PS5 Pro pre-orders will sell out in 2024, according to experts
Based on evidence from last year, the next PlayStation 5 console update might be hard to get before Christmas
I’ve become an expert on how to find PlayStation hardware in stock, and I’m telling you now that PS5 Pro pre-orders will sell out in the end. It may surprise you for a console that hasn’t even been announced yet, but I come with facts and evidence.
Sure, Sony’s rumored PS5 Pro console doesn’t have as much hype as the original PlayStation 5 Disc and Digital editions, and it won’t usher in a completely new console generation. It’ll have better graphics, just like the PS4 to PS4 Pro leap before it. But it won’t break new ground – it’ll just make the best PS5 games look better.
The new PS5 Pro is likely to be revealed during the Tokyo Game Show, which starts September 26, one week after the iPhone 16 release date. That means PS5 Pro pre-orders begin at the end of next month, according to Sony’s usual timing, if that holds up. Your timing of getting a pre-order is crucial.
Here are the three reasons why we may see a sharp rise in demand before the end of 2024, even if PS5 Pro doesn’t make sense to everyone right now.
How to get PS5 Pro pre-order alerts
Get my instant alerts: Your best chance to find PS5 Pro pre-orders at stores in the US is to follow Matt Swider on X – and turn on notifications.
It’ll look like my other restock notifications with direct links to US stores:
1. PS5 Pro pre-orders will go slow, then fast
“Wow. PS5 Pro pre-orders are so easy to get,” is something I imagine people saying as soon as the PS5 Pro pre-orders begin. That’s exactly what happened with Sony’s last big hardware pre-order with the PlayStation Portal. “Who wants a PS5 remote player when it’s not a true PSP 2 handheld?” so many naysayers exclaimed.
It turns out a lot of people wanted it. As soon as Sony’s PlayStation Portal finally launched on November 15, it was nearly impossible to find it in stock. It wasn’t at Best Buy, Walmart, GameStop or Amazon for more than 30 seconds before it sold out each time. You couldn’t find it in stock in the US for almost eight months.
The $199 PS5 remote player became the best-selling video game accessory of 2024 despite the PlayStation Portal restock crisis. PS5 Pro pre-orders could follow this same slow, then fast demand pattern, which brings us to my next point explaining why that happened in the first place: parents.
2. Black Friday is when PS5 Pro will sell out
Parents won’t feel the need to lock in a PS5 pre-order on day one in September, especially if the PS5 Pro release date ends up being on or around November 15. However, if you’re a parent who doesn’t have “the big gift” for your gamer child by Christmas, you’re going to be scrambling for the latest gaming hardware.
Again, this is exactly why the PlayStation Portal sold out in the way it did. What other hardware is going to entice parents by the end of 2024? I’ll wait for your answer. Right, there’s no new Xbox console and no plans for that Xbox Series X Slim, so if your child already likes playing PS5 games, as a parent, the easiest purchase is a video game console that plays existing and upcoming PS5 games but with better graphics. You don’t have to re-buy games to make them better? Perfect.
By Black Friday, which starts on Friday, November 29, 2024, if you don’t have your hands on a PS5 Pro, you might have a hard time getting the console. Demand for the PS5 Pro will rise sharply ahead of the holidays, according to my expert analysis.
3. Sony’s PS5 Pro inventory could be low
If the PS5 Pro does, in fact, launch in 2024, as expected, Sony won’t have a lot of time to manufacture the brand-new console. We haven’t seen any definitive PS5 Pro leaks, although developers are said to have had development kits for a few months now.
Sony’s inventory for almost every piece of hardware has been strained during the PlayStation 5 generation. The PS5 restock chaos lasted from 2020 to 2022 before the console was on store shelves in the United States. The aforementioned PlayStation Portal couldn’t stay in stock for eight months. Sony’s latest hardware, the PSVR 2 PC adapter restock and Astro Bot PS5 controller, still sell out within minutes of their availability.
Nintendo is basically taking the opposite tact with the Nintendo Switch 2. It’s going as far as promising that there won’t be supply issues and even delaying Nintendo Switch 2 to at least April or May 2025.
Sony could do the same thing by delaying the PS5 Pro in 2025, but with falling PS5 console sales, it needs a PlayStation 5 Pro to excite gamers who want the next best thing right now.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is coming to PS5 on October 25, 2025, and its continued presence on PlayStation consoles is a win, but it’s a better value on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. So, the next big system seller won’t happen until late 2025 with the GTA 6 release date. Sony needs a hardware super seller a lot sooner, and starting PS5 pre-orders next month makes a lot of sense.
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