Don’t get a PS5 Pro for Cyber ​​Monday. The regular PS5 is the better deal

We may be four years into a console generation, but this holiday shopping season is a big time for players. There are new Xbox models out, the Meta Quest 3S and the brand new PS5 Pro. You might be tempted to buy these shiny new items this holiday season, but the fun new and the most practical deal aren’t always the same.

A good example: the PS5 Pro. If you don’t have a PS5 and want to pull the trigger this holiday, you might feel pressured to go for what’s being billed as the most powerful version of Sony’s system. Believe me when I say this is not the right way to go. Why spend $700 when you can get a regular PS5 Digital Edition for $375 instead during this year’s Cyber ​​Monday?

I know what you’re probably thinking: “Why would you buy the old version instead of the new?” It’s a fair question. The PS5 Pro is certainly the superior system when it comes to power. It harnesses the power of AI upscaling to play select games in 4K while maintaining 60 frames per second (fps). It gives a big boost to games like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth And Dragon dogma 2bringing their performance closer to that of a great PC. But are those upgrades worth $700?

That’s a complicated question that will vary from player to player, but as someone who has tested the PS5 Pro extensively, I don’t think it’s enough for the price.

The fact is that the base PS5 model is already the best console you can buy. It’s a powerful piece of technology with innovative features thanks to the DualSense controller and an extensive library of exclusive products that take advantage of it. If you don’t have a PS5 at all, the regular version feels like a huge step up from what you’re used to. You won’t be any wiser about the relatively subtle performance improvements you get from the Pro. For most gamers, this is all the power you really need. And as a bonus, you get the system’s sleeker design, which is more compact than the PS5 Pro.

But more than anything, it’s the price that makes the base PS5 a no-brainer this holiday season. $375 is a bargain for the PS5, even if you get the version that doesn’t come with a disc drive. It’s probably the cheapest the console has ever been – and it may never get any lower. With the threat of new tariffs looming in 2025, there’s a good chance the price of video game hardware will skyrocket. Cyber ​​Monday may end up being something of a last hurray for anything resembling an affordable console.

So while you may be tempted to go big or go home, I recommend taking advantage of a good deal while you can. There are of course exceptions to this. If you’re a PC gamer making the jump to console, the extra power of the Pro might be worth it. After all, it stabilizes performance in games that really need it. But if you’re the kind of person who can’t tell the difference between 45fps or 60fps, you’re better off getting a great system for almost half the price.