Why is PS5 Pro so expensive?
Why is PS5 Pro so expensive?
Sony's PlayStation 5 Pro is more expensive than people thought, but we shouldn't be surprised
💰 Sony’s PS5 Pro isn’t cheap at $699.99 and is the most expensive console Sony has ever made
📆 PS5 Pro pre-orders begin on September 26
😲 Many were expecting the console to be $599.99 at most
🤦♂️ The PS5 Pro also ditches the disc drive and a vertical stand is sold separately
The price of the PS5 Pro has left many gamers in a state of shock. At $699.99, the PlayStation 5 Pro is the most expensive console Sony has ever released, surpassing even the infamous PS3 reveal in 2005. But why is PS5 Pro so expensive?
The PlayStation 5 generation has been an anomaly in many ways. First, it was almost impossible to find Sony’s new console with it launched, with thousands turning to our PS5 restock page in the hopes of snagging the latest PlayStation. It led to a feeling that the generation took longer to get going, with many picking up the console far later than usual.
Once supply eventually returned to normal and demand eased, something unprecedented happened: Sony raised the price of the PS5 outside of the US and didn’t release a permanent price cut when it introduced the PlayStation 5 Slim a year later. The PS5 Slim Digital Edition even went up in price.
To make matters worse, gamers were also inflicted with a steep price increase on Sony’s PlayStation Plus subscription service, and more recently, the PS5’s DualSense controllers have also gone up by $5.
Strangely, the only part of the PS5 ecosystem that has come down in price is the best PS5 SSDs you can buy off the shelf to expand the console’s storage, something which is out of Sony’s control. Funny that.
Prohibitively expensive
It makes the introduction of a $699.99 console – one that objectively offers little over what consumers already have unless you scrutinize every pixel – a difficult pill to swallow. Historically, we should be enjoying discounts and price-saving measures this far into a console generation. But that hasn’t been the case.
The PS5 Pro was always going to be more expensive than the standard PS5 owing to the increased power it offers. Many estimates predicted the console would be $599.99, similar to how the PS4 Pro was $100 more than the original PS4. However, with no competition from Microsoft, Sony has deemed $699.99 a fair price point.
What has irked many, though, is that the PS5 Pro also ditches the disc drive. We’re used to digital-only consoles being cheaper, but that isn’t the case with PlayStation 5 Pro. You can purchase a disc drive separately and attach it thanks to the console’s modular design, but that’s another $79.99 you’ll need to pay.
If you were to purchase what many would have previously felt were the bare essentials and were included as standard with the original PS5, you’re looking at a total bill of $809.97.
And then there’s the stand. Sony changed the PlayStation 5’s stand with the introduction of the PS5 Slim, opting for cheap plastic pegs that let you position the console horizontally but not vertically. If you’d like to stand your PS5 Pro up, like in all the promotional shots, be prepared to part ways with another $29.99.
In total, then, if you were to purchase what many would have previously felt were the bare essentials and were included as standard with the original PS5, you’re looking at a total bill of $809.97. Throw in a game and a year’s membership to PS Plus Essential to play online, and you’re suddenly spending just under $1,000.
Is PS5 Pro worth it?
Like anything in life, the value of something is entirely down to you. If you think the PS5 Pro is worth it, that’s you’re prerogative. The PlayStation 5 Pro was always going to appeal to a small subset of gamers, too, though I’d argue even the niche Sony was targeting may think twice because of the console’s price.
The technical presentation Sony held didn’t do enough to deliver the benefits of the PlayStation 5 Pro, either, relying on side-by-side comparisons that showed little improvement. Sure, objects in the distance looked ever so slightly sharper, and not having to compromise between performance or fidelity modes will appeal to some.
The impact of seeing The Last of Us 2 Remastered, a game that already looked fantastic on PS4, benefiting from the PS5 Pro in the most miniscule of ways didn’t help Sony’s case.
But it was only after the presentation that we learned the PS5 Pro was even capable of 8K resolution. At least that’s a genuine selling point to those with 8K displays, even if that is a tiny proportion of the TV market.
The impact of seeing The Last of Us 2 Remastered, a game that already looked fantastic on PS4, benefiting from the PS5 Pro in the most miniscule of ways didn’t help Sony’s case, and it also reminded many of what we’ve come to hate this generation: seeing the same games with slightly better graphics over and over again. How about giving us something new?
Days of Pay
Ultimately, the PS5 Pro is expensive. There’s no doubt about that. Sony has struggled to bring down manufacturing costs this generation, and external factors like inflation and the pandemic haven’t helped. But the PlayStation 5 Pro feels like its crossed the line of what’s acceptable. We’ve already reached the level of diminishing returns for graphics and performance – something that this generation has been unable to shake – and those who want the very best experience will have built a gaming PC long before now. Do we really need a $700 console when the $500 one still hasn’t met people’s expectations?
It feels like Sony has lost sight of what console gaming is supposed to be.
I argued that the PS5 Pro doesn’t make sense right now, and I still feel like that’s the case. There’s a growing frustration among console gamers that this generation has been great at asking people to cough up more money but has done little to deliver truly next-gen experiences that you couldn’t find anywhere else.
It feels like Sony has lost sight of what console gaming is supposed to be. It’s never been the bastion of cutting-edge technology; it’s been an affordable, high-value proposition where unique games can be found, and where your investment only grows as the generation progresses. Now, Sony is embroiled in a battle to outdo PCs, a war it will never win and one that console gamers never signed up for.
Up next: PS5 vs PS5 Pro: how does the standard PlayStation 5 compare?
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.
I’ve had the PS4, PS4 Pro, PS5 and was excited about the PS 5 Pro But lost all excitement after finding out all the details. I’m hoping in the future developers can make games that will take full advantage of the PS5 Pro capability But it doesn’t seem like a Day 1 must buy anymore