Being a PS5 Pro owner is suffering. Don’t get me wrong, I reap the benefits of my purchase whenever I jump into a game on the console, but it doesn’t feel like Sony has supported this mid-gen refresh in ways it should be. After the first batch of updated titles on release, there’s been nary a peep, nor any news on a pipeline of other experiences set to take advantage of the new machine. Why not delve into the back catalog to keep people invested instead of complete radio silence? Unlike the PS4 Pro before it, the PS5 Pro already feels forgotten.
Where On Earth Is The PS5 Pro Disc Drive Stock?
Upon its reveal, the majority of gamers guffawed at the fact the PS5 Pro would cost $699 but would not come with either a disc drive or a stand. Released as a digital-only console, it was only possible to access your physical collection if you purchased a detachable disc drive that costs an extra $100, the very same used for the recently released slim model. I would be willing to part with my hard-earned pennies to buy one if any were in stock.
I currently have reminders set up at multiple different retailers and I haven’t heard a peep from either of them. Chances are Sony is giving them the cold shoulder as well.
I have a huge physical collection, even as someone who covers games for a living and is so fortunate to receive codes for titles I’d otherwise purchase myself. But my collection goes far beyond that professional period to the start of the PS4 generation, a time when I was picking things up every couple of weeks and depending on my disc drive to do the heavy lifting. That option has disappeared, along with any semblance of the PS5 Pro being a backwards-compatible console. Sony could have fixed this, but its efforts at managing stock levels have bordered on incompetence.
The second the PS5 Pro was announced, the disc drives were purchased by everyone with plans to purchase a console, while scalpers did what they always do and bought up the rest as third-party sites became flooded with overpriced units. If I wanted a disc drive, I needed to cross my fingers and hope I came across one in the wild or pay an exorbitant fee. Part of me was already miffed about having to purchase a drive for an expensive console in the first place, but Sony’s lack of foresight regarding demand made it so much more annoying.
Not Even PlayStation’s 30th Anniversary Could Change My Fortunes
When the 30th anniversary rolled around earlier this month and Sony was restocking most of its products while also shilling a bunch of new limited edition offerings, I thought that’d be my chance. Finally, I could pick up a disc drive for a normal price without any strings attached. I was wrong, and not a single one appeared in stock during the occasion.
The only time they’ve surfaced is earlier this week, and as expected, it was without warning and the stock dried up in minutes. For what is a pretty fundamental part of the PS5 Pro experience for enthusiasts, who make up most of its audience anyway, letting it become such an afterthought blows my mind.
If Sony wants the PS5 Pro to be more than a flash in the pan, it needs to start talking about future plans for updates, potential titles that will support the console, and get the disc drive stock under control, so people like me aren’t pulling their teeth trying to find one.
