They are high on some crazy shit if they think I’m dropping 800 euros for a standless, digital console with a blink and you’ll miss it graphical boost during a console generation that’s been so stale in terms of first party exclusives that most of the games they used to promote this are on fucking PS4.
What the fuck, Sony?
– d0ntm1ndm32 (Reddit)
Sony finally presented their long-rumoured PS5 Pro, and the response from gamers seems to range from bemusement to outright astonishment.
People have been asking for months if a mid-gen refresh is really needed. Xbox confirmed in 2023 that they will not be releasing a “pro” model mid-gen (instead opting for colour and storage variants, out this holiday). And outlets like Digital Foundry have wondered aloud if any improvements that are possible within their assumed technical and economic constraints would even be worth the attempt.
Price
It seems PlayStation have drifted across the line when it comes to pricing.
US – $699 + tax
UK – £699.99 + tax
EU – €799.99 + tax
Japan – ¥119,980 inc tax
Australia – $1199 inc tax
That’s a spicy meatball.
Worse (aside from the pre-tax pricing) is that those prices are for the all-digital version. Want a disc drive, pony (no pun intended) up. In Australia that gets intoAUD $1300+ territory.
Oh and no vertical stand, that’s extra too.
$700 with stand sold separately. Are they high?
– teabaguk (Reddit)
It’s an eyebrow-raising and tone-deaf decision from Sony, especially so considering their own CEO has no idea which way up the console is supposed to go.
Oh by the way, PlayStation raised the price on their Dualsense controller variants by $5-10 each. You know, the ones that get 4-12 hour battery life.
Yikes.
I’ll throw up (again, no pun) more links and coverage about the PS5 Pro in the coming week or two. In the meantime I leave you with this…
I am a Sony fan…but even I can’t defend this move with the PS5 Pro.
Releasing a $700 console (without a disk drive at that) when they have barely focused on the PS5 itself. Features that are barely noticeable outside bigger memory. They are focusing more on hardware than actual software for these products. Pulled funding for VR2 already. The portal could be more than a remote play but they refuse to expand it. Indie games have been carrying them this year as well. Sony has enough products now but are leaning hard into hardware no one asked for.
– @projekt_itachi (Threads)
Bonus link: Digital Foundry goes live for an hour discussing the PS5 Pro (excellent bants within).