Man, am I getting old: It's hard to believe I have been gaming on PlayStation consoles for almost 30 years. I've owned multiple versions of each generation and still have at least one of each gathering dust in my closet. To celebrate the three-decade milestone, Sony is going retro.
And... it's gone – Update (Sept 26): As expected, Sony's PlayStation 5 Pro Anniversary Edition sold out fast. Pre-orders for the collector's bundle opened this morning with a $1,000 price tag, and all 12,300 units were claimed within seconds. Scalpers are already offering them on eBay for ridiculous asking prices.
Of course, this was not necessarily because the pricey console was in high demand. Like the standard PS5 launch on November 12, 2020, scalper bots likely grabbed most of these boxes. Back then, Sony Direct was about the best chance of getting a console since you had to log in to your PSN account to place an order. Unfortunately, it rarely sold them there, preferring to give allotments to retailers due to supply shortages.
The scalpers have worked on their bots for four years and have surely figured out how to circumvent Sony's sign-in requirement. That's the only logical explanation for them selling that fast. Even if 12,300 were already waiting for them to go on sale, adding to your cart and checking out would take a human more than just a few seconds.
Those anxiously waiting to place a pre-order for a PlayStation 5 Pro might want to hold on a second. Sony just announced that it is releasing a 30th-anniversary edition that harkens back to the days of PlayStation yore. The deck comes in classic PlayStation gray and sports the old multicolor PS logo. Each unit also has its limited edition number etched into it. Of course, a matching two-tone gray DuelSense Edge controller compliments the package.
The bundle comes with a 2TB SSD, WiFi 7, a DualSense charging station, and a cover for the disc drive compartment--disc drives are sold separately (above). It also comes with a few other non-essential but cool collector items, including an original PlayStation controller-style cable connector housing, cable ties, a PS Sticker, a poster, and a PS paperclip (below).
Sony didn't reveal a price on the classically themed bundle, but expect to pay more than $700 because that's what the standard PS5 Pro will retail at--assuming you can even get one. Sony will only make 12,300 retro PS5 Pros, which will undoubtedly go very fast.
If you aren't in the market for a PS5 Pro but are looking for a standard model, Sony has you covered with the 30th Anniversary PlayStation 5 Digital Edition. It sports a 1TB SSD, a matching DualSense controller (not the Edge), and the same swag as the Pro model. The blog post did not mention a limited supply of these collector units, so it might be easier to get them.
Finally, to be all-inclusive, Sony will release a retro-themed PlayStation Portal, DualSense, and DualSense Edge controllers. Again, these items have no prices yet, but they should be reasonable.
Fans can pre-order the PlayStation 5 Pro, Portal, and DualSense Edge limited editions through PlayStation Direct beginning September 26. Sony has 26 retail partners that will stock those items in regions where PS Direct is unavailable.
Pre-orders for the retro PS5 Digital Edition and DualSense controller (not Edge) also open on the 26th through PlayStation Direct. If you must order from a retailer, reservations won't start until October 10 for the PS5 Digital. However, controller pre-orders through retailers are still on September 26.
Those ordering from a regular retailer might consider dusting off any tricks they used for procurement during the 2020 PS5 Covid launch just in case because scalpers will snatch these up fast. Regardless of venue or SKU, all orders will ship on November 21. Happy hunting.
Sony's throwback PS5 Pro limited edition takes us back to the 90s (Update: and it's gone...)
