OPINION: If you’ve got a high-end TV capable of 4K, HDR and 120Hz output there’s a good chance you want a console that will take full advantage of those skills to pair with it.
Black Friday is a great time to buy a game console, and judging by what I have seen so far the 2024 sales are going big on savings for the latest crop of Sony PlayStation consoles.
Simply deciding you want a PlayStation 5 isn’t enough – with the Pro model now available, which should you pick up this Black Friday?
After lots of testing, here’s my view.
A few weeks with the PS5 Pro
I’ve been reviewing the PS5 Pro over the past few weeks, looking at it just as much from an AV perspective as a gaming one. In many ways, this device is aimed at those who desire the very best picture possible and as a result will likely interest readers of this column.
This is the most powerful PlayStation yet and it uses that power to aim for the highest resolution and frame rates.
The Pro uses something called PSSR – PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution – an AI upscaling tech that utilises machine learning to up image clarity and detail. Games need to support PSSR though, so unless titles have been updated by the developer there won’t be any improvements.
There’s no doubt in my mind this tech will get better and more important over the coming years, likely becoming a vital part of whatever the PS6 turns out to be. So far though, it feels like results are a little mixed. There’s no set way in which developers can use PSSR, and there are various different methods utilised in the games I have been testing.
F1 2024, for instance, uses it to allow 4K visuals, 60fps gameplay and ray tracing to be all used at once. The results look great, especially the improved reflections on the shiny cars and on wet tracks, although you do really have to look – and have an excellent TV – to notice the differences.
Another game that uses PSSR is The Last of Us Part 1 Remastered – instead of offering a choice between a mode that aims to hit 60fps (performance) and higher-res visuals (fidelity), this title combines the two into one Pro mode. Again, it looks great – but then The Last of Us Part 1 looks amazing on the base PS5, and I found myself really peeping at the pixels to notice any real differences.
When the Pro was first announced, it was implied that the extra power and PSSR would allow developers to do away with the various modes offered completely. That’s not the case. In Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, you’ll still have to choose between Pro Performance and Pro Fidelity modes.
We’ve delved into 8K in this column before, and while the PS5 came emblazoned with an ‘8K’ logo on the box, there are actually games updated for the Pro that can output at that high resolution. F1 2024 gets its second mention here, offering a mode for those who have the console plugged into an 8K TV. If you’ve picked up one of the best 8K TVs, this option alone could make the Pro worth it.
There are a smattering of other benefits included with the PS5 Pro. To my ears, the console is a little quieter than my launch PS5 console and it stays a little cooler. It’s also slimmer and lighter than the oldest version of the PS5, although for a device that’ll stay in the same place under your TV, I don’t think this is a huge change.
What is more welcome is the extra storage space. There’s now a 2TB SSD inside, and a slot for another fast SSD if you require more. I always felt the 1TB SSD in the PS5 Slim and 825GB SSD in the launch PS5 to be too small, so this is a change for the better.
Disc or Digital?
The PS5 Pro starts at £699/$699 – a hefty outlay and not far off double the cheapest version of the PS5.
But even at that price, the console doesn’t include a disc drive and if you want to watch physical media and play physical games, you’ll need to shell out $80/£100 for the attachable drive.
For a device labelled ‘Pro’ to be missing the best way to watch 4K films and the most affordable way to play games is an odd move and one I don’t believe is the right choice.
Why I would go with the standard PS5 and save money
While there are benefits to the Pro, I just don’t think there’s a game out there yet that really makes use of the new tech. And the games that do benefit, only offer minimal upgrades. A few more pixels here, a few more frames there. If you have a massive TV, then maybe the differences will be more worth it – but even then, I’d recommend waiting to see whether PSSR becomes a killer feature for new titles built with it in mind.
There’s also the price to take into account. The PS5 Pro is not far off £800/$800 RRP when the disc drive is factored in.
The PS5 is an excellent console in itself and even for those discerning about image quality, it is impressive.
Both are currently on sale for Black Friday
Another benefit of going for the base PS5 is that, in the UK, it’s had a very good Black Friday price cut. Amazon has chopped £80 off the console in both its Disc and Digital editions. The Digital version is now available, while stock lasts, for £309.99 (down from £389.99) and the model with a disc drive is selling for £399.99.
That’s a fantastic deal, and with the money you could nab a PSVR 2 (also on sale for Black Friday) or even a copy of Astro Bot.
If you are still taken with the PS5 Pro, then there are some savings to be had. Multiple retailers have slashed the price just a few weeks after launch.
