I just pre-ordered the PS5 Pro and I'm already regretting it

Welp, I just did it, didn’t I? Although I wrote this recently I had a hard time getting excited about the PS5 Proa month later I literally just pre-ordered Sony’s Supercharger console.

My fluctuating attitudes/mood swings are causing whiplash at this point. Even though I’ve now decided to buy the most powerful PlayStation ever, it’s fitting that just 24 hours after pre-ordering it, I completely regret the decision.

Right now I can probably imagine what you’re screaming at your screen right now: “Then just cancel your pre-order, you fucking idiot!” And that’s a perfectly reasonable argument to throw at me.

But as someone who Really likes to buy the latest gaming technology, even though in this case he doesn’t seem to be particularly excited about that technology, there’s a part of me that I can’t deny does wants one PS5 Pro. Although a large part of me is worried, I won’t be using it that much since I own a gaming system with an RTX 4090 in it.

I should probably be grateful that I even managed to get a pre-order.

Honestly, I should probably be grateful that I even managed to get a pre-order. If you followed my colleague Rory Mellon’s excellent PlayStation 30th Anniversary Collection pre-order live blog a few days ago, you’ll know that getting hold of even the “stupid standard” Pro was a tall order. (If you’re still looking for one, be sure to bookmark our PS5 Pro pre-order page.)

Here in my native UK, Sony’s improved 4K console sold out in four hours. Although technically it is actually an 8K device. Codemasters wants to use the console’s “PSSR” upsampling magic to deliver a barely believable 8K/60fps mode in F1 2024 (thanks, Games Rant).

Unhappy anniversary

(Image credit: Sony)

However, demand for the regular PS5 Pro has nothing to do with the next level, however global demand is aimed at the 12,300 PS5 Pro 30th Anniversary Edition bundles that Sony has made.

The collection includes a limited edition PS5 Pro, a DualSense controller, a DualSense Edge, a drive cover (but not the optional drive itself) and a gamepad charging station.

The entire range has been designed to emulate the now iconic style of the classic PS1, which first launched in Japan in December 1994. While I think this retro collection is the absolute deal, I have a better chance of being elected President of Mars before I ever snag one.

Pre-orders for the $999 / £959 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Bundle sold out so quickly that The Flash wouldn’t have been able to snag one… even if he had switched at the speed between a million laptops, all running on the PlayStation Direct page logged in were sound.

Because what role does gravity-defying speed play when it comes to scalpers, right?

Scandalous scalping

eBay listing for PS5 Pro Anniversary Edition Bundle

(Image credit: eBay)

Just look at the extremely shameful screenshot above. Yes, that really is a disgusting eBay scalper trying to sell a limited edition PS5 Pro with a few pads for £10,000.

Ten. Thousand. Actually. British. Pound.

And worse, at the time I took a screenshot of this auction on my PC, it looked like two people were seriously considering paying ten times the actual value of the package. This is wrong on many levels.

Do you know one of the main reasons why I pre-ordered the PS5 Pro? To prevent at least one scalper from getting their hands on one before they convince a lifelong PlayStation fan to massively overspend on it.

I admit that at the end of 2020 I paid £150 over the RRP (or “RRP” as we call it on my frigid British shores) of the PS5 to get the Sony console on launch day. I’m not proud of that, I want to make that clear.

And yet the world was in lockdown, I had a bit of disposable cash, a much In the evenings I have government-mandated free time that I can spend alone and with myself Really Bluepoint Games wanted to play masterfully Demon souls New edition.

The pro problem

Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart on PS5 vs. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart on PS5 Pro

Recognizing the differences between the PS5 and PS5 Pro versions of a game is probably just something we can appreciate firsthand. (Image credit: PlayStation/Insomniac Games)

If I decide to keep my PS5 Pro – and chances are I will – there are at least a few factors I can take comfort in. The first is that my obsessive eyes will enjoy replaying true classics like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Resident Evil 4 Remake and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart at higher resolutions and frame rates than the bulky white box currently underneath I can’t afford it on my TV.

For comparison: This trio of jewels only makes up a fraction of the 54 “PS5 Pro Enhanced” games that have already been confirmed by Sony.

And secondly, hopefully I can at least sell my PS5 for somewhere in the region of $250-$300 to recoup some of that eye-watering $699 or £699 outlay. Might I add, a console in such pristine condition you’d think I was a long-lost descendant of Howard Hughes, it’s so pristine. Yes I could Get a little too obsessed with cleaning almost every appliance I own with my armada of microfiber cloths.

But what about the scenario where I think twice and decide that buying a PS5 Pro was a bit of a hasty move, especially considering that I own one of the best gaming PCs? Then when it shows up on my doorstep on November 7th, I just won’t open it.

Since I have a friend who didn’t manage to place a pre-order last Thursday, I’ll just sell it to him at the actual retail price. However, my buddy will get another chance to buy the prosumer PlayStation online when Sony makes a second batch of PS5 Pro pre-orders available on October 10th.

Either way, fuck scalpers. Whether I keep my PS5 Pro or not – and I fear that my amazing Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2014) might affect my gaming time on Sony’s latest console – one thing is damn sure. If I sell my Pro it will go to someone I know for exactly £699 and not a penny more.

I just pre-ordered the PS5 Pro and I’m already regretting it – here’s why

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