Difficult where to begin with, because so many factors involved.

Anyway, i have been somewhat lucky because many other buyers of a PS5 Pro still did not get a disc drive. It is a world wide issue but i can only "more precisely" talk about my home location. Its seems like around a total of 50 launch-consoles has been sold on the countries biggest shop, which is not much at all. Over 50 consoles are still in stock on the biggest shop and perhaps up to 200 on all the other shops, yet still not any drive available. The only disc drives that got "handed out" are the ones a few lucky people who was preordering it got. I do not know exact numbers because the shop keeps shut, no one wants to talk about, i do not even try to ask... it hurts the people involved enough.

I still can try to guess some stuff, based on some revealed user experiences i was able to get a hang on some numbers. In my mind, Sony is trying to supply the shops with some drives once every 2 weeks. Although the drives supplied are in such a minor number that it may take up to Christmas 2024 or even January 2025 in order to supply ALL people who was preordering a console. So, indeed... the shortage is huge. My guessing is, Sony was delivering between 10 and 20 drives at launch and once every 2 weeks. This is maybe enough to supply the preordering people up to Christmas... but not any "new buyer"... those will have to wait way into 2025 it seems.

I am not going to talk about pricing politics because this matter has already become leeched out for weeks. Still interesting to say that Sony is apparently totally happy with the sales and even the price is "alright" according to their higher ups:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Drq5V59Hsr8

With my common sense... this is indeed weird and hard to believe, yet they simply do not want to "accept" any failure on their end.

Again, not sure how i got so lucky getting a disc drive just now, i guess they was doing a "random dice" for everyone who was preordering the console and with every new charge... some lucky gamers may get a disc drive. Still took me nearly 3 weeks and i was preordering the console many months ago. It surely will make me aware of future issues with a comparable taste.

So, now i am testing the console, personally... and how is my impression? Once again... very mixed and it surely was the most difficult decision i ever did. I speak from the situation of "core gamer", which is the only reason why i even got it... for anyone considered to be casual or not a true core gamer "this is not worth it.... very clear, no doubt".

Still installing around 50 games and testing them out for some min during install, for a very first impression.

What i can already tell: It was over 2 TB space on my old PS5 already, so it would not work with the initial space, not even 2 or 3 times the launch-amount. On the PS5 Pro it gets even larger because some games will get some patches.

I used a new 4 TB SSD, which was rated at 6900 MB/s (Kingstone Fury Renegade), faster than the drive on my old PS5 rated at 6300 MB/s (Firecuda 530). The Samsung 990 Pro is usually rated around 6500 MB/s, so indeed, my actually pretty cheap (251 CHF) high end grade SSD is doing its duty more than well.

The BD read speed is about 30 MB/s, the download speed about 60 MB/s, the total data capacity over 2 TB... so it can take 1-2 days but i am working it it for 1 day already,

Some users simply move the old drive to the new PS5 and may even sell the old PS5 after, this is the easy and cheap approach. My approach is the difficult one because i will keep the old console as an updated backup console, so i had to move the entire system data to the new console and the games will need a fresh install, around 50, one by one.

Continuing my experience.

The list of games currently installed;

1. Granblue Fantasy Relink: PS4/PC cross-platform
2. Armored Core VI; PS4/PC cross-platform
3a/3b. Nioh Remastered Collection (1+2): PS4/PC cross-platform (well, not the remastered version, just the basic on PS4)
4. Wo Long Fallen Dynasty: PS4/PC cross-platform
5. The Last of Us part II Remastered: PS4 cross-platform, however this is a remaster with better graphics
6. Life is Strange: True Colors: PS4/PC cross-platform
7. Star Ocean The Divine Force: PS4/PC cross-splatform
8. Disgaea 7: PS4/PC cross-platform
9. Disgaea 6 Complete: PS4/PC cross-platform
10. Death Stranding DC: PC cross-platform. There is a PS4 title around but not the DC version which is improved a lot
11. Resident Evil Village; PS4/PC cross-platform
12. Persona 5 Royal PS4/PC cross-platform
13. Gran Turismo 7: PS4 cross-platform
14. Marvels Guardian of the Galaxy: PS4/PC cross-platform
15. Stranger of Paradise FF Origin: PS4/PC cross-platform
16. Alphadia Genesis: PS4/PC cross-platform (smallest game i own, only Limited Run PS5 BD too)
17. Octopath Traveler II: PS4/PC cross-platform
18. Ghost of Tsushima: PS4/PC cross-platform, available DRM free on EGS
19. Tales of Arise: PS4/PC cross-platform. On PS5/PC way better graphics
20. Shin Megami Tensei V: PS4/PC cross-platform
21. Elden Ring: PS4/PC cross-platform
22. Crymachina: PS4/PC cross-platform
23. Star Ocean the 2. Story R: PS4/PC cross-platform
24. Sea of Stars: PS4/PC cross-platform: I tell ya, if they did not bring out a PS5 BD, they could have "be gone":
25. Sword and Fairy: PS4/PC cross-plaform
26. Visions of Mana: PS4/PC cross-platform
27. Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade: PS4/PS cross-platform. However, it has been remastered on PS5
28. Romancing Saga 2 Remake: Switch/PC cross platform
29. Metaphor: ReFantazio: Xbox/PC cross platform
30. Xuan Yuan Sword The Gate of Firmament
31. Fantasian Neo Dimension
32. Resident Evil 4 Remake

PS5 only:

33. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: So far PS5 only and PS5 only developed
34. Rise of the Ronin; So far PS5 only and PS5 only developed
35. Demons Souls 2020: Remake from the PS3 title, PS5 only and PS5 only developed
36. Devil May Cry 5 SE PS5
37. Stellar Blade

PS5/PC only:

38. Horizon Forbidden West Complete: PS4/PC cross-platform: However, the DLC is not available on PS4. DRM free on EGS
39. Dragons Dogma 2: PC cross-platform, not possible on PS4, simply to demanding
40. Forspoken: PC cross-platform PS5 only developed. PC version is not that great, rather weak port i heard
41. The Last of Us part I: PC-cross-platform and PS5 only developed, PS4 not possible
42. Dragon Age The Veilguard PS5/PC cross platform
43. Final Fantasy XVI: PC-cross-platform (it was PS5 exclusive for a long period, not possible for PS4 because PS5 only developed)
44. Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered
45. Black Myth Wukong

PS4 versions:

46a/46b/46c. (3x physical). Dark Souls Trilogy: PS4 version/PC cross platform
47. Disgaea 5: PS4 version/PC cross platform
48a/48b/48c. (unified game format) Uncharted The Nathan Drake Collection: PS4 version
49. Sekiro Shadows Die Twice: PS4 version/PC cross platform
50. Bloodborne PS4 version

Online digital only games (free to play):

51. Warframe
52. The First Descendant
53. Phantasy Star Online 2

Bonus:

54. Astro Playroom

Total physical (case) 53
PSN showed # 58
Total games # 60
Total data size: ~3 TB

PS5 Pro detected issues on games:

Dragons Dogma 2: Heavy artifacting on grasses, looks worse than the PS5 version. Performance improvement only minor due to CPU limitation

Stranger of Paradise: Heavy artifacting on grasses, looks worse than the PS5 version. Performance is still good (was never an issue on the old PS5)

Rise of the Ronin: Performance is still very bad on any mode except performance mode, In my mind this game is coded very bad on any "demanding mode" with almost no visible improvement, The PS5 Pro can NOT change this issue,

Games with very clear improvement:

Demons Souls Remake: It really looks awesome now and still good performance,

Wo Long Fallen Dynasty: It really looks awesome now and still good performance,

Forspoken; It looks very crispy in graphic mode, however... very taxing on performance, 30 FPS only.

In general: Most games looks more crispy and the graphic simply is "higher res".

Ok I am not quite sure what I just read, but apparently PS5 Pros are lacking an optical disc drive?

Were they promised to have one? Is Sony sending the missing parts to people later on, and they are supposed to open up their PS5 Pro to install the missing optical disc drive? Or are they external USB drives that you just plug into a port and that's it?

How big a problem is the missing optical drive? Are PS5 Pro users still mostly buying games on discs, and not digitally? That's so 2000s.

Still, it does sound odd Sony would ship their consoles with missing parts. Luckily they still had controllers, right? I would hate to think what it would be like for little Jimmy opening up his new shiny PS5 Pro on Christmas, and trying to play GTA VI or Red Dead Redemption 3 without a controller. It would be very hard, I can tell you that already!

Any reason why you didn't use your previous thread for this?

https://www.gog.com/forum/general/somy_is_a_incompetent_digital_game_hog_who_seems_to_destroy_the_disc_market

Oh god - please don't get him started...again...

Oh ok, it is part of that earlier thread which I think I skipped because I didn't quite understand it either.

What I THINK I learned from this is that on PS5 Pro, the optical disc is an external accessory that you just plug in? Right? Otherwise it wouldn't make much sense to me it is shipped separately or as a "bundle".

Anyway, consoles don't interest me that much due to their strong DRM. I have a Nintendo Switch which my kids play once in a bluemoon for Minecraft, and that's it. I kinda wish I would have cracked and turned it into a bootleg retro gaming device while it had old enough firmware that still made that possible (as far as I can tell), but that opportunity is gone now for good.

I'm hoping to play those two Zelda games (Windwaker and whatshisname) and The Witcher 3 on it, out of curiosity. Still haven't bought those games for it, not wanting to pay full price for them.

In general, thanks everyone for participating, even those who for some reason either got near zero clue or just want to express how "useless" or "loveless" the entire matter is. To some extend i do absolutely agree but there is a certain root, a certain dream and as well a certain experience that still makes me want to feel some love toward gaming on consoles.

The "basics" has not changed... i do consider me a gamer, so i enjoy virtual worlds just as much as a "real world".

Indeed, gaming on consoles is facing a somewhat rough time for me but i still see many aspects on it i still do appreciate, thats why there are very "mixed feelings": Kinda like a relationship i want to keep going but not sure "how to make it happen".

Regarding the entire "digital agenda" issue: The cause is from several sides but... lets just say it this way: If the customers start to become "lazy" or "greedy", the industry which is part of capitalism and as well the digital-industrial complex will gladly accept the "wishes from the majority" and will strongly support this direction with all they got. Thats where this whole issue with "fading physical media" has actually started and it is very hard to keep up at least a "minor existence" of this "alternate direction". On PC it is already dead... as we all know it. The consoles are the only ones still with physical media but not sure for how long anymore,

It is not even a matter way to crazy but... the issue simply is adding up from many sides. One side are the users who... in the majority, is showing the cold shoulders like never seen before and then the industry gladly is accepting this "cold shoulder" and it seems... they care so less they even forget to produce a sufficient amount of disc drives because they just do not care anymore.,. they just barely accept "the ones still asking for", thats it.

Kinda loveless the entire matter but we are not living in a time with a lot of love... rather a lot of struggles.

The console, PS5 Pro,... to be honest.... is as well a loveless design in overall... the launch PS5 with its custom faceplate was simply the more lovely and just cooler thing. This new console feels cheaper than ever ago but it got the best GPU and this is the only reason for getting it: A GPU can never be to strong, sadly.

There is a second reason: I was looking for a backup console because no one knows for how long the valuable launch-PS5 will still be able to live. I just enjoy having everything "secured" on every spot and the launch console can finally have some rest... until a unknown day. Of course i am not selling the old console, else the whole "backup idea" would be useless.

Yeah those ones, I don't know why I remembered Windwaker... I guess those Zelda games are the best reason to own Switch, so I guess I need to hunt them down at some point.