It may be old news at this point, especially considering the competition is releasing alarm clocks, but I am not usually on time anyway, so how about that Playstation 5 Pro? It is after all marketed by Sony as the most visually impressive way to play Playstation games.

The new console boasts an newer AMD graphics processing unit (GPU) that can push “up to 45% faster rendering for gameplay”, as well as an artificial intelligence powered upscaling engine, and a nifty 2TB of internal storage, you’ll need to pay extra for the privilege of safely standing it upright however. This is all sounding good right? However we quickly hit the big gotcha: the price of $700USD (again without that rather attractive stand). As someone who typically buys all three consoles, these mid cycle refreshes always present a difficult buying decision. I have always loved new hardware, and the features that may come along for the ride, but I have difficulty making financial sense of them. What is clear however is that the refresh game plan is one the console makers intend to persist with.

However, what if the shock, and subsequent fervour, over that $700USD/$959CAD price point was unjustified? I liked this particular video by JayzTwoCents:

Here JayzTwoCents does what so many of us are likely to have done, head over to PC Part Picker and spec out a PC with comparable power or a PC at the same price point and then benchmark it. On the surface this makes perfect sense, the consoles nowadays (Nintendo aside) are running on at least PC adjacent hardware after all. What can be easily lost is the message, even though he clearly states it: PC hardware is expensive! And now it just got expensive for Playstation (and I suspect soon, Xbox) gamers as well. Despite preferring to play on PC personally, there is just so much value in console gaming thanks in large part to the economic model of subsidizing the hardware with the profits on the software. However I think, and the JayzTwoCents video backs it up, is that perhaps those days are coming to an end. The cost of GPUs skyrocketed during the pandemic, and while it has eased off somewhat, driving 4K 120hz is still a >$1000CAD alone adventure.

Now, yes, JayzTwoCents shows that you can probably build a PC that with upscaling can push similar pixels as the new Pro, which lets be real, is not pushing 4k60 without upscaling either (Digtal Foundry, 2024), but that comes with all the good and bad of a PC. Linux based distributions such as ChimeraOS and Bazzite offer a means of running a console like experience on your PC (and believe me, I DO), but there are still caveats along the way. Being able to sit down and play ANY game with a PS5 logo on the box, with the same performance as your buddy half the world away, just makes sense. Having said that, more and more previously exclusive Playstation titles have come to the PC, and they run swimmingly on modern hardware.

So if we can justify the Playstation 5 hardware based on comparative specifications, why does it still feel like a bad deal to some? If I had to guess, I think this is inherent to the mid cycle refresh model. Sony promises more ray-tracing wizardry, however they do not seem to be discussing any new game experiences to go with it. This, is what I find most interesting. Games still need to be designed for the lowest common denominator, or the base Playstation 5 (and in some cases even the Playstation 4), so are developers really going to take advantage of what this hardware bump provides? Sony lists some games getting a boost, however the list is small, and points to games requiring developer support. That is a pretty major stumbling block: what incentive do developers have to return to their released games and update them? That I do not know, but it seems like poor design on Sony’s part for the ecosystem as a whole. Fluid compatibility is a hallmark of the PC, I can go back and play almost anything released for the platform. This does not detract from the hardware however. Sony has built a nice piece of kit that will –on future titles at least– mean you will be less likely to have to decide between performance and quality fidelity modes.

In the end, Sony writes:

Our PS5 journey would not be possible without the millions of players that have supported us through the years and have shared with us their love of gaming. Whichever console option players choose, whether it’s PS5 or PS5 Pro, we wish to bring everyone the very best gaming experience that fits their needs.

So there we have it, a nice little hardware bump, that makes games BETTER for the Playstation gamer. While I will probably hold out for the Playstation 6, I lack the discontent with the price of the Pro. It is expensive for sure, but in this economy it may just be the way it is. I can’t tell you if the Playstation 5 Pro is worth close to $1000 Canadian dollars for anyone, only you, dear reader can make that judgement call based on your own finances. What I can do however is point out that given the price of PC components these days, maybe Sony is living up to that wish.

Nishino, H. (2024, September 10). Welcome PlayStation 5 Pro, the most visually impressive way to play games on PlayStation. Playstation.Blog; Sony Corporation. https://blog.playstation.com/2024/09/10/welcome-playstation-5-pro-the-most-visually-impressive-way-to-play-games-on-playstation/

Digtal Foundry. (2024, October 4). Exclusive - The Last Of Us Part 2 - PS5 Pro PSSR Upgrades Tested. YouTube; YouTube. youtu.be/LoQi6FE-7…

Nintendo Switch 2 will be backwards compatible, leak claims | Eurogamer.net:

That's according to Universo Nintendo, a Portuguese website that claims the Switch 2 will not only have backwards compatibility with Switch titles currently available on Nintendo's handheld system, but developers will also be able to "enhance" these games thanks to the additional processing power.

As someone with a goodly number of physical Switch games, I find myself enthusiastic about these rumours. Where I remain skeptical however is in the SoC department.

We’ve seen Apple pushing the power of their mobile SoC with the release of Death Stranding on the iPhone, do we really expect NVIDIA (and the traditionally reserved Nintendo) to have cooked up something on that level? Gosh it’d be fun!