So you’ve probably seen the reviews too PlayStation 5 Pro. I haven’t had my unit long enough to give a full, critical breakdown yet, but I’ve had enough time with the expensive new piece to figure out my early feelings about it. And it’s pretty easy to sum it up: Sony is weird.

There are so many things about this console that I like – Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth plays like a dream and almost feels like a brand new game, for one – but then there are some puzzling elements in the design decisions that make me wonder if this whole mid-gen update was a last-minute decision, rather than a cromulent business strategy that is properly thought out and implemented.

I’ve tried to line up my biggest surprises in a list below, and I’ve even wrangled a little summary of my experience with the console for you at the bottom of the page (skip to it if you’re after a TL;DR, basically ).

PlayStation’s data transfer solution for console-to-console setups is still awesome

The last time I experienced exporting data from one PlayStation console to another was included PS4 to PS4 Pro. I decided not to do it for PS4 Pro to PS5 because, honestly, my experience the first time was so bad, I opted to just flush my internet connection and download everything “fresh” to my PS5.

But this time I just wanted to pick up and play – export my existing PS5 settings, sava data and games and get started as soon as possible. No dice. After plugging in both consoles, connecting them via wired connection to my router, and jumping through the weird UI Sony lobs at you to get started, I spent a good 45 minutes troubleshooting why my base PS5 wouldn’t start transferring data. It seemed to be because my DualSense wasn’t fully updated (yes, really).

Once that odd wrinkle was ironed out, I started transferring my files from one machine to another. Any hope I had of using my Pro on day one immediately evaporated as it told me I would need about 20 hours to move under 600GB of data. Why? I have a fiber optic internet connection, working on a wired LAN setup, and I know I can knock down close to 100MB/s when connected (80MB/s on WiFi).

I know PS Store downloads are chronic – especially compared to how fast I got, say, Black Ops 6 running on mine Series X. But I was surprised to see that it would take the better part of a day to move games like this. I’m surprised it hasn’t gotten better since the PS4 days; in fact, I think it could be worse.

There is no way to tell which games are PS5 Pro enhanced from the library

Right, I could be wrong here, but there doesn’t seem to be any way to instantly identify which games in my library have Pro enhancements. For a console with the sole selling point of “your games will run better here”, this is puzzling. There are over 50 games who have benefited from updates, so far: tell me what they are!? Even the Xbox Series X/S has a nice little label on games in the library that are X Enhanced. That’s a very, very low bar.

Now I work in the industry, so I’ve internalized which games are getting performance-enhancing patches and when they’re coming (because, no, not everyone has made it past the PS5 Pro release date – isn’t that right, Gran Turismo 7?) The layman will not be aware of this; I expect people just want to fire up their console and play, and there’s no way to tell which games have had some spit and polish from your own catalog, which is especially puzzling since many games will run better without needing a patch, but Pro patches are required to get the most out of the console’s power.

I have had to use the store. Go figure. Browsing the special tabs in the PS Store app tells me which games will be loaded onto the new hardware, but there’s no clear, obvious indication of that in your own collection. Myself and three other members of VG247 have searched for something to help you identify this, but to no avail. This is an easy fix, sure, but it’s a very surprising oversight. You might even remember that when the PS5 launched there was also no way to tell which version (native/back compat) you had installed, and it seems Sony hasn’t learned.

The front USB slots are both USB-C, without USB-A

The standard PS5 console – both discless and with a disc drive – has a USB-C and a USB-A port on the front. This is handy for headset adapters, tapping into a stick to transfer screens, adding flash drives or charging your devices.

The PS5 Pro only has USB-C on the front. This isn’t a bad thing in itself, and the DualSense in the box comes with a USB-C to USB-C cable (instead of the A-to-C in the vanilla PS5 box), but it’s worth considering if you don’t like having to fart around behind the unit to get a thumb drive in.

Oh, and just to make things a little more confusing, one of the C ports supports the slower HighSpeed ​​standard (rather than SuperSpeed ​​10GB/S). So switching away from USB-A at all just feels… inappropriate?

It works better with PS Portal than base PS5

This one is more anecdotal as I haven’t had time to run tests. But you’ve seen above how good my internet connection is (thanks, London). Previously used The PS portal in my office – directly above the router, and where the PS5 is plugged in – was bullshit. Sometimes it would be flawless, sometimes it would artifact horribly, sometimes the connection would disappear completely. No idea why; I’ve done everything in Sony’s FAQ to address it, but the portal was temperamental, at best.

Last night I got about two hours stuck Fire Ring play out from the portal with absolutely no buffering, quality loss, lag or tearing. What? Is this due to the use of Wi-Fi 7 by professionals? It probably doesn’t matter in my case, since the Pro is hardwired. I’m not complaining! I will use my portal much more now, if this is the benefit.

It still doesn’t automatically detect a wired connection

But by the way, don’t expect the PS5 Pro to do that Know when it has an ethernet cable attached to the rear end. Another frankly baffling product design, the Pro – like the vanilla 5 before it – can’t automatically detect when it’s running on a wired connection. If you switch from WiFi to wired (which I do, as I need my PS5 in my office a lot), you have to manually go in and press the button yourself. Keep that in mind if you’re wondering why download speeds are more dismal than usual.

The vertical stand isn’t as premium as you might expect for £25

Small complaint, but hey, it’s worth saying. It’s a meme at this point that everything about the PS5 Pro is “sold separately”, but since the machine is already 265% more expensive than a PS5 Slim, consumers are allowed to be a little dismayed at the fact that they have to shell out. more only to use the console as directed by the manufacturer. After unpacking and attaching the base, I have to say that it’s not as secure or sturdy as you’d expect; you manually screw it into the bottom of the bracket, and it still feels like there’s some flexibility and give. It stands up, fine, but I feel like it would snap under a little pressure.

Like I said, I move my console from room to room almost every week, and a stand like this feels so cheap… it doesn’t fill me with confidence, really.

For a machine with a £700 price tag, I’m a little surprised at the hurdles and challenges I’ve encountered setting it up and using it in the first few days of ownership. I’m au fait with consoles and technology – I do this all day, every day – so I’ve managed to figure out and deal with many of these issues myself. But I think the average consumer is going to be a bit blindsided by it all, to be honest. We are far from being able to simply make something work “out of the box”.

That said, I’ve had a great time with the software side so far. I can’t get over Rebirth. Even the Ring of Fire just works nicer to play. I restarted Bloodborne and lost a few hours on it, watching everything and enjoying the quick load times. I will 100% use my portal more now, thanks to whatever sorcery has made it possible to “talk to” the machine better.

It still sucks that small, but important, features have been locked behind a £700 paywall. I look forward to running Monster Hunter Wilds on this machine – I imagine the performance boost it will offer Capcom’s RE Engine will make sense (and I’m bummed I didn’t get to try the latest beta on the Pro).

I think I’ll enjoy using this machine as the early creases are gone, I just wish Sony would invest the same thought and intent into its UI and software design as it does its hardware.

Look out for more PS5 Pro coverage from us soon, including a breakdown of just how impressive that 8K display capability really is.