The PS5 Pro comes without a disc drive because Sony says it “gives gamers choices,” such as the ability to spend an extra $80 to play the physical games that “most gamers” have.

Although the PS5 Pro is a $700 device aimed at the most hardcore PlayStation gamers, it doesn't come with a disc drive—it's an $80 add-on instead. Sony says that's because of an altruistic desire to give gamers like you more options.

The decision not to bundle a drive with the Pro is intended to “give players choice,” as Toshi Aoki, senior principal product manager, tells IGN. “With the PS5 Pro, we're offering all these new technical innovations and we've added the 2 terabyte SSD as well as Wi-Fi 7,” Aoki says. He adds, “The drive is an option for gamers. Not all gamers have drives, although most gamers do… but we have the ability to add that for those gamers. So I think it's more about the balance of the value proposition that we're giving.”