Sony finally pulled the shrink wrap off the PlayStation 5 Pro this week, and the sticker shock is doing more heavy lifting than the GPU.
That's not a typo, that's not a bundle, and no, it doesn't come with a disc drive.
For that kind of money you could buy a decent 4K monitor, a year of Game Pass, and still have enough left over to pretend you'll actually finish Elden Ring.
Here's the pitch: a beefed-up GPU, dedicated ray-tracing hardware, and something Sony calls PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, which is a fancy way of saying "we upscale your games and hope you don't notice." The company claims 45% faster rendering.
Your eyes probably can't tell the difference between 60 and 120 frames in a cutscene anyway.
To get the most out of this thing, you need a TV that supports 120Hz and VRR.
If you bought your TV during the Obama administration, congratulations, you now own a very expensive paperweight that plays the same games as the $500 model.
Sony is essentially selling you a console that requires you to buy a second, larger console called "a new television." And the disc drive.
It's sold separately for $80, which means the full experience is $780 before tax.
That's more than a Steam Deck, more than a Switch OLED plus three games, and roughly the same as a mid-range gaming laptop that can also do your taxes.
Sony looked at the backlash to the digital-only PS5 and said, "What if we did that again, but angrier?" Retailers are already listing it, and the pre-order chaos has begun, because apparently we never learn.
The handful of games that actually leverage the extra horsepower could fit in a glovebox.
Most titles will just run slightly smoother versions of what you already own.
If you have a 120Hz OLED, a disposable income problem, and a desperate need to see individual raindrops in Spider-Man, sure.
For everyone else, the standard PS5 is still sitting right there, doing 95% of the same job for two hundred bucks less.
This is a console for people who already own everything and need a new reason to feel superior on the internet.
Closing take: Sony is betting you'll pay a premium for marginal gains, and history says they're right.
Final Thoughts
But $700 for a mid-generation refresh with a sold-separately disc drive is not innovation, it's a vibe check on your wallet.