Opinion - PS5 Pro and the Obsession with Graphics

My reaction to the PS5 Pro week

This week has been a little crazy when it comes to video games. The main story is the reveal of the PlayStation 5 Pro. I’ve been observing everyone’s reactions, which have even expanded to discussions around next-gen gaming. I got a taste by accident on my Twitter (X) account of the divide between gamers regarding how they see games and graphics. So, I decided to put those thoughts into an article to better process them.

So, I am in the camp that both finds the PS5 Pro interesting and feels it’s completely unnecessary. However, I have been warning people that the concepts of console generations as we grew up with them are going away, and the Pro backs up my claim. On one hand, I like the new tech on the system, and I am a proponent of AI upscaling and trying to hit 60 fps with better fidelity. On the other hand, it’s way too expensive and makes me feel as if the PS6 will feel like a much weaker jump in a time when jumps are so weak to begin with if you own a PS5 Pro. Ultimately, it’s optional; no one is trying to force you to buy it. I’ll keep gaming on my PS5 and won’t feel like I’m missing out. Hardcore enthusiasts who want one can spend the money if they want it that badly. The one thing that does concern me is what it means for the future of console hardware.

I’ve been saying for a while now that there’s way too much focus on resolution and trying to break past a graphical ceiling that the industry has reached. Sure, we still get gorgeous games like Hellblade II, but for the most part, the way games look hasn’t been a significant jump. As I learned firsthand last night, there also seems to be a split among gamers on this subject. I responded to Digital Foundry’s John Linneman on what I felt was him taking a shot at Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s graphics. He then responded in what I felt was an angry way, tough to tell on text over voice, and then a bunch of people took that to either make fun of me or say they agreed with John. He then continued trying to show images to prove his point, even though I felt it was entirely subjective. Now, I was taken aback not by the disagreement; I’m okay with that, but with a big personality like his responding and having a bunch of Digital Foundry fans jump in. But hey, that’s social media and a lesson learned on my part since I don’t have the voice and platform he does. But, it did show me that people like John are obsessed with constantly trying to get ultra-realistic graphics, despite what I’ve seen, which is that more and more people care less about it.

I don’t want to turn this into complaining about John and his followers' viewpoints because I think they have valid opinions and should ask for what they care about as consumers. But, I think this race to super expensive consoles with pixels being perfected, even if the human eye can’t see them, is concerning regarding how it affects the barrier of entry for new gamers, and make no mistake that Digital Foundry has been part of pushing that.

Here is a quick personal history: My childhood was my parents slowly climbing up to reach middle-class status eventually. During that time, part of the reason I grew up with Nintendo was because they offered a cheaper console. In addition, I was the main gamer, and I had to beg my parents to understand why I wanted these boxes. You can see what I went through to get a system. I think about today’s kids and how difficult it could be to ask a parent who doesn’t play games to get a box that could now reach over 600 dollars! I think it’s legitimately concerning. All of that is to reach a very hardcore enthusiast base that most likely owns a gaming PC anyway. I think those concerns are valid, and I’m not backing away from them just because social media is filled with gamers in a bubble.

Despite all these worries, I don’t think the next mainline consoles will start at 700 like I’ve seen others say. However, I do think 600 could be in play. It makes me look at systems like the Nintendo Switch and these handhelds that are getting more and more popular and realize that maybe these are the closest devices to being the successor of what console gaming was when I grew up: affordable systems that you can game on and get good graphics and decent time with. As I’ve said in the past, the industry is a huge transition period, a lot of people are trying to get what they want out of it and there will have to be compromise if it doesn’t want to crash.