After the colossal failure of the live-service hero shooter Concord, which reportedly took eight years to develop and cost around $200 million, Sony appears to be recouping its losses with the recently announced PlayStation 5 Pro console.
Sony Interactive Entertainment is banking on its loyal fanbase to embrace the next generation, or more accurately, a side-grade to the PS5, a console that has seen price hikes since its launch despite hardware revisions lowering production costs.
Sony seems confident that its audience will eagerly buy into their latest “upgrade.”
During a technical presentation by chief architect Mark Cerny, Sony unveiled the PlayStation 5 Pro, set to launch on November 7th with a hefty price tag of $700 / £700 / €800 / ¥119,980.
The PS5 Pro is a disc-less console equipped with a 2TB SSD. If you want to use it as a full entertainment system with a disc drive, you’ll need to shell out an additional $80 USD for the proprietary disc add-on, originally released for the PS5 “Slim.” This drives the already steep price even higher.
In terms of specifications, previous leaks were correct in that the PS5 Pro once again prioritizes graphical power. The original PS5 featured a custom SoC with eight CPU cores based on a cut-down Zen 2 architecture, utilizing a smaller FPU, alongside a hybrid RDNA 1/2 GPU design, essentially comparable to AMD’s Radeon RX 5700 with 16GB of shared GDDR6 memory.
The PlayStation 5 Pro, however, boasts 60 Compute Units of graphical performance, featuring a hybrid design between AMD’s RDNA 3 and the upcoming RDNA 4 architectures. In terms of desktop GPUs, its closest equivalent is the Radeon RX 7800 XT, though with lower clock speeds.
The PS5 Pro’s primary selling point is its enhanced Ray Tracing capabilities, thanks to the advanced RDNA 4 RT engine. RDNA 4 is rumored to offer a 2x improvement in Ray Tracing throughput compared to the RX 7000 series.
As expected for a side-grade machine, the PS5 Pro sticks with the same modified Zen 2 CPU design, featuring 8 cores and 16 threads. Built on TSMC’s 4nm process, it offers a modest frequency boost over the base model, increasing by a few hundred megahertz. Paired with upgraded GDDR6 memory running at 18 Gbps, the PS5 Pro achieves a memory bandwidth of 576 GB/s, a 28.5% improvement over the base PS5’s 448 GB/s.
The console will also include a DualSense wireless controller and come with Astro’s Playroom pre-installed, the same “tech demo” that was bundled with the original PS5. However, the steep $700 USD price tag, without a disc drive has left many questioning the appeal, especially given that the PS5 itself still lacks a substantial lineup of exclusive games.
Since its 2020 release, the PlayStation 5 has struggled to leave a lasting impression over nearly four years, with Sony increasingly focusing on the PC ecosystem and diminishing the value of its once-coveted exclusives.
Titles like Stellar Blade, Final Fantasy XVI, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and Spider-Man 2 are almost certainly headed for eventual PC releases, following the path of recent PS5 exclusives like God of War Ragnarok and Ghost of Tsushima, further blurring the lines of console exclusivity.
Aside from a few notable titles, the PS5’s lineup feels lackluster, with Demon’s Souls and Neptunia ReVerse serving as remakes of PS3 games, and The Last of Us Part 2 being repackaged as a remaster of the PS4 version. Major releases like Marvel’s Wolverine and Death Stranding 2 are still years away from release.
The rest of the catalog is largely underwhelming and lacks actual system sellers. With the recent failure of Concord, Sony has struggled to deliver standout hits. Journalists, eager to give the console manufacturer some positive press, were quick to praise the release of Astro Bot.
Astro Bot is a short yet modest platformer that leans too heavily on nostalgia. While it’s charming, the game feels overly simplistic and “childish.” Despite this, journalists have been quick to shower it with praise, hailing the roughly eight-hour experience as one of the best titles on the PS5’s sparse library, with glowing 10/10 reviews and enthusiastic reception.
Since its launch on November 12, 2020, the PlayStation 5 (PS5) has been available in both digital and disc-based versions, initially priced at $400 USD for the digital edition and $500 USD for the standard model with a disc drive. However, since 2020, Sony has raised the price of the PS5 in all regions outside of the U.S., citing factors such as inflation and global economic challenges as the reason for these price hikes.
| Region | Launch Price (Disc) | New Price (Disc) | Launch Price (Digital) | New Price (Digital) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | €499.99 | €549.99 | €399.99 | €449.99 |
| UK | £449.99 | £479.99 | £359.99 | £389.99 |
| Japan | ¥49,980 | ¥60,478 | ¥39,980 | ¥49,478 |
| Australia | AUD 749.95 | AUD 799.95 | AUD 599.95 | AUD 649.95 |
| Canada | CAD 629.99 | CAD 649.99 | CAD 499.99 | CAD 519.99 |
| China | ¥3,899 | ¥4,299 | ¥3,099 | ¥3,499 |
| Mexico | MXN 13,999 | MXN 14,999 | MXN 11,499 | MXN 12,499 |
| United States | $499.99 | No Change | $399.99 | No Change |
For example, what was once €500 and €400 quickly rose to €550 and €450, with additional price hikes in the UK pushing the standard and digital consoles from £450 to £480 and from $750 AUD to $800 AUD for the disc-based version, for Australians like myself they can now look forward to the base model PlayStation 5 Pro without a disc drive costing nearly $1100 AUD.
Unusually, Japan faced the steepest increase from Sony. The launch price of the console jumped from ¥39,980 / ¥49,980 JPY to ¥49,478 and ¥60,478 back in 2022, marking a 21% increase. However, in August of this year, Sony further raised the price of the PlayStation 5 in Japan starting September 2nd.
I wonder if these price hikes for all nations outside of America has anything to do with the fact that Sony Interactive Entertainment is headquartered in California rather than Japan.
From the revised 2022 prices of ¥49,478 and ¥60,478, Sony Interactive Entertainment adjusted the PS5 prices in Japan to ¥72,980 for the digital model and a staggering ¥79,980 for the disc version. Notably, the Nintendo Switch continues to outsell the PS5 in Japan by a ratio of 3:1, according to Famitsu’s sales reports.
This gap is expected to widen further, as the Switch, which launched at ¥29,980, has maintained its price since its release as Sony’s system has only gotten more expensive.
Sony’s hubris in pushing such an expensive machine on consumers is astonishing. Charging $700 for a disc-less version of the console is both inexcusable and perplexing, especially considering the PS5’s growing lack of new games compared to its release rate.
This situation is reminiscent of the highly criticized launch of the PlayStation 3 in 2006, which was famously ridiculed for its exorbitant price.
For its time, the Xbox 360 home console was priced at $400 USD for the version with a hard drive, while a “core” model without a hard drive was available for $100 less. In contrast, the PlayStation 3 was set to cost $100 more than Microsoft’s console, with a 20GB model priced at $500 and a 60GB version at $600.
Adjusted for inflation, the 20GB PS3 model would be approximately $780 today, comparable to the cost of a PS5 Pro with a disc drive.
The PS3’s high price was partially justified by its dual role as both a gaming console and a high-end home entertainment system, featuring a Blu-ray disc drive and had native backwards compatibility with the PlayStation 2.
At the time, dedicated Blu-ray players were priced well above that of the entire PS3 console, making the PS3’s inclusion of this technology a significant selling point despite its rocky launch and likely the reason the blu-ray format won out over HD-DVD.
There’s no justification for the PS5 Pro, especially given the current financial climate. These proprietary consoles are bound by restrictive DRM and require a subscription service to access your own internet, with Sony continuously raising the cost of PlayStation Plus.
Despite failing to meet PlayStation 5 sales targets since its launch, Sony continues to profit from the PlayStation brand, primarily through software sales, with most game sales now being digital. Unfortunately, these savings are not passed on to consumers but rather benefit the console manufacturers and storefronts.
If Sony genuinely wanted to boost console sales, they could have priced the PS5 Pro more competitively to make the base PS5 more appealing. However, instead of reducing the price of the current PS5 model to a more reasonable $300, it remains at $400-$500+, which would have been a fairer price and potentially made the console more attractive for multiplatform gaming.
But that’s not the reality. Despite multiple hardware revisions to the standard PS5, such as reducing cooling capacity and cutting down on copper and aluminum fin stacks to lower production costs, Sony seems more focused on pivoting profits back to hardware sales.
Unlike Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft have often been selling their latest consoles at a loss, recouping their expenses through subscription services like Xbox Live and PlayStation Plus, as well as digital sales.
The PS5 Pro, priced at $700 or $780 with a disc drive, comes with the same tech demo pre-installed and no additional games. Consumers are expected to buy new games, which cost between $40 and $70 each, and subscribe to PlayStation Plus to access their own internet.
When factoring in the cost of a disc drive, a few $60 games, and a 12-month PlayStation Plus subscription at $80 for the “Essential” tier or $10 per month the total cost of owning a PS5 Pro can quickly approach or exceed $1000 USD.
It seems likely that these high prices are aimed at driving up the overall cost of modern gaming. We’ve already seen AAA game prices rise from $60 to $70, and they could climb further with upcoming releases like Grand Theft Auto 6.
As consoles move toward digital formats and require consumers to buy games that are tied to their user accounts, accounts that can be banned for various reasons, such as inappropriate behavior in-game resulting in the forfeiture of any games or software purchased, there’s a growing incentive for gamers to turn to subscription services like Xbox Game Pass or upgraded versions of PlayStation Plus.
With hardware costs getting more steep and game prices increasing, the future of home consoles may shift toward a cloud-based model as we progress through the decade.
A home console priced at such a level is audacious and unsustainable, particularly in the current financial climate. Home consoles are intended to offer an accessible and cost-effective alternative to the high prices of current-generation PC hardware, providing a more comprehensive and capable gaming experience at a more affordable price point.
With a Zen 2 processor and a customized Radeon RX 7800 XT, you could build a PC that offers superior performance and versatility compared to the PlayStation 5 Pro, especially when factoring in the cost of the console, some games, and a subscription service.
Unlike the PS5, which lacks true backwards compatibility beyond PS4 titles, a custom PC provides access to hundreds, if not thousands, of additional games that are not available on PlayStation. Plus, a PC offers the benefits of being uncensored and modifiable.
A PC doesn’t require additional fees to purchase a proprietary stand nor does it charge you extra to use your own internet.
The PlayStation 5 Pro serves as a key test for consumers. It’s no surprise that Sony has the most dedicated and deranged fanboys amongst console manufacturers, with some of them believing that the PS5 Pro could rival an RTX 4090 graphics card.
However, with its base model priced at $700 and easily approaching $1000 once you factor in the cost of necessary accessories like online connectivity and games, the PS5 Pro’s price tag is arguably its only similarity to an RTX 4090. Anyone who purchases a console that’s essentially a side-grade with few games deserves to mocked and ridiculed relentlessly.
