PlayStation 5 Pro’s Sky-High Price Smacks Of Lack Of Competition
Sony announced its PlayStation 5 Pro refresh yesterday in a straightforward, technical YouTube video presentation. All of the attention was put on the GPU upgrades, which provide a nice uplift compared to the current PS5. AI driven up-scaling and enhanced ray tracing were all perks for the new model, too. With a complete lack of competition from Xbox in this segment lately, however, Sony has the freedom to do virtually what it pleases with its PS5 Pro launch strategy.
All of the performance upgrades sound reasonable for a mid-cycle refresh, until the pricing was revealed. At a $699 MSRP, the PS5 Pro is priced like a next-generation console, instead of the modest upgrade that it actually is. Add to the fact that it is a digital console - an $80 disc drive would be an additional cost as well. Would you like a vertical stand, like the one that is included with the standard PS5? You'll have to pony up $30 extra for the privilege. Now we are north of $800 before tax for a fully kitted-out PS5 Pro. This is getting ridiculous.
For most gamers, the PS5 Pro is essentially just a bump up in resolution and frames per second capability. While that is worth some upgrade cost, $699 seems excessive for the changes offered here, along with Sony's nickel and diming of add-ons. You'll be able to play popular titles like Astro Bot just fine on the original PS5, so the PS5 Pro does not always have a clear advantage for most gamers.
All of the performance upgrades sound reasonable for a mid-cycle refresh, until the pricing was revealed. At a $699 MSRP, the PS5 Pro is priced like a next-generation console, instead of the modest upgrade that it actually is. Add to the fact that it is a digital console - an $80 disc drive would be an additional cost as well. Would you like a vertical stand, like the one that is included with the standard PS5? You'll have to pony up $30 extra for the privilege. Now we are north of $800 before tax for a fully kitted-out PS5 Pro. This is getting ridiculous.
For most gamers, the PS5 Pro is essentially just a bump up in resolution and frames per second capability. While that is worth some upgrade cost, $699 seems excessive for the changes offered here, along with Sony's nickel and diming of add-ons. You'll be able to play popular titles like Astro Bot just fine on the original PS5, so the PS5 Pro does not always have a clear advantage for most gamers.
After Microsoft cancelled plans for a high-end Xbox Series X refresh, the writing was on the wall for Sony to price accordingly. Sure, popular consoles such as the Nintendo Switch sell well, but these are in very different target demographics that don't always compete with Sony.
The PS5 Pro is using many similar components as the PS5, with the GPU being the primary updated component. This alone does not justify the cost increase, which clearly could have been more reasonable. This will put the Sony PS5 Pro squarely in the enthusiast category, with only those wanting the best performance likely to shell out the extra bucks.
With some graphically intensive games such as the highly anticipated GTA 6 being initially console-only titles, Sony will have the performance advantage here. As the system lands in the wild and demanding games are tested versus the original PS5, perhaps the GPU upgrades may be more significant in practice. This will surely pull more buyers in over time, but from a distance, Sony's PS5 Pro pricing is hard to justify for most.
With a PS5 Pro launch date of November 7, 2024, it will come just before the busy holiday shopping season. While it may not set any new sales records like the PS5, it should potentially perform at least as well as the previous PS4 Pro did, though consumers will be taking it on the chin.
The PS5 Pro is using many similar components as the PS5, with the GPU being the primary updated component. This alone does not justify the cost increase, which clearly could have been more reasonable. This will put the Sony PS5 Pro squarely in the enthusiast category, with only those wanting the best performance likely to shell out the extra bucks.
With some graphically intensive games such as the highly anticipated GTA 6 being initially console-only titles, Sony will have the performance advantage here. As the system lands in the wild and demanding games are tested versus the original PS5, perhaps the GPU upgrades may be more significant in practice. This will surely pull more buyers in over time, but from a distance, Sony's PS5 Pro pricing is hard to justify for most.
With a PS5 Pro launch date of November 7, 2024, it will come just before the busy holiday shopping season. While it may not set any new sales records like the PS5, it should potentially perform at least as well as the previous PS4 Pro did, though consumers will be taking it on the chin.
