Here's What You Can Buy Instead of the PS5 Pro

The PS5 Pro has finally been announced, offering better graphic fidelity, a 2TB SSD, and aims to 'remove Performance Mode' by offering both great visuals at a high frame rate. But these upgrades come at a hefty cost—$699.99 (not including tax) to be exact. That's a lot of money for a console that is just an upgrade from the base PS5, and missing some key features, such as a disc drive, to boot.

It's just not a good deal. So why spend $700 on the PS5 Pro when you can get so much more for your money? Let's break it down. While you can't get everything below for the asking price of the PS5 Pro, a lot of the options here are a better way to spend your money than upgrading.

Let's start with the obvious—the base PS5 consoles will cost significantly less than the PS5 Pro. There are two base PlayStation 5 models: the standard Slim PS5 for $499.99 and the Digital Edition, which lacks a disc drive, for $449.99. Given that you would have to buy a disc drive separately for the PS5 Pro, even getting the standard edition is a cool $200 saved.

I always recommend buying a game console that can take physical media like discs over purely digital consoles instead. Discs will generally not be unplayable if the internet goes down, and having another avenue to buy games lets you take advantage of deals you can't get on the digital storefront. Physical discs also make it so that you need to download less online, which is important if you have data caps on your internet plan.

Finally, this is just the price of the console by itself. You can also look into bundle deals, which can vary by retailer. You'll at least get a discount on the included game, but many will also offer accessories or an extra DualSense controller, making them an ideal purchase when they're available. Most bundles tend to come out around the holiday season, so if you're not in a rush, you can wait and save even more.

One of the more interesting specs of the PS5 Pro to me was the 2TB internal SSD built into the system. It's a nice upgrade over the 1TB storage in the Slim models and the 825GB in the original PlayStation 5 models, so it does make the upgrade tempting if you're trying to keep a bunch of games downloaded.

But the thing is, you can insert a new internal M.2 SSD into your PS5, and you can even go up all the way to 8TB. So, if you can't take advantage of the graphical enhancements of the PS5 Pro but want more storage, why not just buy an internal SSD instead? If you want a 2TB internal SSD, you can get one for an average of $150—our pick for the best PS5 SSD overall has a retail price of $199.99, but it's often on sale for less, and as of the time of this writing, it's $149.99.

Of course, a $200 SSD is the same price as upgrading from the standard PS5 to the PS5 Pro. But it's important to remember that if you already have a PS5, you won't be able to resell it at full price (not to mention the hassle of selling it or trading it in), and you will lose the disc drive to boot. If you own some physical PS5 games, it's not worth upgrading the whole console when you can slip a new 2TB SD in the one you currently have.

It's always a good idea to have more than one controller for your consoles, whether it's to play with friends or have a replacement when your battery runs dry. While the price of the DualSense has been increased by $5 this month, it's still an essential accessory worth the investment. If you're looking at the standard colors (like White), a controller goes for $74.99; the special colors go for $79.99, though you might still find some at the $74.99 price point. You can also use a DualSense controller with the PC if you set it up, so you can get more value if you need something for PC gaming.

All that said, it might be worth looking into third-party and custom PS5 controllers as well—though admittedly, many of them are more expensive than a standard DualSense controller. Still, considering you can get the DualSense Edge for $199, or my choice (the PDP Victrix Pro) for $179.99, it's not a bad deal when staring down the price of a new console that will come with one standard DualSense anyway.

If you play online or join in on voice chats on your PS5, a headset is essential. That said, it's hard to put an exact price on a PS5 headset—after all, there are many options to choose from, and the price points vary wildly. Sony's official Pulse 3D Wireless Headset is a good starting point to go by, however. Available for $99.99, this headset is guaranteed to work with the PS5 without any issues, matches on an aesthetic level, and is built to take advantage of the PS5's 3D Audio. The Pulse 3D is truly the best option if you want a hassle-free experience.

But there are plenty of other options available, as well. I use the Steelseries Arctis Nova 1, a wired headset that works with all of my gaming systems. It provides great audio and anyone talking to me says I've never sounded better. For $59.99, that isn't a bad deal at all!

Some Video Games: $69.99/each

Let's take a step back. Why do you own, or want to own, a PlayStation 5? To play games, of course! All of these accessories, console differences, and everything else—they don't matter if you have no games to play.

PS5 games are technically $69.99 a piece, but some developers still list games at $59.99. And those are just titles at full price! Many games get permanent discounts or get deep cuts for sales, especially if it's a physical game. One title I've been keeping an eye on, Persona 3 Reload, has been available at $39.88 for a while, despite originally being $69.99 when released in January.

It's hard to recommend any particular PS5 game for you to buy, so browse around Amazon and see how many games you can get for around $200.

But what it all boils down to is this: Consider, like really consider, whether the PS5 Pro is worth the $700. As we mentioned in our explaner of the PS5 Pro, it really isn't worth upgrading if you have a standard PS5 since the graphical enhancements are not significant enough. The Pro might be worth it if you don't have a PS5 at all yet, but by the same token, you can buy yourself a standard PS5 for at least $200 less than the Pro, and spend that extra money on games or accessories you'd want instead.