PlayStation 5 Pro review: Eye candy at an eye-watering price

It doesn’t feel like so long ago that the dreaded console wars were being further fuelled by the arrival of two console refreshes. The first was the Xbox One X—not to be confused with the Xbox Series X—and the other was the PlayStation 4 Pro. Both had their pros and cons, and both offered a glimpse into what to expect from their yet-to-be-released full-fledged successors.

On paper, the Xbox Series X is more powerful than the PlayStation 5, but it feels like there are so many stunning first-party Sony games to convince you otherwise and so few Microsoft ones to back up that theoretical performance edge. Microsoft launched its current gen with a lesser-powered all-digital console, the Xbox Series S, but now there’s no contest as there is no Xbox Series One X, Xbox Series Xier, or whatever they would’ve called it.

The PlayStation 5 Pro stands peerless as the most powerful console on the planet, both on paper and in terms of the all-important games to demonstrate that power. Thankfully, it’s not all about fidelity for Sony’s refreshed new-gen console, but there are some important cons to flag with this Pro’s pros.

Even though there’s only one model this time around, it really should be listed as “from $1,199” for the PlayStation 5 Pro. Why? Full versatility will have you reaching deeper than that already high asking price. For starters, it costs $49.95 RRP for the vertical stand that may not be optional depending on where you want to put the PS5 Pro. In fairness, you can stand up the PS5 Pro vertically without the stand, but while stable, it’s not recommended (especially if you have cats like I do).

The trickier cost is the $159 asking price for the disc drive. Those were unavailable for the entire time I spent reviewing the PlayStation 5 Pro, and the cheapest price I could find on eBay was more than double that RRP. Sony deserves kudos for deterring would-be PS5 Pro scalpers by providing ample PS5 Pro console stock, but the lack of available disc drives—more so because it was released with the PS5 Slim—is disappointing and concerning.

Let’s get back to the price for the console itself. That $1,199 RRP is steeper than the $999 for the 2TB version of the Xbox Series X, the $799 for the 1TB Xbox Series X, or the $699 for the 1TB digital version of the Xbox Series X. You can grab the Xbox Series S 1TB version for $549 or the Xbox Series S 512GB version for $499. For Sony fans, the PlayStation 5 Slim is $799 while the PS5 Slim Digital costs $679. Effectively, you could buy a PlayStation 5 Slim Digital and an Xbox Series S for about the price of a PlayStation 5 Pro.

And that doesn’t even include the cost of the TV. As a PC main, I get tired of bad-faith debates about the cost of consoles relative to computers, more so when the console crowd doesn’t consider the all-important cost of a 4K TV or monitor. To get the most out of the PlayStation 5 Pro, you want a 4K TV or monitor (if not 8K) that has HDMI 2.1 support, 120Hz refresh rate and VRR. Ideally, you want an OLED to really complement the on-screen fidelity. Sure, that’s not an extra cost you need to consider if you already own this kind of display. But if you don’t, basically expect to add at least the cost of the PS5 Pro again to fully appreciate the eye candy.

The design of the PlayStation 5 Pro is sleeker than the original PlayStation 5. Even if you discount the extra side bulk for the PS5’s disc drive (ahem), the Sony engineers have done well to get more power into a slimmer package. On the front of the PS5 Pro are two USB-C ports and the power button. You can put it on its sides with a couple of detachable legs, which saves money on the optional vertical stand if you have the TV space to keep it flat.

Flip it over to the back, and you’ve got a familiar port offering, albeit in a different order than the original PS5. Still, there’s HDMI up top, then a LAN port, two USB-A ports, and a power connector at the bottom. From a looks perspective, the PS5 Pro is prettier than its four-years-older sibling, and the black fins on the side are a nice aesthetic touch.

Initially, I was worried that I’d have to redownload all of the PS5 games I wanted to test. Mercifully, the PS5 Pro makes things easy from the start, guiding through some basic settings and then encouraging the use of a QR code to simplify logging in. As for the games, network transfer is a godsend—particularly with Ethernet cables for PS5 and PS5 Pro—and I was able to transfer 300GB+ of games and data in around 50 minutes.

I couldn’t transfer any games stored on the M.2 internal storage expansion inside my PS5. This wasn’t flagged during the network transfer, and as someone who’s used to transferring large files across multiple drives and network devices every week on PC, the lack of an option to transfer those other internally stored games is disappointing. You can shift an M.2 SSD from PS5 to PS5 Pro, though. That particular gripe aside, it was an otherwise smooth setup process made even easier at the end with a quick guide into the PlayStation interface (which is the same as PS5).

I downloaded as many games as I could to test fidelity improvements and performance gains in the 50+ supported titles. But let’s get some initial disappointments out of the way first. Before checking the list of those supported games, I erroneously assumed it would include all first-party Sony games. That’s not the case, though, and I really hope we don’t have to wait too long for PS5 Pro enhancement patches for Ghost of Tsushima and Returnal, not to mention the original high-fidelity series, Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection. I even jumped in to see if I noticed any base performance improvements, but couldn’t spot anything worth noting.

For every other PlayStation 5 Pro game I tested, scroll on. Note that all games were tested on the inelegantly named Alienware AW3423DWF monitor, which is a 4K OLED screen that can display up to 240Hz and features variable refresh rate (VRR). I set VRR to auto in the PS5 Pro system settings and enabled the Alienware monitor’s on-screen-display frame-rate tracking for an idea of in-game frames per second (fps).

Alphabetical order really wasn’t the best way to do this list, because Apex Legends is not the kind of game you’d boot up to show off the power of the PlayStation 5 Pro. There’s plenty of noticeable visual pop-in at range, which you’ll get lots of at the start of any game, regardless of the mode. Still, frame rate is king in online shooters, so you can get a locked 120fps in Performance mode. Alternatively, for a smidge of extra pretty, switch to Quality mode for locked 60fps gameplay.

In terms of in-game visual settings, there was really only ray tracing on or off. Still, expect a solid 60fps in Dead Rising Deluxe Remastered wherever you go, even with plenty of zombies on display. The game looks its best up close, particularly Frank West’s leather jacket and the attention to detail on character faces. If you focus too much on the background, you may notice some long-range low-res and/or blurry textures, otherwise this is great-looking remaster up to middle ranges.

Demon’s Souls is a PS5 Pro-updated game that doesn’t really tell you what’s been enhanced for each fidelity setting. Alternating between Performance, Cinematic or PS5 Pro presets all offer stable locked 60fps gameplay. Performance and Cinematic modes were mostly identical in my test area (at least for my eyes), although there was a fidelity boost for PS5 Pro, particularly on edges and background details.

Fortnite is a rare console game that lets you activate an in-game fps counter, plus it’s also one of the supported games with PS5 Pro enhancements. There aren’t any visual presets like a lot of the other games I tested, but I was impressed with how it mostly stuck to a solid 120fps. There were some dips to closer to 100fps, but it felt very snappy and responsive, which is exactly what you want for fast-paced online shooters if you’re seeking a competitive edge.

We’re about to hit a combo of games that looked amazing on PlayStation 5 and, unsurprisingly, look even better with PS5 Pro enhancements. Horizon Forbidden West is where you really start to feel the fluidity improvements of higher frame rates. With the Favor Resolution Pro setting, the game looks best but feels less fluid with inputs and camera movements. Flick over to Favor Performance Pro, though, and you can get between 55–75fps, which feels great without too many major graphical compromises to the untrained eye. Still, for a good middle ground between the two, the 40fps Balanced Pro setting is a good shout.

Even when favouring performance, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is beautiful (particularly at night). When you crank up the fidelity, though, it’s absolutely stunning. With Favor Resolution Pro, it was a higher-resolution experience with a locked 60fps frame rate and gorgeous visuals. There is some blurring around Aloy during faster camera spins, but that’s less noticeable if you switch to Favor Performance Pro. That particular visual setting was somewhat confusing: sure, it felt smoother, but my monitor was measuring between 58 and 67fps in my test area. More confusing is the so-called Balanced mode played at a locked 120fps—in terms of naming logic, you’d think that’d be favouring performance—and felt buttery smooth.

God of War Ragnarök was my favourite game to test on the PlayStation 5 Pro. As a high-end PC gamer, I’m so used to having my fidelity cake and eating frames, too: namely, high resolutions and faster frame rates, not one or the other. Ragnarök on PS5 Pro gives you that. Flicking on the PS5 Pro Enhanced setting, I was getting a very healthy 90–120fps with anti-aliasing set to the all-new PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR).

PSSR is a console-first AI upscaler, but while it absolutely ups the pretty, it does come at the cost of frames. To test this, I switched to temporal anti-aliasing (TAA). Performance was similar, albeit TAA offered a tighter range: 110–120fps in my test area. Either option is viable and, ultimately, God of War Ragnarök is buttery smooth, looks stunning, and is extremely playable. If you do experience it, good luck going back to 60fps gameplay, which feels sluggish in comparison.

The PS5 Pro enhanced version of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was my first experience with the game and, wow, it sure is a looker. There’s a Performance Pro mode or a Fidelity Pro mode to choose from: the former is built for 60fps with some ray tracing (RT) on, and the latter targets 30fps with all RT prettiness enabled. Either option looks great, but you should absolutely use the Fidelity Pro mode near window-filled buildings to show off the ray tracing. I also flicked VRR from Smooth to Uncapped and appreciated the 60–70fps in Performance mode. Frame rates were all over the place for Fidelity Pro to the point where I couldn’t reliably track a range, but a VRR monitor means you shouldn’t feel those changes (I didn’t).

Insomniac Games doesn’t mess around when it comes to fidelity, and they’re certainly not shirking when it comes to PS5 Pro enhancements. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 proves that (above), and the devs have given a similar level of love to Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Admittedly, I was initially underwhelmed with the visual upgrades in the Performance Pro preset, even though it offered smooth 77–99fps gameplay. But when you can get 50–60fps on Fidelity Pro and it’s noticeably prettier—particularly during effects-heavy firefights—you really should opt for that if you’re looking for an easy wow win on the PS5 Pro fidelity front.

Look, I was the opposite of a fan for more than just the dated visuals when I reviewed Rise of the Rōnin in March I was, however, curious to see whether the PlayStation 5 Pro enhancement patch could fix that. It didn’t. I’m sure there’s some extra sheen and higher resolution, but the game isn’t close to operating in the same visual pantheon as the five Sony games above and the two below. On Prioritise Graphics mode, it jumped between 48fps and 60fps with the frame limiter off, without justifying that with any noteworthy fidelity. At least Prioritise FPS mode had a locked 60fps for smoother gameplay, reportedly the visual equivalent of the base PS5 version albeit with a better frame rate.

Initially, I thought I’d encountered a PS5 Pro visual preset bug in my test section because of a flashing visual artefact of a book page on the ground, but it was consistent across the three visual presets. That oddity aside, it doesn’t matter whether you pick Fidelity, Performance or Pro; The Last of Us Part I is still gorgeous. Pro hangs around 60fps with the best fidelity, including PSSR upscaling. You can get between 90–110fps by opting for Performance mode. But given the gunplay isn’t overly twitchy, the 70–85fps I recorded with the better-looking Pro preset is more than enough for re-experiencing one of PlayStation’s best games.

It’s a similar story for The Last of Us Part II Remastered as it is for The Last of Us Part I. Upon starting, the game encourages you to enable Pro mode for a 60fps target with 4K resolution (via PSSR upscaling). In my rainy test area, I measured 106–120fps for Performance mode. But, as above, you don’t need all of those extra frames for the slower-paced gunplay, so I was very happy with the 75–93fps range in Pro mode. If you want to be particularly impressed, do a Michael Bay camera spin around the player character whenever it’s raining. The attention to detail has always been impressive in this series, but it’s jaw-dropping on the PS5 Pro. This kind of fidelity-to-frames experience is what I’m used to on a high-end PC.