So I finally caved and pre-ordered the PS5 Pro and man, my bank account is definitely side-eyeing me right now. Ive been in the PlayStation ecosystem since the PS2 days so I usually know what to expect with these mid-gen refreshes but the Pro feels like a different beast because of how much they stripped out of the box. My logic was that if I'm already dropping seven hundred bucks then I might as well go all in to get the best experience but now I'm actually looking at my setup and realizing I might be missing some crucial stuff.

I live in a fairly small apartment in Seattle and my entertainment center is basically a heat trap so I'm honestly a bit paranoid about the thermals on this thing. I know the basics like needing a high-speed HDMI 2.1 cable for the 120Hz stuff but I'm wondering what else is actually mandatory vs just a nice-to-have. Like I’m already annoyed about the disc drive situation—I have a massive physical collection and finding a separate drive at retail is basically impossible right now.

Heres what I'm debating over for my launch day setup:

• The vertical stand. Is it actually necessary for airflow or is it just a scam? I dont want this thing to overheat while I'm playing Alan Wake 2 or something heavy.
• SSD expansion. I've got a 2TB Gen4 drive in my current PS5 and I’m pretty sure I can just swap it but has anyone heard of any weird compatibility quirks with the Pro specifically?
• Controller charging. My DualSense Edge battery life is honestly pretty mediocre so I’m thinking about a proper dock that doesnt look like cheap plastic trash.

I’ve got maybe $150 to $200 left to spend before my wife starts asking questions and I really want to prioritize stuff that actually improves the performance or the longevity of the console. Is there any weird niche accessory I'm forgetting? Like do I need a specific wall mount or better dust filters if I'm keeping it in a tighter space? Just trying to make sure I'm not missing anything obvious before the box actually shows up at my door...