Giovanni Colantonio / Digital Trends
We may be four years into a console generation , but this holiday shopping season is a bad moment for players . There are new Xbox models out , theMeta Quest 3S , and the brand new PS5 Pro . You might be lure to plunk up those shiny new items this vacation time of year , but the red-hot unexampled affair and the most practical deal are n’t always the same affair .
display case in power point : thePS5 Pro . If you do n’t have a PS5 and are looking to deplume the induction this holiday , you may feel pressured to go for what ’s billed as the most sinewy translation of Sony ’s system . Trust me when I say that that ’s not the way to go . Why spend $ 700 when you could get a regular PS5 Digital Editionfor $ 375instead during this year ’s Cyber Monday ?
I know what you ’re in all likelihood reckon : “ Why get the old version rather of the new one ? ” It ’s a honest doubtfulness . The PS5 Pro is certainly the superscript organisation when it comes to ability . It harness the power of AI - upscaling to play select games at 4 K while maintain 60 frames per second ( fps ) . It present a openhanded boost to games likeFinal Fantasy VII RebirthandDragon ’s Dogma 2 , bringing their execution closer to what you ’d expect on a keen PC . But are those acclivity deserving $ 700 ?
That ’s a complicated dubiousness that will dissent from role player to thespian , but as someone who has tested the PS5 Pro extensively , I do n’t think it ’s enough of a boost for the price .
The fact of the issue is that the base PS5 modelling is already the best console table you may buy . It ’s a powerhouse piece of technical school with innovative feature thanks to its DualSense comptroller and a deep depository library of exclusives that take reward of it . If you do n’t have a PS5 at all , the regular version will feel like a huge step up from what you ’re used to . You ’ll be none the fresh about the comparatively subtle functioning tweaks you ’ll get from the Pro . For most gamers , it ’s all the baron you ’ll really need . And as a bonus , you ’d be getting the system ’s slim design , which is more stocky than the PS5 Pro .
More than anything , though , it ’s the monetary value point that makes the pedestal PS5 a no - brainer this holiday season . $ 375 is a steal for the PS5 , even if you ’re getting the interpretation that does n’t come with a phonograph recording drive . It ’s belike the most inexpensive the cabinet has ever been — and it may never go lower . With the threat ofnew tariffs looming in 2025 , there ’s a good chance that the price of video plot computer hardware could skyrocket . Cyber Monday may end up being a last hooray of sorts for anything resembling an affordable console table .
So , while you may be tempted to go heavy or go home , I ’d recommend take reward of a well deal while you’re able to . There are exception to that , of course . If you ’re a PC gamer making the saltation to cabinet , the Pro ’s extra power might be worth it . After all , it does stabilise performance in game that really need it . But if you ’re the sort of person whocan’t spot the differencebetween 45 Federal Protective Service or 60 Federal Protective Service , you ’re better off buying a great system for intimately half the price .