The PlayStation 5 Pro's high price raised quite a few eyebrows when it was revealed at the end of yesterday's technical presentation, but players may need to look at things differently to understand the system's pricing.
Following the system's reveal, former Blizzard president Mike Ybarra commented on the console's price, suggesting to see things from a different point of view. Like any mid-generation hardware refresh, the PS5 Pro is about existing users upgrading. As such, when the teams evaluate the cost, they don't want to lose money on each console to avoid putting pressure on other parts of the business while maximizing value to players. As such, the PlayStation 5 Pro pricing took into account the fact that users upgrading will trade in their base models to cover some of the upgrading costs. At the end of the day, the console is a low volume product that also allows Sony to say that they have the fastest and most powerful console in the market.
Think of this a bit differently. Pro models, or any in-generation upgrade, is about existing users upgrading. So when teams evaluate the cost - they don't want to lose money on each console as that puts pressure on other parts of the business. And they think about how they can…
— Mike Ybarra (@Qwik) September 10, 2024
Good news is no one has to buy it. It's a low volume product and I always think it's nice to say you have the fastest and most powerful console in the market.
For many, existing PS5 is fine and people should be happy.
Kind of like the S, it's fine. Some don't need the X. I…
— Mike Ybarra (@Qwik) September 10, 2024
The high price, however, isn't going to be a major issue for the PlayStation 5 Pro, as analysts at Ampere Analysis, as reported by VGC, expect the system to sell as well as the PlayStation 4 Pro did. In its launch window, analysts expect around 1.3 million units sold and around 13 million units by 2029. The high price is going to soften demand for the system, but it is less of a problem for PlayStation enthusiasts, according to Ampere Analysis research director for games Piers Harding-Rolls, a statement that falls in line with the statements from Mike Ybarra reported above.
The PlayStation 5 Pro will launch on November 7th worldwide for $699.99 / £699.99 / €799.99.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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