PS5 vs. PS5 Pro: Which deal is best on Black Friday?
There's a huge price gap between the PS5 and PS5 Pro, but let's see if the price-to-performance ratio is worth it
I recently made a $700 bet on the PS5 Pro, hoping that the games would be elevated by this beast of a console. So where did that actually land? How does it compare to the standard PS5? And more importantly, which is the better PS5 Black Friday deal?
Well, the PS5 Slim is currently on sale at Amazon for $374. That's a decent discount, at $75 off. So where does the PS5 Pro fall on Black Friday. The PS5 Pro is currently available on Amazon for $699. Yep, you read that right. The PS5 Pro is not on sale but instead its full price.
That means that you're paying nearly double the price when jumping from the PS5 Slim to the PS5 Pro. Is that really worth the money? If you haven't already been forced to decide by your budget, then you may want to consider which is best.
There's no deal on the PS5 Pro, but is that price gap still worth it? Let's find out.
PS5 vs. PS5 Pro: Which deal is best on Black Friday?
Buy if: You want strong graphics. You want big storage. You want new ray tracing features. You want increased resolution balanced with high frames. You want 8K gaming.
Don't buy if: You just want the games to be playable. Your games don't take up much storage. You don't mind 30-fps gaming. You don't care about ray tracing.
Price check: Best Buy $699 | Walmart $699 | PlayStation Direct
Buy if: You're a casual gamer. You want to save the most money you can while being able to play all of the PS5 games despite decreased performance.
Don't buy if: You really care about getting the sharpest graphics, the highest frames, the best ray tracing quality, and huge storage.
Price check: Best Buy $374 | Walmart $374 | Target $374
Let's break it down quick.
Reasons to buy a PS5 Pro: You want the latest and greatest tech. You want to play more games at 4K, 60fps. You want to be prepared for the latter half of the generation when games like Ghost of Yotei launch (games will be more graphically involved) You want more storage (2TB). You want to experience better ray tracing.
Reasons to buy a PS5: You are a casual gamer. You don't play too many games (smaller SSD). You play on performance mode. You don't have a 4K monitor or TV. You don't mind 30fps gameplay. You play indie games.
Only hardcore gaming enthusiasts should buy the PS5 Pro. I got the PS5 Pro and I am getting the most out of it right now because of that 2TB of storage. And I will be a happy camper when Ghost of Yotei launches. As far as the increased graphics performance, I haven't played any games that have applied to it. And if you're not playing graphically intensive games, then you'll find yourself in the same position.
My overall recommendation, especially for folks purchasing the console for family members over the holidays, just get the standard PS5 Slim at Amazon for $374. That is, unless, that relative REALLY cares about their graphics.
More PS5 deals
The Sony PS5 Slim is one of the best game consoles around. It packs powerful components, stunning 4K graphics, backward compatibility, and 1TB of SSD storage.
Thanks to a high-speed SSD, deeper immersion haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, and 3D audio, expect lightning-fast load times.
Price check: Walmart $424 | Target $424
With this QVC bundle, you get the PS5 Slim digital console (1TB solid-state drive) with DualSense wireless controller, power cord, HDMI cable, and charging cable; the Astro's PlayRoom game, two stand feet, a dual charging dock, a silicone sleeve, a wired headset, a storage stand, a USB-C cable, a 2-in-1 USB-C cable, four thumb grips, and a $25 PSN card.
At $499, the Sony PS5 NBA 2K25 Console Bundle(Digital Edition) is an excellent value. This bundle includes a PlayStation 5 disc-less console, DualSense wireless controller, and a full game download of NBA 2K25 (valued at $70).
Features: New slim disc-less design, ray-tracing, 4K gaming at up to 120 fps, HDR support
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Rami Tabari is an Editor for Laptop Mag. He reviews every shape and form of a laptop as well as all sorts of cool tech. You can find him sitting at his desk surrounded by a hoarder's dream of laptops, and when he navigates his way out to civilization, you can catch him watching really bad anime or playing some kind of painfully difficult game. He’s the best at every game and he just doesn’t lose. That’s why you’ll occasionally catch his byline attached to the latest Souls-like challenge.