Sony can't expect PS5 Pro to sell like the PS4 Pro

Sony's PS4 Pro actually did well sales-wise, but the newer PS5 Pro has one major roadblock: Price.

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The PS5 Pro is an expensive console. Sony is charging $700 for its new mid-gen PS5 Pro upgrade, a price tag that heavily stresses the once-wide gap between console gaming and enthusiast gaming. A $700 console feels like a tough proposition in 2024, especially when consumers are being impacted from rising costs and inflation.

Sony's other mid-gen system apparently did well. In a recent interview with Variety, PlayStation platform business CEO Hideaki Nishino said that the PlayStation 4 Pro had a 20% attach rate. It's hard to know exactly what this refers to--did the PS4 Pro sell 20% of total sales, or just launch sales? According to Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad, the PS4 Pro "accounted for less than 15% of total PS4 lifetime sales." That means the PS4 Pro sold less than 18 million consoles, and that was at a $400 price point, significantly less than the PS5 Pro's $700 price.

Read Also: Analysis: Why the Sony PlayStation 5 Pro console costs $700

"We have done [a] Pro in the last generation. We learned a lot from there. When we were selling PS4 Pro, in addition to the PS4, 20% of customers actually got the PS4 Pro. It was high end, it was premium tier," Nishino said.

"So there are potential users acquiring those kind of units. Interestingly enough, it was not just about highly engaged users; actually, new users comes to PlayStation to get PS4 Pro, as well."

Nishino also reiterates that Sony started working on the PS5 Pro even before the base model released.

"So we started working on PS5 Pro even before PS5 launches - it was another five-year project for us. So there was a conversation around whether we wanted to do another Pro or not.

"But the main thing was, there are technologies we can grow up in three years time or five years time. So the innovation and technology advancement is more quicker in a modern world. Phones are updating every year, PCs are updating every year. I don't think we'd go every year updates, but there are things we can package together to bring the greatest things into game console segment range. So that's the vision."