What are the best must-have accessories for the new PS5 Pro?

Question

So I finally bit the bullet and preordered the PS5 Pro which honestly my wallet is still screaming at me about but hey you only live once right? I have been using my launch day PS5 for years now and it was starting to sound like a jet engine anyway so the timing felt right even with that crazy price tag. I am mostly looking forward to playing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and maybe getting back into Cyberpunk with those better frames but now I am looking at my setup and realizing it looks a bit bare for a pro console.

I did some digging online and everyone keeps saying the disc drive is the #1 thing to get because Sony decided to be stingy this time around but they are sold out literally everywhere in my area near Chicago so I might have to go digital for a bit which sucks. I also saw people talking about the official vertical stand but is that even necessary or can I just prop it up with some books lol? I am mostly confused about the internal storage though. I read that any M.2 NVMe SSD works as long as its Gen4 but then I saw some random reddit thread saying the Pro might benefit from even faster drives like the newer Gen5 stuff though I dont even know if the slot supports that or if it is just overkill for a console.

Here is what I am currently looking at adding to the cart:

The official disc drive (if I can ever find one in stock)

A 2TB or 4TB SSD since the base 2TB will fill up fast

DualSense Edge for the back buttons

Maybe a new headset like the Pulse Elite

Budget is getting a bit thin after the $700 plus tax investment so I really only want to buy things that actually make a difference in performance or quality of life. I dont care about fancy lights or skins really but I was looking at the DualSense Edge controller too. Some reviewers say its a game changer for the haptics and the back buttons but $200 is a lot of money to drop on top of everything else. Is it actually worth it if I am not a competitive CoD player? Just trying to figure out what the day one essentials are versus what is just marketing hype because I want this thing to last me until the PS6 comes out. What are you guys actually buying for yours?

SkipIntroPlease · Accepted Answer

Stumbled upon this today and man, you are gonna love the Pro! Rebirth looks absolutely fantastic with that PSSR upscaling, it is basically a different game. Like someone mentioned, that disc drive shortage is a total nightmare, but dont let the FOMO get you on the other stuff! Since you are looking to save cash after the $700 hit, stay far away from Gen5 SSDs. The PS5 Pro uses a PCIe 4.0 interface, so a Gen5 drive is literally just burning money for speed you cant even access. Here are some amazing budget-friendly ways to spec out your rig:

Crucial T500 2TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 SSD

This thing is a beast for the price and fits the Pro perfectly.

Sabrent M.2 NVMe PS5 Heatsink

If you buy a drive without a heatsink, just grab this separate one to save some extra dough.

<a href=" https://www.amazon.com/s?k= SteelSeries+Arctis+Nova+7P+Wireless&linkCode=osi&------123456890?7649-20" target="_blank" rel="nofollow sponsored">SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7P Wireless

Better battery life and comfort than most official options, and usually way cheaper on sale! Skip the $200 controller for now if you arent a competitive shooter guy. The stock one is already amazing! Maybe just grab the Sony DualSense Charging Station instead so you always have a full battery for those 100-hour FFVII marathons. It is way more of a quality of life upgrade than back buttons honestly... keep that extra cash for the Steam or PSN sales! Enjoy the frames!

CyberSaffron · Answer

^ This. Also, I saw you mentioned the SSD and that controller. Just wanted to chime in because you might want to consider being careful with those Gen5 rumors floating around the internet. Tbh, the PS5 Pro internal slot is still optimized for Gen4 speeds, so spending extra on a Gen5 drive is basically just paying for heat you dont really need. It wont actually load games faster because the bottleneck is the consoles interface itself. I would suggest sticking with something like the Western Digital WD_BLACK SN850X 2TB NVMe SSD instead. It is super reliable and way more cost-effective if you are looking at 2TB or 4TB upgrades. Regarding the DualSense Edge... I am gonna have to respectfully disagree with the must-have hype for non-competitive players. I know the back buttons are cool, but $200 is a massive chunk of change for something with a shorter battery life than the base model. If you are just playing single-player epics like Rebirth, the standard Sony DualSense Wireless Controller is honestly already incredible. One thing though, definitely make sure to get the official Sony PlayStation 5 Vertical Stand if you are going vertical. Please dont use books lol. You really want to make sure the airflow isnt restricted at the bottom, especially since the Pro pulls a bit more power and you want it to last. If you do want a headset, the Sony Pulse Elite Wireless Headset is actually a great shout because of those planar magnetic drivers... makes the 3D audio in Cyberpunk feel way more immersive. Good luck finding that disc drive!

DuskDiorama · Answer

I am really happy with the Pro so far, mainly because it stays so quiet compared to my old jet engine. I remember my old launch console used to get so hot I was actually worried it would melt my shelf... terrifying stuff. I am not 100 percent sure about the Gen5 SSD thing, but I think I read somewhere that the internal slot is still limited to Gen4 speeds anyway, so going higher might just be a waste of cash. I have always been a bit cautious about storage since I had a drive fail on me years ago, so I just look for reliability over raw speed now.

Definitely get an SSD with a built-in heatsink for safety

The official stand is better than books lol, keeps it stable I havent tried the high-end controller yet but the standard one feels fine to me. I would probably save the money for games tbh.