No Sony PS5 Pro For India? Relax! Buy These Gaming Consoles Instead

There’s bad news for those waiting for the PlayStation 5 Pro gaming console – Sony is not bringing it to India yet!

The PS5 Pro was revealed earlier this year as a mid-life performance upgrade for the original PS5 console from 2020. To keep up with the inflating requirements of new and upcoming AAA video games, Sony upgraded the GPU along with the storage and made the disc drive optional – we have questions about the last modification. For a console with the ‘Pro’ moniker attached, the disc drive should have been a standard feature. 

Nonetheless, for gamers on the PlayStation ecosystem, the PS5 Pro is a notable step up from the vanilla PS5 and a great filler until the next-gen PS6 drops in. Worldwide, the PS5 Pro has hit the shelves and enthusiasts are excited to see how much of a real-world difference that makes on existing titles. 

For India though, the news is not good. The PS5 Pro is not coming to our shores anytime soon, as confirmed by Sony in an official press statement. The reason? It has nothing to do with Sony’s marketing decisions this time.

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Sony PS5 Pro not coming to India: Why?

In its official statement to the press, Sony India stated that the PS5 Pro isn’t coming to India anytime soon due to the Indian government’s regulations. 

One of the many upgrades on the PS5 Pro is the Wi-Fi module. The PS5 Pro got upgraded to Wi-Fi 7 standards, which allows the console to latch onto 6GHz bands along with the 5GHz bands. Sadly, the 6GHz band isn’t allowed to be used for commercial applications and products. That prevents Sony India from putting the PS5 Pro on sale until the government changes its regulations or forces Sony to modify the internal specifications for the Indian region.

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What should gamers buy instead?

Although our ideal answer would have been “get a proper gaming PC”, the practical setup of a console remains unmatched. Hence, we have picked a couple of alternatives to quench your thirst for gaming until the PS5 Pro is given the green signal for India.

Alternatives to Sony PS5 Pro

Sony PS5 (slim)

Price: Starts from INR 44,990

The standard PS5 continues to be available in 'All-Digital' and Disc variants as an affordable alternative to the Sony PS5 Pro. Nicknamed the PS5 Slim, Sony has cut down the internal space to better accommodate the components. A new split design for the side panel separates the new PS5 console from the previous generation. 

In terms of performance, the updated PS5 offers the same kind of performance you expect from a current generation console. You can play AAA titles in 4K resolution at up to 60 fps on a compatible TV and there’s support for ray tracing too. The DualSense wireless controller is currently the benchmark when it comes to haptic feedback on a gaming console’s controller. Sony’s PS Plus subscription offers players access to popular AAA games for a monthly subscription fee. 

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Xbox Series X 1TB

Price: INR 55,990

The Xbox Series X is the natural rival to the PS5 and unless you care for the PlayStation-exclusive titles, this one’s a nicer deal. The Series X has a slightly beefier GPU than the stock PS5 and when coupled with the Xbox ecosystem, this makes for an incredible deal for gamers. The console can run games in 4K resolution at 60 fps and there’s native support for ray-tracing. The Quick Resume feature has been a trump card on the Xbox Series X ever since its release – players no longer need to worry about saving their gameplay sessions before shutting down.

Then there’s the Xbox Game Pass subscription. For a monthly subscription fee, Xbox gives you access to all of Microsoft’s AAA games on the day of release. Be it the newest Forza Horizon or Call of Duty title, subscribers get free access from day one. Currently, India gets the 1TB variant only but Microsoft is expected to bring the upgraded 2TB version as well as the 1TB ‘white’ disc-less version soon.

Xbox Series S 512GB

Price: INR 39,990

The Xbox Series S is a more affordable alternative to the Series X and the PS5. Despite belonging to the current generation of consoles, the Xbox Series S offers performance on the same levels as the older generation Xbox One S.

The console can play games in 2K resolution and can natively upscale to 4K with a compatible TV. The storage is limited to 512GB and that limits the number of titles you can install. Players might observe a minor dip in visual fidelity compared to the Series X but the lower cost makes up for it. 

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