PS5 Pro vs PC value comparisons are less important than a potentially bleak future for console pricing
PlayStation 5 Pro vs PC. Last week, my X/Twitter timeline was packed with value comparisons presented with an increasing level of mania. Is the latest Sony console so overpriced that a PC may actually offer more for your money? From my perspective, there are a couple of ways you can look at this. Firstly, are the costs of console gaming rising so much that a gaming PC is no longer such an expensive alternative? That’s a legitimate concern and worth some discussion. However, the actual argument seems to be that potential Pro buyers should opt for a PC and for me, that’s a less plausible idea. Both formats play games, but fundamentally they are very different things – and believe it or not, potential Pro users may already own a gaming PC and still want a Pro… or simply don’t want a PC at all!
The more you look at the latter argument, the less it makes sense. It’s unlikely that PS5 Pro will be anyone’s first console at that price – it’s a premium version of the existing machine and I’d put money on the lion’s share of its audience currently owning a standard PlayStation 5 and upgrading for a better machine. 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.
On a tangent, access to gaming libraries is one reason we’re not happy about the disc drive not being included in the asking price: enthusiast PS4/PS5 owners must surely have a bunch of discs they’d like to play and not including an optical drive with PS5 Pro looks bad because it bad.
I’d also suggest that while both PC and PS5 Pro play games – often the same games – the ownership experience is quite different. The value comparisons typically involve building the PC, shopping around for the best prices. It’s 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. There are good value pre-builts out there, mind you, but how many mainstream gamers really want to contend with Windows 11, driver updates or multiple store launchers? The PC is far from a plug and play platform in the way a console is, meaning its accessibility and functionality in the living room – the traditional home of the console – is questionable.
