Sony has officially announced the PS5 Pro, a higher variant of the PlayStation 5 with an increased GPU and more developed ray tracing functions— all for $699.99. However, there was one surprising detail that left fans somewhat disappointed: the PS5 Pro does not have a disc drive. Consequently, gamers willing to play their physical copies of games will have to come up with an additional $79.99 for a drive; hence, the system costs $779.98 when you buy both the console and the drive together.
“According to Hideaki Nishino, who works as Senior Vice President in Sony, “PS5 Pro is available as a disc-less console; the option will be given at the time of purchase for the currently available Disc Drive for PS5 separately.” This approach mirrors what happened with the PS5 Slim redesign, allowing users also to add a disc drive to their digital-only version of the console.
Although the decision to omit the disc drive has caused annoyance, it was not wholly anticipated. With the PS5 Slim, Sony used a similar approach by giving customers the choice between all-digital and disc-enabled variants. But considering the premium pricing, a lot of fans believe that a disc drive ought to be a basic feature of the console’s high-end “Pro” edition.
Preorders for the PS5 Pro will open on September 26 and the device is scheduled to launch on November 7. While some gamers may find the new console’s hardware advancements exciting, the additional cost of purchasing a second disc drive has caused some to question the new console’s overall value proposition. This choice raises the price of an already costly upgrade for people who love tactile games.
