With all the fantastic Black Friday deals available, it’s easy to overlook Sony’s ongoing PlayStation 5 sale, which is why we’re flagging it again. In case you missed it, all three PS5 models are steeply discounted until December 18th. The PS5 Digital Edition (slim) is still available from GameStop and Sony for around $399 ($100 off) — its lowest price of the year — while the standard PS5 (slim) is going for around $449 ($100 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart. And if you want a more powerful console, the PS5 Pro is now available at Amazon, Target, and Walmart for around $649 ($100 off), matching its best price to date.
If you’re wondering what the main differences are, the standard PS5 features a built-in disc drive, which the cheaper PS5 Digital Edition lacks. That means you can play physical games or Blu-rays without needing to spend an extra $79.99 on Sony’s external disc drive. Other than that, though, they’re pretty similar, with each offering 1TB of internal storage, which you can expand with a heatsink-equipped drive.
The PS5 Pro, meanwhile, is for those who want the best console experience available. It steps things up with twice the storage (2TB), though, like the PS5 Digital Edition, it lacks an internal disc drive. Its most significant features are under the hood: a 62 percent faster GPU, improved ray tracing, Wi-Fi 7 support, and AI-powered upscaling. These all allow some games to run at higher frame rates so visuals look even better, particularly on “PS5 Pro Enhanced” titles. That said, the difference isn’t always dramatic in real-world play. Our reviewer only noticed real improvements when sitting within 10 feet of his TV, and only some games — Final Fantasy VII Rebirthin particular — ended up looking exceptionally crisp and defined.
In addition to consoles, Sony’s Black Friday sale also includes a range of great accessories, from the PlayStation Portal to the DualSense Edge controller. We’ve highlighted some of our favorites below.
PlayStation Portal
The PlayStation Portal is a handheld that allows you to stream games from your PS5 over the same network, or the cloud for certain titles if you have a PS Premium Plus subscription. The Portal has an 8-inch 1080p display with a 60Hz refresh rate, serviceable speakers, and a long-lasting battery. It also supports DualSense features, including haptic feedback and motion sensing. Read our review.
Sony’s wireless PS5 controller has roughly the same button and joystick layout as the PS2’s gamepad, but with haptic sensors, a built-in speaker, gyroscope, accelerometer, and touchpad for an even more immersive gameplay experience. The controller is also compatible with MacOS and Windows, so you can use the wireless controller to play computer games. Read our review.
Sony’s pro-style controller, the DualSense Edge, might suffer from shorter battery life than the standard DualSense model, but it features great software integration with the PlayStation 5 and plenty of customizable components. Read our review.
The Pulse Explore Wireless Earbuds provide lossless, ultra-low-latency audio when connected to a PS5, and sounded very clear in our tests. They also support Sony’s 3D audio technology for a more immersive experience. When you’re done playing games, you can pair them to your phone or other devices over Bluetooth. Read our hands on.
Sony’s PlayStation Pulse Elite is an over-ear headset with a retractable boom mic. It’s designed to filter out background noise, deliver low latency and lossless audio, and work with the PlayStation Portal or the PlayStation 5, PC, and Mac via the PlayStation Link USB adapter.
PlayStation VR2 Horizon Call of The Mountain Bundle
The PSVR 2 offers PC-quality VR on a console, and it’s currently bundled with one of its best games: Horizon: Call of the Mountain. The headset can run at up to 120Hz with a resolution of 2000 x 2040 per eye, and has a pair of built-in headphones — though you can plug your own into its 3.5mm audio jack, or connect wireless headphones by plugging wireless dongle into the PS5. Read our review.
PDP’s Riffmaster is a wireless guitar accessory compatible with Rock Band 4 and Fortnite: Festival. It has two sets of color-coded buttons you can press to hit notes as they appear on the screen, a built-in 3.5mm audio jack for connecting headphones, and an analog stick to help you easily navigate through each game’s menus.
The DualSense is the first-party controller Sony designed for the PlayStation 5. It features adaptive triggers, a built-in microphone, and haptic feedback technologies. Read our review.
