There is no denying that the PlayStation 5 Pro It represents a significant technological leap over the original PS5, but it’s not the new iteration I’d like to see. Revealed in a technical presentation by Sony, the PS5 Pro promises better performance, resolution and upscaling technology. With a price tag starting at $700 for the discless version, it’s an upgrade I can’t personally justify, and early reactions to the reveal show I’m definitely not alone in wanting to hold off.
The whole concept of major mid-generation upgrades is relatively newWith the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X shaking up the standard cycle in 2016 and 2017 respectively. I didn’t opt ​​for either of those either, instead taking the opportunity to buy a PS4 Slim once it dropped to $200 on sale after the Pro’s release. The Slim definitely showed its limits with some games, but with my PC as an alternative option, there weren’t too many times that I felt I had to settle for a subpar experience.
A handheld PS5 would be better than the PS5 Pro
Portability adds more value to me
Any doubts I might have about the value of a PS4 Pro are only magnified with the PS5 Pro, but that doesn’t mean I’d rather see Sony refrain from developing any mid-generation hardware. Instead of focusing on pushing graphics forward, I’d love to see a solid PS5 experience packed into a handheld form factor. While a PS5 Pro might offer a better experience for PS5 owners, it doesn’t offer a radical difference, and that’s something a handheld system can handle.
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Despite enjoying success in the handheld market with the PSP, Sony pulled out of the competition after the relative failure of the PS Vita, but this should not be the permanent death knell of PlayStation handhelds. The Vita was an elegant PSP successor in some respects, but poor decisions hamstrung its legitimate chance of finding a wider audience. The library of exclusives targeted at a western audience was notably weak, and overpriced proprietary memory cards were a major turn-off when standard SD storage could have sufficed.
A PS5 handheld could fill a market niche
A crowded handheld market has holes
While comfortably pocketable handhelds have taken a back seat in recent years, the success of the Nintendo Switch and alternatives like the Steam Deck has proven that larger, more powerful handhelds can go toe-to-toe with home consoles. I’m not grabbing my Switch every day to take it on the go, though The Switch’s versatility positions it as the perfect companion to a PC. It may not have anything close to the graphical horsepower of the PS5 Pro, but well-optimized exclusions and a huge library of indie games reduce the feeling of compromise.
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Where the Switch falls short – mostly widely inadequate ports – a PS5 handheld can step in. Polish or consistency that consoles do. Only the steam deck has a particularly elegant OS solutionAnd even then, compatibility can be a struggle. They can all be great for people who don’t have to think about settings, a camp I usually fall into, but they’re not for everyone.
I don’t want to discount the challenges of making a compelling PS5 handheldBut I think they are worth taking on. The reasonably strong sales of the PlayStation portal, which can only stream games from the PS5, demonstrate the interest in a more portable solution. To make something that could run PS5 games on its own at a reasonable price point would have to lean on a variety of technical solutions, but the introduction of AI-driven upscaling with the PS5 Pro proves that Sony is capable of developing these.
The PlayStation 5 Pro just doesn’t do it for me
I can’t possibly justify the upgrade
When I look at the PlayStation 5 Pro, I’m not inspiredAnd it would take more than shaving $100 off the price point to get me interested. I like my games to look nice and run smoothly just as much as the next person, and despite how beautiful Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Maybe, I didn’t think that the obviously upscale resolution of performance mode or the 30 FPS solution of graphics mode were ideal. At the same time, I think the issue lies more in the graphical arms race of game development than hardware that is only a few years old.
The PS4 title FF7 remake Looks just as good as Rebirth In some regards (and has more consistent lighting to boot), and unlike RebirthIts performance mode on PS5 looks fantastic. With a disappointingly slim lineup of true PS5 exclusives, I already see the PS5 as more of an ultimate PS4 than anything elseAnd it is exceptional without any upgrades. If I boot up my PS5, I’m personally more likely to play Yakuza 0 as i am Marvel’s Spider-Man 2And I don’t need any more power for that.
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It’s always good to have some games to push the graphical envelope, but as development time and costs balloon, making games that struggle to run on powerful hardware and then dropping absurdly expensive hardware upgrades to alleviate the issue feels like the wrong way to go. About things. Being able to play it on the go, however, would be a joy. Double-dipping doesn’t bite quite as hard when it actually provides new usesSomething the PS5 Pro cannot claim.
There have been many rumors about handhelds or hybrids in development from both Sony and Microsoft, and I would be happy to see. The competition is likely to intensify in 2025 with the release of the Nintendo Switch’s successor, and it is a shame that no one ends up squeezing anything in advance of this. I would welcome any sort of new handheld from Sony, though, and I think a PlayStation 5 Handheld would inspire a more passionate response than the PS5 Pro’s mixed reception.