Sony announced the PS5 Pro earlier this month. For better or worse, everyone was talking about it. Although games do run better on the new model, there are major caveats regarding this mid-generation upgrade. From the eye-watering price tag of $700, to no disc drive included, people are wondering who this console is actually for.
Even to those who don’t own a PS5 yet, coughing up nearly $800 after sales tax is absurd. Is it justified to charging this much or is this thing overpriced? Should mid-generation console upgrades continue to exist?
The PS5 Pro’s Many Problems
The new shiny PlayStation has been met with multiple criticisms from the community. For one, the price tag is an immediate eyesore. $200 more than the base/slim model for a whopping $700. Instead of choosing between performance mode or fidelity mode, the new console will automatically do both simultaneously.
There’s no denying that the games shown during the Technical Presentation did marginally look better. However, it was in areas that players are likely not looking at or paying attention to while in the action. Sure, The Last of Us Part II and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 looked amazing on the Pro console but environmental enhancement isn’t a console seller.
The PS5 Pro’s price is not justified based on what the console can do. If anything, what the Pro model can achieve should have been the launch PS5 specs. Native 4K resolution with 60 frames per second, not choosing between performance or fidelity.
Second, this new ‘upgraded’ model does not include a disc drive. Similar to PS5 slim owners, if they wish to have a disc drive, it must be purchased separately for $80. So, not only is the PlayStation 5 Pro overpriced at $700 but players have to pay an additional cost to play physical media. It’s now closer to $900 after sales tax for the PS5 Pro and a disc drive.
Sony asking for this much money in regards to this mid-generation is ridiculous. Any PS5 owner looking to upgrade has still shell out a couple hundred dollars for the Pro after trading it in or selling their old model. In addition, if you wish to keep the disc drive to play physical games or blu-ray/4K discs, that’s extra.
Who is the Target Audience for This Console?
With how expensive the new console is, it begs the question of who this product is for? Whether you own a PS5 already or not, it’s not going to be cheap.
You might have heard of the argument for the console being made for GTA 6 players. While it would not be surprising for Rockstar Games to take advantage of the new specs, can players truly justify spending that much money to play the next GTA?
If you’re taking into account the Pro console, a disc drive, and a copy of GTA 6, it’s closing in at $1,000 after sales tax. An insane price point no matter how you look at it. Even if you cut the disc drive out, it’s still closer to $1,000 than $500.
It’s mind boggling that the Japanese platform holder would even attempt to charge consumers $700 for a new mid-generation console. The inclusion of a disc drive would have at least softened the blow and possibly reduce the outrage online.
Will Mid-Generation Console Upgrades Stop?
The last generation of video games consoles fell victim to mid-generation upgrades from PlayStation and Xbox. Both consoles, the PS4 Pro and Xbox Scorpio/Xbox One X, aimed to improve performance across all games and provide 4K visuals.
While it is cool to see both companies try to stay up-to-date on the latest technology available, is it really worth it? Only three to four years later, players were given the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
There wasn’t too much outrage for these console refreshes because both did not cost more than the original models. But it still begs the question: why upgrade to another console just for it to become overshadowed by the next generation in less than five years?
History tends to repeat itself and with the PS5 Pro on the horizon, will this version become outdated in three to four years? No one knows yet but to be charging consumers $200 higher than the original PS5 is ridiculous.
There’s no excuse for the $700 price point and it will be interesting to see if sales reflect the outrage seen online. What do you think of the price point? Will you be upgrading on November 7? Let us know in the comments what you think!
