PS5 Pro selling faster than PS4 Pro – price had no ‘negative impact’ says Sony

It may cost a fortune but despite rumours that it’s not selling, the PS5 Pro is doing even better than Sony originally expected.

Given its existence was leaked well over a year ago, the PS5 Pro has been the subject of controversy for a very long time. The mid-generation upgrade costs a staggering £700, which stands as the most obvious proof that the console is not aimed at ordinary gamers, but only hardcore fans.

The PS4 Pro was exactly the same and barely accounted for more than 10% of all PlayStation 4 sales. The PS5 Pro isn’t expected to be any different, although Sony has revealed that it’s actually sold better than its predecessor, so far.

‘Hardcore users are the target of this hardware,’ said Sony president Hiroki Totoki. ‘In terms of the pricing many people made different comments on that, but pricing on PS5 Pro has not had a negative impact, I don’t think.’

Some fans have suggested that because the PS5 Pro is still easily available at retailers, and that scalpers have had to reduce their prices, it’s an indication that it has not sold well, but according to Sony this is not the case (it also ignores the fact that the PlayStation 5 shortages were primarily due to the pandemic, which is no longer a factor).

As quoted by Nikkei Asia, Totoki added: ‘I’m under the impression that the product is performing slightly stronger than the pre-orders of the PS4 Pro during the same period.’

Odd phrasing aside, this suggests that Sony is perfectly happy with the PS5 Pro, in terms of its positioning in the market and its sales so far.

Even if it is selling ‘slightly’ more than the PS4 Pro at the moment, it’s still only going to be a comparatively minor release for Sony, with no significant impact on either their bottom line or the PlayStation brand as a whole.

But that is what people have been just as upset about, as Sony continues to remain very distant from its fans, with few public announcements and a release schedule that is for more sparse now than at the start of the generation.

Spending money and resources on niche hardware such as PlayStation VR2, PlayStation Portal, and PS5 Pro, while at the same time announcing and releasing so few first party games, remains a very strange look for Sony and there’s still no real sign of them changing direction.

Recent comments suggest they have final realised that their obsession with live service game has not paid dividends but there’s still no indication so far of a major change in policy, with regards to either software or hardware.