Analyst suggests Sony PS5 Pro is a premium product for "highly engaged fans"

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When Mark Cerny unveiled the Sony PlayStation 5 Pro (PS5 Pro), gamers baulked at the mid-gen refresh's steep price tag of USD700 (~RM3034). Predictably, many took to the Internet to question the company's pricing of the console. However, an analyst believes it will still sell.

According to Wccftech, an analyst from MIDiA Research said the Sony PS5 Pro was for 'superfans' and that Sony could sell from 13 to 15 million units of the new model by the end of the generation. The analyst, Rhys Elliott, suggested that while the PS5 Pro won't really expand Sony's PlayStation fanbase, it will be something highly engaged fans would appreciate.

Elliot also pointed out that bridging the gap between graphics fidelity and performance is a good value proposition to such fans. It could also get Sony PS4 owners, who may have skipped the PS4 Pro and PS5 because they didn't consider those worthwhile upgrades, to finally upgrade to a PS5 Pro.

On the topic of pricing, let's compare the prices for some previous-generation PlayStation consoles. Below are the initial launch dates and prices in Malaysia:

  • PS4 - Launched on 15 November 2013 for RM1799
  • PS4 Slim - Launched on 15 September 2016 for RM1349
  • PS4 Pro - Launched on 10 November 2016 for RM1799
  • PS5 - Launched on 12 November 2020 for RM1869
  • PS5 Slim - Launched on 10 November 2023 for RM2069

We listed digital editions for the PS5 models above to keep the prices comparable to the new PS5 Pro, which doesn't have a disk version. As you can see, the PS5 Pro retails at a significantly higher price than its predecessors. Does a near 50% price increase really justify the upgrades provided? We'll let you be the judge.

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