PS5 Pro signposts a disc-less future that few actually want | Opinion

gamesindustry.biz:

Sony's PS5 Pro is the only major hardware launch we're getting this year – making 2024 into a bit of a damp squib when you consider that it was originally expected to bring a similar spec-bumped revision of the Xbox Series X and perhaps even the launch of Nintendo's Switch successor.

It's rather telling that Nintendo letting the merest morsel of information about that upcoming device fall from the table – the entirely unsurprising news that it will be backwards-compatible with the Switch – has largely overshadowed the launch of the PS5 Pro.

Sony has found a particular niche for its Pro consoles; they're a way to double-dip into hardcore enthusiasts' wallets midway through the cycle, and they may also serve a useful role in convincing holdouts on older hardware to finally upgrade. PS5 Pro's very high price tag means it'll probably do better in the former role than the latter, but either way, the market share it will ultimately pick up will be much like the PS4 Pro's – respectable enough, but hardly exciting.

Discussion of the precise benefits of the Pro console are in the realm of Digital Foundry, not mere mortals like myself whose eyes cross when trying to count pixels, and your interpretation of the value of those benefits and whether they justify the mid-cycle upgrade cost is an incredibly subjective judgement.

What I'd argue is actually more interesting about PS5 Pro in a wider perspective isn't what Sony has done to the chips in the system – it's what they've chosen not to include, and what it tells us about the decision-making process that's likely occurring for the company's future hardware.

PS5 Pro doesn't have a disc drive. Anyone who wants to play disc-based games on the system will need to buy one of the add-on drives Sony started selling when the PS5 Slim model was released, adding further to the cost of the already very expensive device.

To add insult to injury, Sony doesn't seem to have made any effort whatsoever to ensure that those drives are actually