September 11th 2024.
Is Sony out of their minds with the PS5 Pro? In a recent discussion on the Wednesday letters page, readers expressed confusion and disbelief over the price of the PS5 Pro. One reader even argued that the game God of War is not a Soulslike, adding to the overall confusion and frustration surrounding the new console.
To join in on the conversation, readers were encouraged to email their thoughts to the provided email address. The general consensus seemed to be that the PS5 Pro is prohibitively expensive. Many people, including myself, were unimpressed by the minor graphical improvements shown in comparison videos. The only difference I could notice was in the Ratchet & Clank gameplay, where the PS5 Pro version seemed slightly smoother due to more frames. Even in the supposedly improved graphical detail mode, I couldn't see a significant improvement.
And then came the price reveal... and I couldn't help but let out a loud snort of laughter. £700 for a console with such minimal upgrades, which are barely noticeable to the average gamer? I couldn't help but wonder if this was some kind of reverse psychology tactic by Sony to make the original PS5 seem like a better value. Perhaps they were hoping that people would think "well, I'll just save £200 and get the original model instead."
It's no surprise that GC's best explanation for the high price was that it was a ploy by Sony. One million space bucks couldn't even begin to cover the cost of the PS5 Pro with a disc drive. It makes one wonder, how much will the PlayStation 6 cost if this is the price for a minor upgrade?
It's clear that Sony's decision to charge such a high price for the PS5 Pro will result in low sales. But perhaps they are not concerned, as it gives them an excuse to increase the price of the next generation even more in three years' time. This is a huge disappointment for shareholders and a blow to the high-end console market.
The only company that seems to benefit from this situation is Nintendo. After such a disastrous reveal, the executives at Team Red must be laughing all the way to the bank.
I honestly don't understand what Sony was thinking. How do they expect people to pay such a high price for minimal upgrades? They had to zoom in and slow down the footage just to demonstrate the difference. And on top of that, there are no new games, and consumers have to pay extra for a disc drive and stand. Not to mention, the fancier version of the controller is not even included.
As someone who was considering buying a PS5, each decision made by Sony seems designed to deter me. I don't feel like I'm missing out on exclusive titles, as I already have an Xbox Series X and a Switch. Maybe the PlayStation 6 will be backwards compatible, and I can catch up on the games I missed by skipping the PS5, like Astro Bot and Spider-Man 2.
I can only hope that Nintendo announces the Switch 2 soon and brings some good news, as Sony and Microsoft seem to be fumbling their decisions.
I watched the PS5 Pro reveal, and I have to say, I didn't see much improvement. Maybe a slight difference, but nothing significant. What really made me swear out loud was the price. I've bought the PlayStation 4, PS4 Pro, and PS5, and I was considering buying the PS5 Pro as well. But after seeing the price, I changed my mind.
Is Sony on something? £700 for such a minor upgrade? They have no chance of selling many Pros at that price. I'll stick with my standard PS5. There's no reason for anyone to buy the Pro. There are no new games, and I'm not going to play old games just to say there's a difference. I'll be keeping my money this time.
The PS5 Pro reveal felt like a bad comedy. I had low expectations for the mid-gen upgrade, but even then, I can't shake the feeling that Sony is playing a joke on us. The first few minutes were dedicated to showing us how incredible games look on the base PS5. Then they revealed that 75% of players choose performance mode, while showing side-by-side comparisons where the difference is barely noticeable. And to top it off, they spent half the time showcasing how good old PS4 games look. How many times did The Last of Us Part 2 make an appearance?
It seems like Sony is putting the cart before the horse, pushing trivial tech ideas when there's no demand or meaningful application for them. Are developers really requesting this from the platform holder? I take that with a grain of salt. And even if it's true, why are platform holders being influenced so heavily by businesses that haven't learned from the past four years?
And then came the punchline... £700. If you're interested in paying that much for a console, and you weren't willing to pay for the base PS5, I have some extended warranties and volcano insurance to sell you, along with Prime soft drinks.
This is possibly the worst own goal Sony has scored this generation, and that's saying something, especially considering the past few weeks. I'll just leave you with one thought: one of the best-looking games I've played is still 2018's Red Dead Redemption 2, on a base PS4. And I wouldn't be surprised if Grand Theft Auto 6 is still locked at 30 frames per second on the PS5 Pro. I'll be laughing if that's the case.
In response to Whistler's comment about Sega's lack of celebration for the Dreamcast anniversary, they did release some merchandise on Limited Run Games. Unfortunately, the merchandise only features the American Dreamcast logo in orange, as the European one was copyrighted in blue. But even with the release of merchandise, it's a small effort compared to the console's 25th anniversary on 9/9/99.
The merchandise also raises the question of how much a PlayStation 6 will cost. At this outrageous price, Sony will not be selling many PS5 Pro consoles. But perhaps they are okay with that, as it gives them an excuse to increase the price of the next generation even more in three years' time.
It's clear that Sony's high price for the PS5 Pro has left many potential buyers unimpressed. Their decision seems to have backfired, with many people deciding to stick with the base PS5 or even consider purchasing a Switch 2 from Nintendo. It's a shame that Sony's own goal has caused such disappointment for fans and dealt a blow to the high-end console market.
Has Sony lost their minds with the PS5 Pro? This seems to be the question on everyone's mind, including readers of the Wednesday letters page. One reader even argues that God of War should not be considered a Soulslike game. If you want to join in on the discussion, you can email us at email.
The general consensus seems to be that the PS5 Pro is just too expensive. As always, our article does a great job of summing up the reactions of most people. Many of us were underwhelmed by the reveal, with little noticeable improvement in graphics from the comparison gameplay videos. The only time I noticed a slight difference was in the Ratchet & Clank section, but even then it wasn't anything major.
And then, of course, there was the price. £700 for a console with only minor graphical improvements? It's hard to justify that kind of expense, especially when the average gamer probably wouldn't even notice the difference. It almost feels like Sony is trying to use reverse psychology to make the regular PS5 seem like a better value. I can only assume this is their masterplan to convince people to save £200 and just stick with the original model.
But another reader points out that if the PS5 Pro with a disc drive costs £798.99, how much will the PlayStation 6 cost? It's a valid question, and it seems like Sony is setting a dangerous precedent for future console releases. And at such a high price, it's unlikely that they'll sell many of the Pro versions, which may be their plan all along in order to justify another price hike in the future.
It's hard to see what Sony was thinking with this reveal. Shareholders may be happy, but it seems like they've completely destroyed the high-end console market. The only winner in this situation seems to be Nintendo. Meanwhile, the PlayStation 6 seems like a distant dream, and it's hard to imagine anyone being excited for it after this catastrophic reveal.
One of the major issues with the PS5 Pro is that the improvements are so small that they had to zoom in to demonstrate them. And on top of that, there are no new games, you have to pay for a disc drive and a stand, and they're not even including the fancier controller. It's almost like Sony is trying to deter people from buying the console.
Despite owning an Xbox Series X and a Switch, I keep thinking about buying a PlayStation 5. But with each decision from Sony, it seems like they're making it harder and harder for me to justify the purchase. Maybe I'll just wait for the PlayStation 6, which will hopefully be backwards compatible so I can catch up on the games I missed out on, like Astro Bot and Spider-Man 2.
It's hard to see Nintendo announcing the Switch 2 and not feel a little bit of relief. While Sony and Microsoft are stumbling with their console releases, Nintendo seems to be thriving. And as for the PS5 Pro, I don't see any reason for anyone to buy it. I'll stick with my standard PlayStation 5 and keep my money this time.
The PS5 Pro reveal almost seems like a bad comedy. It's clear that there's very little demand for mid-gen upgrades, yet Sony is pushing them anyways. And their attempts to demonstrate the improvements fell flat when it was hard to tell the difference between performance modes. And spending half the time showing off old PlayStation 4 games? It's hard to understand the logic behind that decision.
And then, of course, there's the punchline: £700. It's a ridiculous price, and it's hard to imagine anyone being willing to pay that much for such minor improvements. It almost feels like Sony is trying to justify the price by comparing it to the cost of 10 modern AAA games. And for anyone who is actually interested in paying that much, I've got some extended warranties and volcano insurance to sell you.
At the end of the day, the PS5 Pro reveal seems like a huge own goal for Sony. And that's saying something, considering their recent missteps. I can't help but think back to 2018's Red Dead Redemption 2, one of the best-looking games I've ever played, running on a base PlayStation 4. It's hard to justify spending so much money on a console when there are already incredible games available on the current generation. And if Grand Theft Auto 6 only runs at 30 frames per second on the PS5 Pro, I'll be laughing even harder.
On a different note, a reader points out that while Sega may not have done much to celebrate the Dreamcast's 20th anniversary, they did release some merchandise on Limited Run Games. However, it seems that the merchandise only features the American Dreamcast logo in orange, as the European one was copyrighted. So even in this small gesture, it seems like European fans are being left out.
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