UPDATE: Oct. 10, 2024, 10:00 a.m. EDT This story has been updated with current availability of the PS5 Pro and the PS5 Slim 30th Anniversary bundle.
The PlayStation 5 Pro is up for grabs again. Hope you started saving for it yesterday.
Priced at $699.99, preorders for Sony's upcoming mid-gen console are now open at major retailers as of 10 a.m. ET on Thursday, Oct. 10. (That includes Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, Target, and Walmart.) This marks its second wave of preorders, arriving two weeks after its initial launch in the PlayStation Direct storefront, where it's currently sold out.
The PS5 Pro will begin shipping in four weeks on Thursday, Nov. 7.
The Pro isn't the only Sony system up for preorder today: A PS5 Slim Digital Edition 30th Anniversary Limited Edition bundle also landed at Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and Walmart at 10 a.m. ET on Oct. 10. (Note that paid Walmart+ members get first dibs on the big-box store's inventory.) It's also unavailable through PS Direct, having sold out there shortly after its initial drop there on Sept. 26.
The $499.99 bundle includes a special variant of the disc drive-free PS5 Slim that's decked out in the '90s gray aesthetic of the very first PlayStation. It's accompanied by a matching DualSense controller, a cover for a disc drive (which you'll have to buy separately), a vertical stand, and a handful of collectibles. It's going for $499.99, or the same price as a PS5 Slim with a disc drive.
By contrast, a $999.99 PS5 Pro 30th Anniversary Bundle that tacks on a DualSense Edge controller and a DualSense charging station will not be making its way to major retailers. Limited to 12,300 individually numbered units, it sold out "in seconds" when preorders went live at PS Direct on Sept. 26, per our sister site IGN. Scalpers are now reselling it on eBay for thousands of dollars.
The PS5 Pro was formally unveiled on Sept. 10 during a nine-minute "Technical Presentation" led by Mark Cerny, Lead Architect of the PS5, on the PlayStation YouTube channel. The announcement followed months of speculation and leaks, including one that seemed to come from inside the house.
With a larger GPU than the original PS5, ray tracing upgrades, and new custom hardware for AI-powered upscaling, Cerny said the PS5 Pro is the "most powerful console we've ever built." It also brings support for WiFi 7, 8K gaming, and a new "Pro" version of the PS5's Game Boost feature that can upgrade the performance of over 8,500 backward-compatible PS4 titles. It has 2TB of storage, or double the capacity of the original PS5 (which is now nearly four years old).
Notably, the PS5 Pro does not come with a disc drive: You have to purchase it separately for $79.99. (IGN reports that it's been selling out consistently across major retailers ever since the PS5 Pro was announced.) A vertical stand that's compatible with the console is also available for $29.99.
Next-gen upgraders who balk at the price of the PS5 Pro and its add-ons might consider purchasing a used system at a discounted price: Certified refurbished PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition consoles are newly available PS Direct for $399.99 and $349.99, respectively, or $100 less than their new counterparts.
The PS5 Pro marks the fifth iteration of Sony's current flagship console (not counting any bundles), which had a much sloppier launch and faced years of pandemic-related supply issues after the fact. Along with the standard PS5, it joins the PS5 Digital Edition, the PS5 Slim, and the PS5 Slim Digital Edition.
Topics Gaming PlayStation
