Buying a Gaming PC Instead of a PS5 Pro “Doesn’t Quite Make Sense,” Tech Expert Says

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PlayStation players who are shocked at the PS5 Pro’s $699.99 price and have been considering spending that amount of money on a gaming PC instead should sit down and come up with a different plan, according to the latest thoughts from Richard Leadbetter, the technology editor for Digital Foundry. Leadbetter, a personality that many gamers look up to for his in-depth analyses on subjects that include console hardware and game performance, says that going for a PC “doesn’t quite make sense” because not even the most powerful, expensive gaming PC in the world has access to their library of PlayStation games.

Leadbetter writes:

  • “…the actual argument seems to be that potential Pro buyers should opt for a PC instead and for me, that’s a less plausible idea.”
  • “The notion that these users should buy a PC instead doesn’t quite make sense because not even the most powerful, expensive gaming PC in the world has access to your library of PlayStation games.”
  • “[Building a PC is] an exercise that automatically locks out a good proportion of the audience who may not feel confident in component selection or actually building the system.”
  • “Then there are the complications of failing parts and myriad warranties.”
  • “PS5 Pro is aimed at PlayStation users who have an existing library of games and want the best experience from their console of choice. It offers a streamlined experience that is more user-friendly and doesn’t involve any kind of construction and minimal maintenance.”

DF Direct Weekly #180, where Leadbetter gives more of his thoughts on the PS5 Pro:

Leadbetter added:

We will need greater diversity of PC hardware to compete with the advantages of a console and that means new form factors for pre-built computers. Remember the Alienware Alpha, or better yet, the Alienware X51? Mainstream manufacturers like Dell/Alienware, Lenovo and HP can definitely deliver that type of kit – the question is whether competitive pricing is possible.

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Marees
Marees 👍 1

I would say the PS5 pro doesn't make sense either. It is such an unbalanced config for $800+ system

Effectively a zen plus / zen 2 CPU paired with a 4070.
So you are limited to
either 40 fps gaming
Or scale from 800p to 4K using PSSR

Curious device, imo.

Riccochet
Riccochet 👍 1

"Marees, post: 89442, member: 1536" wrote:

I would say the PS5 pro doesn't make sense either. It is such an unbalanced config for $800+ system



Effectively a zen plus / zen 2 CPU paired with a 4070.

So you are limited to

either 40 fps gaming

Or scale from 800p to 4K using PSSR



Curious device, imo.


And it's not upgradeable. You're stuck with what they give you, for a year or two, until they release the next version. And pray they make the new games work on the older console.

Or you spend $1500 and get a decent gaming PC that'll last years.

Tsing Mui
News poster at The FPS Review.

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