PS5 Pro consensus is: A major performance boost, but no need to rush out and buy… yet

The PS5 Pro has finally arrived, so the question on your mind is, should I swipe the card and get one? Before you make that decision, check out what some people who had a chance to see it had to say before you hit the buy button.

The base model PS5 still has plenty of life left, but that's not stopping Sony from releasing a mid-generation console refresh with the PS5 Pro.

When word of the console first came out, the immediate question was, do we need this $700 machine? Who is this for? We all know it's definitely for a niche group of gamers who prioritize performance and graphics and want the best of both worlds without building an expensive gaming rig.

Specs-wise, the PS5 Pro is an impressive piece of hardware. Under the hood is an 8-core/16-thread AMD Ryzen Zen 2 processor with an RDNA-based graphics engine, producing 16.7 TF of GPU compute performance compared to the base PS5's 10.23 TF.

There's also 16GB of GDDR6 memory and 2GB of slower DDR5 memory that handles the console's other non-gaming tasks, plus a custom 2TB SSD.

Ahead of the console's launch, PlayStation confirmed there would be 55 PS5 Pro-enhanced games, so it's not entering the conversation without titles to show off its power.

With all that said, what are critics saying about the PS5 Pro? Reviews, for the most part, seem mixed, with many saying it's too early to tell if this console is a failure.

2025 will be the real test for the PS5 Pro

In his review of PolygonCameron Faulkner touched on his experience with PS5 Pro enhanced titles, writing: “I haven't tried every one of the 50 games that have received a PS5 Pro patch. But what I tried yielded a mixed bag of improvements that I'm not sure I'd be entirely happy with if I spent $699.99 on launch day.”

He continued, “That way, there will be plenty of games in 2025 that will put the PS5 Pro's more powerful specs to the test.”

It's impressive, but the price is impressive

IGN gave the PS5 Pro a 7 (Good); and in his criticismwrote Michael Higham, “The PlayStation 5 Pro is an impressive console with notable improvements in performance and graphics for games that take advantage of its powerful hardware. But for $700, you should think twice about whether or not the upgrade is worth the price.”

Powerful, but not necessary

Rory Mellon for Guide to Vol he wrote“The PS5 Pro is going to be where I play the vast majority of new releases for the rest of this console generation thanks to its unrivaled gaming experience. If you're also the type of gamer who wants the best visuals and performance regardless of the cost, then I'd have no qualms about recommending the PS5 Pro. However, console gamers who own a budget console shouldn't feel hopeless because they're stuck with a technically inferior machine. The PS5 Pro is a strong upgrade to an already great console, but it's not an essential purchase at this price.”

The PS5 Pro is a niche product for now

Tim Gettys from Kinda funny said of his experience with the PS5 Pro, “The PS5 Pro is the perfect example of a console that fits right into the home with LG OLED, a home theater receiver and all the stuff in the box. If you're into those things, this is for you. $700 is a lot, but it's not a lot compared to other things in this field.”

Gettys continued, “I think it's a niche product for now, but I think it will become a mainstream product very soon.”

So the consensus is that if you have a basic PS5, you're good and there's no need to rush out to get a PS5 Pro. While it's a significant performance boost, waiting until games take full advantage of the new hardware is a safe bet.