But the PS5 Pro comes with an extra 2GB DDR5 memory, more than double the storage at 2TB, and — most importantly — a 62 percent faster GPU, with 16.7 teraflops of raw graphical compute. Add an AI upscaling technique called PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), and it’s easily the most potent home console yet made.

Still, many graphics-conscious console gamers were looking for an excuse to use the extra pixels and HDR colors on their new 4K TVs, and spending hundreds of dollars on a stopgap console years before the PS5 served that purpose well enough.

Basically, if you have a gaming monitor that does G-Sync or Freesync, the PS5 Pro will benefit. The base PS5 does too, but the beefier hardware in the Pro, along with its new PSSR upscaling tech, gives you more options for how you want to apply it.

The PS5 Pro can boost the graphics and frame rates of PS5 games that have been enhanced for the console. However, the console can also give a modest visual boost to PS4 titles, as well.

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.

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.