After a two month wait since announcement, the PS5 Pro is officially out in Australia. Marc Cerny's September Technical Presentation revealed PlayStation's mid-generation refresh in the form of a beefier flagship console. With upscaling abilities that will account for higher frame rates when gaming, we don't blame you for wanting to get your hands on one of these consoles, pricey though they may be.
The PS5 Pro costs AU$1,199.95 and launched on November 7. The PS5 launched during a global pandemic when stock shortages were a factor and almost no counters to scalpers were in place. On the otherhand, stock issues haven't affected the PS5 Pro, presumably because it's a niche product that costs a lot of money.
AU$1,200 is a fair chunk of cash to throw down for a mid-generation refresh. Inside the new console, you'll get a beefier 2TB SSD, a larger and more powerful GPU, and your usual copy of Astro's Playroom pre-installed. You will get a DualSense controller, but no vertical stand or Blu-Ray drive. Those last two are sold separately.
PS5 pre-orders: What we know
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PS5 Pro retailers in Australia
Buying a PS5 Pro in Australia: FAQs
Should you buy the PS5 Pro?
This is not the easiest question to answer after a quick technical presentation that didn't give too much away besides the architectural differences between the two consoles. I think the answer here will depend on who you are, and what your current gaming setup is.
If you're a PS5 owner already who is happy with their platform and its performance, there isn't much need to upgrade from your current console. Sure, the bigger GPU and 2TB SSD will be a big help for futureproofing, but modern video games, especially the ones shown off in the reveal broadcast for PS5 Pro, already run great on the existing hardware. Unless you want to make more use of a high refresh rate display, what are you upgrading for? If you're looking to play more games while utilizing a better refresh rate, and you're willing to pay for the upgrade, then you'll find a lot of value in the PS5 Pro.
On the other hand, if you're a PC gamer looking for a cheaper, lower-maintenance machine to run modern games on, the PS5 Pro is actually very appealing. It's more affordable than a lot of equivalent spec gaming PCs, and you'll still be able to make use of upscaling technology found in the latest graphics cards.
There is another angle to view this from, however. If you zoom out a bit and look at the PS5 platform as a whole, is there a justification for buying an upgraded PS5? We don't know what first-party experiences await us in the second half of this generation, but so far, Sony's homegrown experiences haven't exactly lived up to the PS4 ones that a lot of people bought in for. Live service games like Concord and Helldivers 2 show a big priority of Sony is ongoing multiplayer games, but the record shows that Sony isn't the best at handling them. We have no idea what single-player experiences are in the works at Sony Santa Monica, Naughty Dog, Sucker Punch, Housemarque, or BluePoint - and these are big question marks to hinge a new hardware launch on.
If you're buying a PS5 Pro for the games, the jury's still out.
Does PS5 have a Pro version?
PS5 has a regular and slim version currently, but a PS5 Pro model has been confirmed to arrive on November 7, 2024. The Pro model will feature a larger GPU that apparently doubles the performance of the base PS5. It will also have access to PSSR - an upscaling technology that will mean better frame rates. It will cost AU$1,199.95 in Australia.
Getting set for the PS5 Pro? Check out the best PS5 controllers, the best SSDs for PS5, and the best PS5 headset.
