Topic: PS5 Pro's "eye watering, face melting, spine crushing price tag"

For years since I bought my Switch, I've been dreaming of one day getting a "next gen" console.

At first, the idea of getting a Series X to have access to Game Pass excited me.

Eventually I realized that the PS5 has the very best exclusives, and it became the better "one day..." pick for me.

But today...Sony announced the price of their new console. Guys, the price is NUTS! And then I learned that, that HUGE price? Doesn't include the price of an optional disc drive! And then I learned, that it also doesn't include the price of an optional stand!

All told, with taxes, in Canadian dollars, that comes to $1,250!

And that doesn't include any games! With taxes, "next gen" games will be $110 a piece!

So you might be saying: "So what? If the PS5 Pro doesn't seem worth it to you, then you don't need to buy it."

Right, but then what do you expect the price of the PS6 (expected in as little as 3 years) to be? At least as expensive. And what do you think Microsoft will do? They can't lose the arms race, so future Xboxes will be the same insane price point.

It is today that I decided...I'm Nintendo all the way. Their philosophy, of making systems for modest families is the clear winner today. I'm sure Nintendo headquarters had a fun night of sake and karaoke to celebrate. A lot of people are going to be steered to the Switch 2 now.

I no longer covet those next gen consoles. If Red Dead Redemption II, Grand Theft Auto V, Baldur's Gate III, Elden Ring etc., come to Switch 2? Then I'll happily buy them. If not? Then I guess I'll never play them. I'm at peace with that.

Make mine Mario.

I've been happily Nintendo exclusive for years now as my main interest tends to be in Japanese and indie games and I've preferred playing games in handheld mode than on a TV since the 3DS basically. I recently built a gaming PC though just because I had space for a desk in my room and enough money to spare for it so figured why not. Now between that and Nintendo's systems I feel pretty set to be able to play whatever I want. Microsoft and Sony's systems don't appeal to me in the slightest.

Utter insanity. Man, it seems like every week Sony reminds me why I'm glad I no longer invest in the Playstation ecosystem(games like Astrobot being the extremely rare exception).

It feels like we're barely entering a point where devs. are moving away from PS4 development consistently, and its already time for a console revision??!? I just can't understand this race for power, where it's less about just making games and more about framerate, graphics, realism etc.

I've been a Nintendo fan since the SNES days, but now more than ever, I appreciate what they do.

I probably don't have much to contribute here considering I'm pretty much done with Sony this generation. But yeah, the price is pretty mad. Especially here in the UK - to give Americans some perspective, adjusted for PPP the RRP of £700 is ~$1050.

I'm sure there's an audience for this, and it is nice to have options on the market. There will certainly be people willing to pay top dollar for the highest performance. But if we're at a point where advances in tech aren't reflected in lowering prices, and AAA developers are continually complaining about rising development costs and the astronomical number of sales they need just to break even...I really wonder how sustainable chasing graphical fidelity is at this point. Especially considering the diminishing returns we've been getting with each (semi-)generational leap.

@MontyCircus
Remember, there is the cheaper games by 3rd party developers, mostly the games for kids like Paw Patrol or Barbie or Ryan games, etc.
They will not cost more than $70 for each game.
Peoples mostly forgot this, the 3rd party games for kids.

@Buizel What makes me question this further is yes the graphical ceiling has been rammed into with the force of a moving train and Ray tracing isn't quite the hit it was expected to be given it's such an expensive thing to render, yet developers still clearly prioritise fidelity over performance on hardware that can't hit 4K too often, but could quite easily hit 60fps and above with some effort

But what we have are games trying to hit 4K as a priority with a performance mode slapped on at the end by dropping settings until the game cancelled at least try to hit 60fps.

And then Sony just admitted that 75% of users opt for performance mode so the PS5 Pro is so they can do both via what is effectively brute force?

Where is the optimisation? Working around your limitations? Going where the market, according to that 75% of users, wants us to go? It'll help keep the budgets down because you're being told no we don't need the high resolutions and all the fancy features just make the game run well.

But Sony won't change course. They cant. Their base has been told for nearly two decades now that what Sony offers is fidelity and high quality cinematic experiences that cost your vital organs and a small loan to even make if you're lucky. So they can't back out now.

Thank god Nintendo dropped out of the spec race. It means all the profits from a game aren't just to try and get the next cutting edge one from that same studio out, it can be used to fund other stuff.

And hell, this is the first generation where it was cheapest to buy the system at launch.

Looked up the Australian prices. $1200AU, $1360AU with the optical drive. Wow

I know I'm clearly not the target market for Sony's products but all I can think of looking at that price are all of the other things you can buy instead for that price. I could upgrade my PC (re-using my GPU) with a Ryzen 9700X, compatible motherboard, and 64GB DDR5 RAM kit for a nice work PC productivity boost. Or I could pick up a 27", 1440p, 240Hz, QD-OLED monitor. Or I could buy myself a new, decent, mid-range phone for ~$500AU and have money to spare for another mobile device of around that tier which may or may not be releasing around April-May next year.....

I think Nintendo will be in a good spot going into next year if this is the way that Sony is trying to bend the narrative

@skywake even if someone wants a “pre-built”, modern gaming that’s more “console-like”, is cheap (relatively) and is decently mid-range, steam deck has been great on my end. Ran most dont games with little to no problem (Some recommend specific builds of Proton, but I never enabled it with Rift Apart and it was fine). Though I’d probably recommend the OLED. (I have LCD). At least in Kuwait it’s fairly cheap, I don’t know about prices in Australia.

Though it might ultimately be wiser to buy something you can upgrade. Unless there’s a scene for upgrading steam deck parts.

It is expensive, but there have been expensive consoles before. What bothered me about the reveal was the way they've set it up so that they could gouge on accessories. The PS5 Pro is now their premium console. Having the drive and stand be separate accessories is the wrong way to sell their premium console. And I suspect there's quite a mark up on those items. The drive being optional should be for their lowest offering, not their highest. I immediately thought of Sony's strategy for the Vita, opting to heavily price gouge for their memory cards. It seems to be Sony's way, especially when they are coming off successes, in this case the PS4.

Personally, I like the idea of having a PC as a supplementary machine in this case. Of course, that depends on how comfortable the individual is with that. Gaming on PC is simpler than it used to be, but some people don't want to deal with that. But the reason it is a better option than ever is because even Sony is bringing some of their Playstation properties to PC. Microsoft has already been doing this. Clearly there's a trend towards PC if even Sony sees it.

@Haruki_NLI This is a good point. Tbh I'm certainly not the target audience for this machine - I go for Performance Mode every time - not just because I value 60 fps over graphical fidelity - but because, outside of a side-by-side comparison...I can't really tell the difference in graphical fidelity between the two modes. Performance Mode looks totally fine to me.

Take my perspective here with a pinch of salt (there's always someone saying the current graphical leap is unimportant / insignificant / that they "just can't see it"; and part of this could be due to my lower-range 4K TV) — but it really has me wondering how many people are aching to see Fidelity Mode in 60 fps?

Yeah, I have no intention of picking up a ps5 anytime soon. Frankly I'm grateful they've been continuing to support the ps4 for as long as they have. I picked up a used ps4 years ago now, and I've been enjoying it ever since. Big games like god of war ragnarok and Resident evil village and 4 remake have all released on both the ps4 and 5. Although that does seem to be stopping now. That being said, there isn't really anything exclusive to ps5/XBSX atm that's enticing enough for me to purchase one. Space Marine 2 looks cool, but that's about it. I've never been one to need the absolute bleeding edge of gaming hardware.

I can see what Sony is doing here, they are targeting the Sony enthusiasts with that price tag. There is no way a casual gamer or someone who wants a PS5 as a second console will pay for this it just doesn't make sense. I can see alot of people who own PS5 upgrading by trading in there current PS5, in soke form or another for a Pro which of course will bring down the price somewhat. But still. Even not owning a PS5 doesn't make me want a Pro if anything if I wanted a PS5 I'd go for the non Pro model.

So yeah bravo to them for targeting their main customers.

@Tasuki this is what I keep thinking. I’m shocked Sony not only reverted so hard to the 599 ps3 days but it’s like they’re in their final boss status of consumerism. Digital, no disc drive version, no stand bundled, pre-orders being changed last minute plus some games getting enhancements without 60fps. What a bizarro world.

All this does is incentivize me to save more money for a Steam Deck, because with Sony and Microsoft shooting themselves in the foot so much that it's not even funny anymore, it just seems that the best gaming setup nowadays is with a PC and a Nintendo.

@N00BiSH saving extra money for the OLED version would also be great (although LCD been serving me quite well so I can still recommend that)

@Yousef- it's the battery life that I'm more interested in. As the owner of a first edition Switch I'd like to enjoy the benefit of longer play time without worrying about charging every other hour

@N00BiSH yep battery is definitely a concern although dunno much about OLED’s battery so can’t comment there but if it’s good then good. A power bank might be a good idea but I haven’t bought one.
Sadly kuwait doesn’t have first party docks for steam deck and I don’t know a great third party dock one I have is really mediocre can’t recommend it but first party docks should be easier to find elsewhere (steam deck is just not really popular here compared to legion go since it’s Lenovo they’re always popular)

@NeonMullet I should really apologize for not making it extra clear I was talking about steam deck not switch but you are correct nonetheless

Steam Deck OLED's battery life honestly just stomps the original. Like everything else about it, Valve understates the improvements. They cite 30 - 50% more battery life. But, in practice, based on tests people are performing with games running at the same settings on both, you're often getting double or more the battery life with the OLED.

Really glad I waited for the improved model I figured would be coming.

@NeonMullet It was funny watching online dialogue about the SWOLED shift once people began to realize how much of a difference that new panel actually made.

@Ralizah goddamn I’m genuinely considering an OLED purchase based on this knowledge