PS5 Pro might be digital-only in a bid to keep the price down
The PS5 Pro might ditch the drive in order to save consumers money
💰 The PS5 Pro might be digital-only to keep the price down
💿 Sony may offer a disc drive add-on similar to the PS5 Slim
🤷♂️ Users who want to play physical games can then pay $79.99 for a disc drive
🔜 The PS5 Pro is expected to be announced in the next few weeks and should cost $599.99
The PS5 Pro could ditch the disc drive in favor of an all-digital model, as Sony struggles to keep the cost of its more powerful PlayStation 5 in check.
Sony recently raised the price of the standard PS5 in Japan and didn’t introduce a permanent price cut when it launched the PlayStation 5 Slim. And according to the tech experts at Digital Foundry, the PS5 Pro may be digital-only, which won’t please fans of physical games.
The console could adopt the same modular design as the PS5 Slim, which lets users purchase a separate disc drive for $79.99 and attach it to the console. The PS5 Pro’s design looks similar to that of the PlayStation 5 Slim, suggesting Sony may pursue this idea.
Even without a disc drive, the PS5 Pro is expected to cost at least $599, $100 more than the current PlayStation 5. The console promises to deliver higher resolutions, smoother frame rates, and more ray tracing support, but there’s no doubt the PS5 Pro will be a niche product.
According to Daniel Ahmad, the director of research and insights at Niko Partners, the PS4 Pro accounted for less than 15% of lifetime PS4 sales. The PS4 Pro was arguably more appealing than the PlayStation 5 Pro, as many will think the PS5 Pro doesn’t make sense right now. The console isn’t going to usher in a new display format or must-have technology, but there will still be a market for it regardless.
Sony is expected to launch the PlayStation 5 Pro this month, with PS5 Pro pre-orders likely to go live toward the end of September. A Nintendo Switch 2 announcement could follow closely, as Nintendo is also tipped to reveal its new console this month.
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.