PS5 Pro is a powerful refresh of the base PS5 hardware. It's the best way to experience the PS5's large library of must-play games and the current pinnacle of console gaming. However, the eye-watering $699 price tag makes it a machine that will only appeal to the most dedicated gamers.

After testing a handful of titles, I can say that the difference is appreciable if less stark than it was between the PS4 and PS4 Pro. Here’s why splurging for the upgrade may or may not make sense for you.

The launch day results are a mixed bag of impressive and easy to miss, but it’s next year’s games that really matter to the PS5 Pro’s success.

In my week of testing, the PS5 Pro delivered better visuals than the standard PS5, but it doesn't come cheap. The PlayStation 5 Pro delivered better graphics and smoother frame rates than the standard PS5 in my testing.

Performance modes look better on the PS5 Pro than Fidelity modes on the PS5. Better ray-tracing means more realistic, immersive game worlds. More power lets game devs go wild with putting more stuff in the world.

The lines between high-end PCs and video game consoles are blurring, which means the tired console wars are winding down. On the software side, once-exclusive Microsoft and PlayStation games are going cross-platform after a certain amount of time to draw larger audiences.