PlayStation 5 Pro is selling well so far, despite the premium price tag

[Alfonso Maruccia]

A hot potato: A month after its release, the PlayStation 5 Pro is proving popular among gamers worldwide. This mid-generation upgrade to the original PS5 lacks a Blu-ray disc drive, doesn't include a vertical stand, and comes with a hefty $700 price tag. Despite these omissions, console enthusiasts seem eager to spend nearly a grand to enjoy enhanced ray tracing effects and improved performance.

According to Circana (previously The NPD Group) analyst Mat Piscatella, PlayStation 5 Pro sales are off to a promising start. The much-debated hardware upgrade launched on November 7, 2024, with a price tag of $699. In the US alone, the PS5 Pro accounted for 19 percent of total PlayStation 5 units sold in November and contributed to 28% of the month's PlayStation 5 revenue.

Piscatella noted that the PS5 Pro's launch-month revenue was more than 50 percent higher than that of the PlayStation 4 Pro, although unit sales were 12% percent lower. The PS4 Pro debuted in November 2016 under very different market conditions and geopolitical challenges.

Early sales figures suggest a comparable level of interest among gamers upgrading from the base PS5 to the PS5 Pro as those who considered upgrading to the PS4 Pro during its lifecycle. Regional performance further underscores the PS5 Pro's appeal: in the UK, the console made up 26 percent of all console sales in November, while in Japan, it accounted for an impressive 63 percent of all PS5 sales.

The PS5 Pro's price tag is significantly higher than the PS4 Pro's ($400, inflation aside). According to Rolling Stone, the PS5 Pro's introduction was met with an "overwhelmingly negative" response due to the console's perceived limitations and the modest increase in graphics performance.

Despite this, early sales suggest that many gamers are still willing to invest heavily in the latest and greatest gaming hardware. Sony president Hiroki Totoki recently stated that the PS5 Pro's pricing strategy has not negatively impacted sales, as the console is intentionally aimed at "hardcore" users.

While PS5 Pro sales are off to a strong start, it is still too early to draw definitive conclusions about its long-term success. Even the Wii U initially saw strong sales before it became one of Nintendo's biggest flops.

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PlayStation 5 Pro is selling well so far, despite the premium price tag

 

[NumberNine]

Well, at least their Prez admits that increasing the price was a strategy, implying they had other options.

 

[kiwigraeme]

Can't see sales staying high in coming months, if price remains high.
Those that want one, at this price get one
3 options:
Sony slow down production and keep it high priced

Sony drop the price later, to sell more units

Final what I think will happen Sony bundle Pro with other goodies and keep close to MSRP

Gone are the days of complete;ly subsidising consoles . Sony doesn't have to, at same time it needs people to have consoles , to entice developers and may money on games.

Why is Sony considering a handheld - Nintendo and Steam, phones/tablets are eating into the market , once people invested elsewhere , harder to get them back
Nintendo knows their market is different , make money on everything
Apparently many buy Switch and only buy a handful of games

Plus if AMD can be aggressive on next gen graphics cards - You get better than P5 Pro for a little bit money more

 

[Axeia]

So is it actually selling well or did the scalpers strike and sales came in as the scalpers have to drop the prices and their initial rush sales vaporize?
I suppose we'll see how the sales go over time.

 

[texasrattler]

Can't see sales staying high in coming months, if price remains high.
Those that want one, at this price get one
3 options:
Sony slow down production and keep it high priced

Sony drop the price later, to sell more units

Final what I think will happen Sony bundle Pro with other goodies and keep close to MSRP

Gone are the days of complete;ly subsidising consoles . Sony doesn't have to, at same time it needs people to have consoles , to entice developers and may money on games.

Why is Sony considering a handheld - Nintendo and Steam, phones/tablets are eating into the market , once people invested elsewhere , harder to get them back
Nintendo knows their market is different , make money on everything
Apparently many buy Switch and only buy a handful of games

Plus if AMD can be aggressive on next gen graphics cards - You get better than P5 Pro for a little bit money more

Games sell very well. They have like some of top games. Like Mario, Zelda, Pokémon n Sonic has become popular cause of the movies.
Some games rarely see a price drop n they still sell.
They system is geared heavily towards younger kids but plenty of adults buy them.

 

[godrilla]

This will help with the R and D cost now that AMD partnered with Sony to help them fight against Nvidia's Dominance.

https://videocardz.com/newz/sony-un...dware-in-collaboration-with-amd#disqus_thread

 

[gdavid65]

Amazing, despite a lot of whining, many people still bought one.. me included.

Sure it’s not “cheap”, but as someone who spends several thousand on their PC build every few years it’s not too bad. There a few things it does nicer than my Windows 11 PC, such as not shoving down some Microsoft crap down my throat when I don’t want it.

And for hardcore console gamers where this is their primary gaming device, they spent tens of hours on it a week, and they have money to spend, of course they’re going to upgrade.

This is their target market for the Pro. It’s not for those that think consoles suck, or think it’s too expensive

 

[Xenocea]

Amazing, despite a lot of whining, many people still bought one.. me included.

Sure it’s not “cheap”, but as someone who spends several thousand on their PC build every few years it’s not too bad. There a few things it does nicer than my Windows 11 PC, such as not shoving down some Microsoft crap down my throat when I don’t want it.

And for hardcore console gamers where this is their primary gaming device, they spent tens of hours on it a week, and they have money to spend, of course they’re going to upgrade.

This is their target market for the Pro. It’s not for those that think consoles suck, or think it’s too expensive

This man gets it.

 

[WhiteLeaff]

Predictable.
I bet that will be the PS6 price, the good thing is that it will have more margin for much greater advances.

 

[user478318]

I belive this is a lie. PS5 hasn't been selling well for some time now. People bought into a hype in the beginning, but they where pushed away when they realized how bad the system is, everything is paywalled. Guys buy Steam Deck or just play on PC stay away from Sony crap products.

 

[Burty117]

I belive this is a lie. PS5 hasn't been selling well for some time now. People bought into a hype in the beginning, but they where pushed away when they realized how bad the system is, everything is paywalled. Guys buy Steam Deck or just play on PC stay away from Sony crap products.

It outsold Xbox 3-to-1, getting close to 62 million units since launch. If even a small percentage of current PS5 owners wanted an upgrade, they still would have sold well.

 

[user478318]

It outsold Xbox 3-to-1, getting close to 62 million units since launch. If even a small percentage of current PS5 owners wanted an upgrade, they still would have sold well.

Yeah I'am really sorry about Xbox having a hard time, I own a Series X and it's a feature packed beast! Easily best of the three consoles. Only one packing a web browser and game pass is absolutely amazing, BC that they have is industry leading

 

[kiwigraeme]

Games sell very well. They have like some of top games. Like Mario, Zelda, Pokémon n Sonic has become popular cause of the movies.
Some games rarely see a price drop n they still sell.
They system is geared heavily towards younger kids but plenty of adults buy them.

No dispute there , my claim is many Switch owners buy under say 10 games, given say a $50 price , that is still a lot of money.
But the 6 maybe they own give a lot of game play and some like mario cart's are eternal

Where as people on PS buy a lot more
Given that, not so up on Nintendo Digital
I've just seem articles in past in referencing how many games owners buy

Kind of make sense as most families not hard core gamers , and all family members can play nearly every game. While Grandma will struggle to master controller on PS5 to play dark souls, multiple buttons, and 2 "sticks/rockers" ie you need much more muscle memory on PS for many games. Nintendo just pick up and play mostly

So what Nintendo would say , yes our games are expensive , but they are a lasting "investment",
Plus one thing if Switch user can buy game at release discount , play if quickly and sell for near the same on open market weeks later when no discounts in shops

 

[Starscream07]

I still have not got the PS5 yet so I will get this at some point.. before GTA6. Hopefully there's a bundle sometime in the future. Wonder what's gonna be the next big Sony game.

 

[bviktor]

Holding out till the first significant discount

 

[TheBizNiz]

I always felt the original PS5 was underpowered and didn't wow me in terms of graphical prowess. The Pro certainly does that, my enjoyment playing PS5 exclusive games has gone up tenfold.

 

[Bamda]

$700 now equals a grand? LOL