Is The PS5 Disc Drive Worth It?

The PlayStation 5 Disc Drive has become a hot commodity after the reveal of the PS5 Pro, but when it comes to the value offered by the peripheral, there's definitely some room for debate. The Disc Drive makes it possible to play physical games on certain discless PS5 editions, including the upcoming PS5 Pro that's set to serve as a mid-generation refresh for the console. It doesn't come cheap, however, and whether the investment is worthwhile can depend heavily on how someone plans to use it.

The PS5 was the first home console from Sony to launch with an all-digital option, and the split release model priced the version of the console with a disc drive higher than the version without. When the revised Slim version released, the disc drive became an external attachment rather than something built into the hardware design, making it possible to buy one separately or opt for a bundle. The PS5 Pro has removed the bundle option entirely, so buying the PS5 Disc Drive as an add-on will be the only way to play physical games on the system.

There's no way around the fact that the PS5 Disc Drive doesn't come cheap, as a $79.99 asking price outdoes the $50 difference in price between the digital and disc drive editions of the PS5 Slim. Taken in the context of 4K Blu-ray players, it's not an unfair demand, and standalone players can cost significantly more than that. While digital and physical games generally provide identical experiences in play, 4K Blu-ray outdoes 4K streaming quality by a wide margin, so its utility for multimedia purposes is worth considering.

The PlayStation 5 Pro is a big leap in tech, but it's not a system that I actually want to buy, and an alternative could have been exciting.

When it comes to the PS5 Pro, there's no bundle option on the table, which is frustrating for fans of physical games who would like to get something of a deal. The digital-only console costs a whopping $699.99, which goes up to almost $780 after adding on a Disc Drive. Anyone who