60, so a $40 cost difference for OEMs seems reasonable. That brings us to $91 for the APU + SSD, which leaves $9 for the slightly faster memory. The spot price of a GDDR6 chip is $2.3 (https://www.dramexchange.com/), so the existing 16GB would be expected to cost ~$37, and an extra $9 would represent a 25% increase. The increase might be more, but then in reality it's likely that the Pro APU will be smaller than 300mm^2 since the CPU is staying the same.
The PS5 slim die size is 260mm^2, how are you getting a $46 cost on a 300mm wafer? Also mind you that's the cost that TSMC is charging, not the cost that AMD is charging Sony. AMD is taking 40% margins at least.
 

jm89

Member
Offers a lot more if that is what you are wanting. Not everybody wants or needs a computer, and plenty of people don't want to play games on PC.
Yeah the "offers alot more" argument is weird in this day and age.

Alot of people do not want a desktop when they have an option of a laptop and some don't even want that. They are happy with just a tablet.
 

Clear

CliffyB's Cock Holster

FireFly

Member
The PS5 slim die size is 260mm^2, how are you getting a $46 cost on a 300mm wafer? Also mind you that's the cost that TSMC is charging, not the cost that AMD is charging Sony. AMD is taking 40% margins at least.
I was using the below calculator with an edge loss of 4mm and a defect density of 0.07, assuming die dimensions of 21.7mm x 12 mm based on the die image we have. (Making it square seems to make almost no difference). I get 181 good dies and 35 defective dies. I couldn't find estimates for the percentage of salveagable dies, so I assumed all dies were salveagable in both cases. If instead just over 50% of defective dies are salvageable, then the cost jumps to $50 ($10000/199).


You're right I did overlook the margins AMD puts on top. However AMD has said in the past that their console business is low margin for them. I can't find any estimates for the current console generation, however for the last generation of consoles AMD was targeting a 20% margin.

 

Xyphie

Member
You're right I did overlook the margins AMD puts on top. However AMD has said in the past that their console business is low margin for them. I can't find any estimates for the current console generation, however for the last generation of consoles AMD was targeting a 20% margin.

I think something that should be considered is the massive difference in financial position AMD is in now compared to when the PS4 or even PS5 contract was signed. By all indications the PS5 chip was design complete by early 2019 or so which probably means it started development before Zen1 even launched. And Zen didn't really pick up financially into like Zen2 or Zen3 was in the market.

In those days console SoCs was a matter of survival to avoid bankruptcy, now it's just a massive opportunity cost that draws engineers from much more profitable CPU and AI chip development. I wouldn't be surprised at all if AMD basically has said if you want a better chip you're gonna have to pay for it.
 
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Edmund

is waiting for Starfield 7
I find it weird that IGN seems to be making a concerted attack on the ps5 pro.

Daemon Hatfield with this tweet





Ryan McCaffrey's a new expensive way to play ps4 games video





Sammy Barker - Ps5 pro has bigger problems than it's price



Jacqueline Thomas downplaying the ps5 pro


Destin Legarie



Digital Foundry is owned by IGN and now we have a video by DF saying the ps5 pro is not worth it.

HeisenbergFX4 HeisenbergFX4 your thoughts on this?
 
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Skifi28

Member
I find it weird that IGN seems to be making a concerted attack on the ps5 pro.

Daemon Hatfield with this tweet





Ryan McCaffrey's a new expensive way to play ps4 games video





Sammy Barker - Ps5 pro has bigger problems than it's price



Jacqueline Thomas downplaying the ps5 pro


Destin Legarie



Digital Foundry is owned by IGN and now we have a video by DF saying the ps5 pro is not worth it.

This is deja vu from the pre-release period of the PS5. There's certainly criticism to be made for the pro, but I'm not sure most I've seen from these "journalists" has been in good faith. I'd also wait until it releases and we have an idea what it can actually do before deciding if the value is terrible or not. But some people have already decided 2 months before release and they're trying their best to spread the message.
 
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akira__

Banned
I find it weird that IGN seems to be making a concerted attack on the ps5 pro.

Daemon Hatfield with this tweet





Ryan McCaffrey's a new expensive way to play ps4 games video





Sammy Barker - Ps5 pro has bigger problems than it's price



Jacqueline Thomas downplaying the ps5 pro


Destin Legarie



Digital Foundry is owned by IGN and now we have a video by DF saying the ps5 pro is not worth it.

HeisenbergFX4 HeisenbergFX4 your thoughts on this?

Seems like a standalone thread.

Playstation has been unbelievably lack luster the last few years but these stooges have been great source of entertainment.
 
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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's a great example of how subjective 'worth' is. The consumer chiefly should be concerned with that concept as far as, does the utlitity of the device, the end-use case, justify the asking price? That is an individual consideration. The cost of components very likely justifies the price strictly from a dollars and cents POV, but that's not the consumers problem. The power resides on our end and what is accepted/tolerated, though it is seldom wielded( a recent case of consumer power would be the outright rejection of Concord).

I bought the Legion Go last month for $679 and similarly didn't bat an eye, because it's utility as a fully functioning mini PC, portability, versatility, and wide access to thousands upon thousands of games past and present on an open platform is 'worth' more to me than a closed, albeit more powerful', box with comparatively limited utility( by the standards of the Go or similar devices).
 
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Still have my launch day 3DO and still works the last time I checked, so many battles of Way of the Warrior :)
My uncle was a dev for Immercenary on the 3DO. I remember as a kid it was so cool visiting them in the summer watching them make that game. A few years ago I asked him if he still had a 3DO and he said he had one in the attic. I asked if I could buy it from him as I just wanted to play around with it. He said, I'll send you something in the mail. A few weeks later I got a package from him.... it was a signed copy of Immercenary. No 3DO. Trolled the hell out of me. Still, pretty cool.
 
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HeisenbergFX4

Gold Member
I find it weird that IGN seems to be making a concerted attack on the ps5 pro.

Daemon Hatfield with this tweet





Ryan McCaffrey's a new expensive way to play ps4 games video





Sammy Barker - Ps5 pro has bigger problems than it's price



Jacqueline Thomas downplaying the ps5 pro


Destin Legarie



Digital Foundry is owned by IGN and now we have a video by DF saying the ps5 pro is not worth it.

HeisenbergFX4 HeisenbergFX4 your thoughts on this?

Two things

I said it before MS is tossing some money into the campaign to cast doubt, they don't want people to fork over $700 right now and I just wonder if they are going to show people why they don't want you to spend that money before the Pro actually launches

Secondly, and this I have said a very long time, people need to reserve judgement until they see this thing perform.

The little I have heard its very easy to get a PSSR patch going and the results are pretty noticeable

Problem is that price, it is indeed for the enthusiasts and whales
 

midnightAI

Member
And they are still ignoring the fact the PS5 (standard) exists. Sony know exactly who this is aimed for, they know approximately how many sales they will get from it. All these detractors seem to think that the Pro is replacing the standard PS5 which it is not.... At all.

Idiots like Yong Yea comparing (compressed) screens from the presentation looking at Last of Us 2 saying there isn't too much difference so it isn't worth it while ignoring the fact the (slightly worse) looking one is at 30fps and the Pro one is 60fps and will be full 4K consistently due to PSSR which is a pretty big leap. They are either being deliberately disingenuous or just don't understand what they are seeing.
 
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PaintTinJr

Member
I find it weird that IGN seems to be making a concerted attack on the ps5 pro.

Daemon Hatfield with this tweet





Ryan McCaffrey's a new expensive way to play ps4 games video





Sammy Barker - Ps5 pro has bigger problems than it's price



Jacqueline Thomas downplaying the ps5 pro


Destin Legarie



Digital Foundry is owned by IGN and now we have a video by DF saying the ps5 pro is not worth it.

HeisenbergFX4 HeisenbergFX4 your thoughts on this?

Anecdotally the greatest concern I'm seeing is from people that historically were all console originally and have been drinking the DF cool-aid for a few years moving over to expensive Nvidia RTX PCs and would have bought the Pro normally when Sony were selling it as a loss leader, just to look down from the PC mountain and claim it was inferior in every game comparison.

The concern is now seemingly having them join the course of DF/IGN rubbishing the product because they can't buy it at £800 in their lifestyle, and the combination of FOMO and losing their ability to be authoritative by failing to buy is causing that reaction in hope Sony will massively drop the price.
 

jm89

Member
Two things

I said it before MS is tossing some money into the campaign to cast doubt, they don't want people to fork over $700 right now and I just wonder if they are going to show people why they don't want you to spend that money before the Pro actually launches

Secondly, and this I have said a very long time, people need to reserve judgement until they see this thing perform.

The little I have heard its very easy to get a PSSR patch going and the results are pretty noticeable

Problem is that price, it is indeed for the enthusiasts and whales
Wow.

I'm shocked and not shocked at the same time that ms would do something like this.
 

Zathalus

Member
How can they possibly know if it's worth it when they know pretty much the same as what we do.... maybe wait until they get a console first and then make some "is it worth it" content.

Until then it's just shitty clickbait, Everything I've seen from them so far they're kinda just writing off PSSR and the RT capabilities or giving an impression they think they'll be meh before even testing.

Very unprofessional tbh but I don't expect anything less from them as they clearly don't really like PlayStation or Sony.
They were given a 65GB ProRes file to analyze. As for their thoughts on PSSR, they have been extremely positive on it. Don’t let console warriors on twitter give you the wrong impression.
 
Two things

I said it before MS is tossing some money into the campaign to cast doubt, they don't want people to fork over $700 right now and I just wonder if they are going to show people why they don't want you to spend that money before the Pro actually launches

Secondly, and this I have said a very long time, people need to reserve judgement until they see this thing perform.

The little I have heard its very easy to get a PSSR patch going and the results are pretty noticeable

Problem is that price, it is indeed for the enthusiasts and whales

Not surprising if true; this is why Microsoft started cultivating astroturfers since the late 360 era. They're just recycling what they did last year in trying to get public support for ABK by having influencers & media shills spread anti-PS FUD, even getting dumb Washington senators involved.

Microsoft have no class or taste.
 

RobRSG

Member
Will that pc be with or without a disc drive?
I will tell you the people they are targeting here are the most hardcore Playstation fans, people that have been buying games for a while now.

On PC I feel comfortable buying games from Steam, a store that has been up since the mid 2000’s - It has been reliable enough that people don’t even care about discs anymore. Also you can buy game codes from multiple sources, different storefronts… If a game is not available to purchase at all, you can still find ways to play it.

I can’t say the same with my Playstation consoles, as the digital stores are decommissioned whenever Sony finds suitable.
There is no option aside from buying from Playstation Store and also no access to second-hand games. I have a physical library of 80 PS4 games, and around 30 PS5 games so far…
For game preservation, it sucks to have a digital only-Playstation.

With all that said, it makes zero-sense to me having a discless PS5, but on PC it matters not.

Hopefully this is understandable enough.
 
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DrFigs

Member
I will tell you the people they are targeting here are the most hardcore Playstation fans, people that have been buying games for a while now.

On PC I feel comfortable buying games from Steam, a store that has been up since the mid 2000’s - It has been reliable enough that people don’t even care about discs anymore. Also you can buy game codes from multiple sources, different storefronts… If a game is not available to purchase at all, you can still find ways to play it.

I can’t say the same with my Playstation consoles, as the digital stores are decommissioned whenever Sony finds suitable.
There is no option aside from buying from Playstation Store and also no access to second-hand games. I have a physical library of 80 PS4 games, and around 30 PS5 games so far…
For game preservation, it sucks to have a digital only-Playstation.

With all that said, it makes zero-sense to me having a discless PS5, but on PC it matters not.

Hopefully this is understandable enough.
you can definitely still download your ps3 games. that hasn't gone away. it's just most people don't have a ps3 anymore.
 
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StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
I find it weird that IGN seems to be making a concerted attack on the ps5 pro.

Daemon Hatfield with this tweet





Ryan McCaffrey's a new expensive way to play ps4 games video





Sammy Barker - Ps5 pro has bigger problems than it's price



Jacqueline Thomas downplaying the ps5 pro


Destin Legarie



Digital Foundry is owned by IGN and now we have a video by DF saying the ps5 pro is not worth it.

HeisenbergFX4 HeisenbergFX4 your thoughts on this?

 

diffusionx

Gold Member
The full court press from the media on this has been pretty curious, considering the fact all know exactly who it is for and what its purpose is. Including Sony. They didn’t unveil this at the game awards or a state of play of an apple like presentation that goes for 2 hours, it was a 9 minute video from CernGOD that laid it out with a short article from CNET.

If you know you want one, it’s worth it. It’s one of those things.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Two things

I said it before MS is tossing some money into the campaign to cast doubt, they don't want people to fork over $700 right now and I just wonder if they are going to show people why they don't want you to spend that money before the Pro actually launches

Secondly, and this I have said a very long time, people need to reserve judgement until they see this thing perform.

The little I have heard its very easy to get a PSSR patch going and the results are pretty noticeable

Problem is that price, it is indeed for the enthusiasts and whales
Price and attachments are a problem.

But in terms of visuals, perhaps the system will make games look and run (frames) much better than base PS5's.

Problem is that Sony video was lousy. So when you shock people with price and combine it with a video full of doubt, no wonder everyone is trashing it. You could barely make out any differences at face value (aside from LOU side by side clearly showing 60 fps is better than the 30 fps window). The comparisons were so odd including: old games from around launch, tiny side by side comparison videos, and most of the clips being literally only a few seconds before he zips to the next point.

How the fuck is anyone going to see improvements in a half sized box in 2 seconds? Instead of cramming it into a 9 minute video, make it 20 or 30 minutes and show better comparisons of games getting 30 second or a full minute. Why 2 second fly-bys? Did the CEO give Cerny and the video editing team only a 10 minute cap? lol

If people need to download 4k video feeds or do slow mo to pick out better details, it goes to show the improvements are so incremental it'll be hard to justify. In older system comparisons, the visual improvements and frames are so apparent, you could watch a middle of the road YT video feed and you can see any improvements right off the bat.
 
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