Ever since Sony unveiled the PlayStation 5 Pro last week, everyone has been talking about its outrageous price. You’ll have to fork over $699.99 if you want your own PS5 Pro when it arrives on November 7th—and that’s before the disc drive (sold separately for $79.99), which you have to get if you want to play any of your physical games. It’s worth noting that you can play all your PS5 games on a standard PS5, but what does this mean for the PlayStation 6?
This week, GamesBeat reached out to several industry analysts to ask them what they thought about the PS5 Pro and what it might mean for the console market at large.
When asked about the market size for such a pricey upgrade, Circana’s Mat Piscatella said that while there is an audience, “it’s a small one.” There are always going to be people who have the means and want the latest and greatest hardware, no matter the cost.
Even though the PS5 Pro might not have mass market appeal, its high price does not exist in a vacuum. Remember, the PS4 Pro launched in 2016 at a retail price of $399. That was the same price as the base PS4 at launch, which had since dropped to $299.
Inflation or not, the PlayStation 5 Pro’s $699 price tag is a big increase. Meanwhile, Sony is still charging $499 for a PS5 nearly four years after its debut.
“I’m expecting prices on new console hardware to continue to increase,” Piscatella continued. “We’ve now seen that (previously a bit radioactive following the PS3’s pricing announcement way back when) $599 threshold reached or broken by both PlayStation and Xbox, so I certainly won’t be surprised if we see that again.”
“I would say that the next generation of consoles will have a new, higher floor for pricing,” said Rhys Elliot of Midia Research when asked about the industry’s future. “If PlayStation and Xbox could turn back the clock, they’d probably have priced their base consoles at $600 at launch. Just look at Xbox’s $600 dollar 2TB Galaxy Black Edition. While that console has a Blu-ray drive, besides more storage it essentially has the same specs as the launch Series X. I expect to see the PS6 and Xbox’s next-generation consoles retailing at $600, at least. PlayStation is clearly testing the waters with its PS5 Pro pricing.”
We’re likely at least three years out from any next-generation Xbox or PlayStation consoles, but don’t be surprised if “599 US Dollars” becomes a familiar refrain.
