PlayStation 5 Pro launches in South Africa

The PlayStation 5 Pro is officially available in South Africa, and various retailers are letting customers order the beefed-up console for R19,499.

These include Incredible, Hi-Fi Corp, Takealot, Koodoo, Computer Mania, and Game. Sony unveiled the enhanced PlayStation 5 console in early September 2024.

It offers several enhancements over the standard console. PlayStation lead architect Mark Cerny said the new console enables some titles to run at higher resolutions and frame rates without users switching between modes.

It also features other enhancements, such as improved ray tracing and AI-powered upscaling.

“We’ve added even more powerful ray tracing that provides more dynamic reflection and refraction of light. This allows the rays to be cast at double, and at times triple, the speeds of the current PS5 console,” said Sony.

“We’re also introducing PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, an AI-driven upscaling that uses a machine learning-based technology to provide super sharp image clarity by adding an extraordinary amount of detail.”

The PlayStation 5 Pro offers 45% faster rendering than the standard model. It doesn’t feature a disc drive, but Sony sells one separately, and Koodoo is offering a bundled deal with the disc drive for R22,199.

Sony also says the PlayStation 5 Pro improves the performance of older titles, adding that “several games will be patched with free software updates” so gamers can benefit from its features.

The titles include Hogwarts Legacy, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and Spider-Man 2.

“Simply put, it’s the most powerful console we’ve ever built,” said Cerny.

Gamefinity revealed the South African recommended retail price for the PlayStation 5 Pro in October 2024. It added that shipping would commence today, Friday, 13 December 2024.

While it warned that the shipping commencement date was subject to change based on inbound supply chain dynamics and South African port and customs timelines, it appears to have mitigated these risks.

It set the recommended retail price at R19,499.

This came after the distributor had warned that there could be a long wait before the console arrived on South African shores. In late September 2024, it said it was still waiting for regulatory clearance for the consoles.

“We are awaiting certification from two regulatory compliance bodies. We are beholden to their timelines; however, we are confident that it will be this side of the year,” Gamefinity CEO Mario Dos Santos told MyBroadband.

“As soon as we have an update from the bodies, we will communicate a pre-order date to the market.”

The console’s US price of $699 (excluding VAT) is roughly R12,500 at the current exchange rate.

However, the recommended retail price of R19,499 in South Africa is lower than many anticipated, considering the taxes, duties, and exchange rate risk applicable in the country.

Estimates based on previous pricing in South Africa suggested that the new console would cost R20,000 locally. However, it launched for R500 less.