Hardware Review · Purchased December 9, 2024 · $1,075.18 CAD via EB Games
This was the single biggest console purchase of my year, and it is also the one I have gone back and forth on the most while writing about it.
The Background
Sony announced the PS5 Pro in September 2024 with Canadian pricing set at $959.99 before tax, positioning it as a mid-generation refresh rather than a true next console: better and more consistent ray tracing, higher and steadier frame rates in supported titles, and a beefed-up GPU, all while keeping the same basic PS5 software ecosystem and game library rather than starting over. It also ships with a built-in 2TB SSD, up from the base model’s smaller drive, which mattered to me given how quickly modern installs eat through storage.
I picked mine up at EB Games in early December, and the total I paid ($1,075.18) reflects tax plus whatever accessory or bundle got attached at checkout on top of that base $959.99 price. By the time I bought in, launch week chaos had settled and stock was reasonably available, which was one small mercy in an otherwise expensive month.
Living With It
The honest starting point here is that the PS5 Pro is a real, measurable upgrade, but only in games that specifically support its enhancements. Sony calls this “PS5 Pro Enhanced,” and through the back half of 2024 that list was still filling in rather than covering the full library. In supported titles, the difference is genuinely noticeable: steadier frame rates during busy scenes, meaningfully improved ray-traced reflections and lighting, and in some cases the ability to run performance-mode frame rates at what used to be quality-mode resolution. In anything outside that enhanced list, you are playing the exact same experience as a base PS5, just on more expensive hardware.
The built-in 2TB drive is a genuinely welcome quality-of-life improvement on its own, and it means less immediate pressure to add an internal expansion drive the way base PS5 owners often need to.
Where this purchase gets harder to defend is the price-to-benefit math. Going from a base PS5 to a PS5 Pro costs roughly the same as buying a second console, for improvements that, outside of enhanced titles, you will not notice at all during actual play. This is squarely a purchase for people who already care about frame pacing, resolution, and ray tracing fidelity at a level most casual players simply do not track moment to moment.
What I Liked
- Noticeably better and steadier performance in PS5 Pro Enhanced titles
- Meaningfully improved ray tracing quality where supported
- Built-in 2TB SSD solves the storage anxiety base PS5 owners deal with
- No ecosystem changes, every existing game and save just works
What I Didn’t
- Enhanced title support was still incomplete through the back half of 2024
- No visible benefit at all in non-enhanced games, which is most of the existing library
- At over $1,000 CAD out the door, this is priced like a luxury upgrade, not a necessary one
- Requires you to already own or be replacing a base PS5, so the real cost comparison is steep
The Value Verdict
Rating: 3/5
I do not regret this purchase, but I also cannot recommend it to everyone. If you are the kind of player who genuinely notices frame pacing dips and resolution compromises, and you have the specific games in your rotation that support the Pro enhancements, this delivers real, tangible improvement. If you are a more casual player, save the money and put it toward the games themselves.
The Compulsive Canadian Gamer 