Playstation 5 Console Discussion

[Happenstance]

Just now, killthenet said:

The difference in fidelity and fluidity was definitely noticeable, even watching the presentation on my phone, but £700 without a disc drive is a hard sell considering most of the target audience for this will likely be physical collectors. 

Would be very surprised if this gets anywhere near the ratio that PS4 Pro had versus the base PS4. 

I'd actually be interested to see physical vs digital purchases these days as I would think physical would be pretty low in comparison. I think its only really a few NE folks left 😜

[Julius]

A list of games shown during the event confirmed to have PS5 Pro enhancements on the way, with obviously more to come. 

 

20 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

And if it keeps going like that they can keep 'em.

This push for more powerful hardware is just ridiculous. Developers aren't even getting the best out of what they already have. Not to mention studios are getting shut left and right because it's become so expensive to create a game now due to these high end machines. 

Again, I guess I'm just getting too old for this hobby...I just don't get it anymore.

Yeah, I know this can be an expensive hobby at times, but this price jump is very dramatic.

I guess we aren't the target demographic for this if we think it's too much, but as far as I'm concerned, is it just targeting the silly and ego-hungry at this point? Because it certainly feels like it. I don't know, maybe we get some glorious game by the end of the gen to try and justify this (GTA VI, probably), but won't it just be boosted on PS6 anyways? 

I mean, just to throw it out there: for the price of a PS5 Pro (£699) + Disc Drive (£99), you could buy a base PS5 with a disc drive (£479) AND BUY YOUR WAY INTO A WHOLE OTHER PLATFORM, such as with the Series S (£249) or Switch (£259), heck you can even have the Switch OLED (£309). Which is just mental. 

The only way I'd be ever consider paying something like this for a Pro console would be if I actually worked in the industry, otherwise I do think there's just a bit too much money for some people to throw around? 

I'm also really curious what this means for the price of PS6 at launch. It feels like it's being set up for a "$599" PS3 price reveal at this point (not saying that's how much it'll be, just the vibes around it) – I mean I'm getting that from the PS5 Pro announcement too but at least it's not the entry level console. 

14 minutes ago, killthenet said:

Would be very surprised if this gets anywhere near the ratio that PS4 Pro had versus the base PS4. 

On the topic of this, I was reading some stats from Piscatella over on Bluesky earlier today which I think are worth sharing. 

Quote

PS4 Pro fun facts... in the US, PS4 Pro accounted for 13% of total lifetime PS4 units, and about 15% of dollars. Total PS4 unit volume trend did not change significantly when PS4 Pro released, but average price went up. Succeeded at driving incremental sales to the super enthusiast (not mass) base.

[...]

Assuming similar trend for a PS5 Pro, but of course price is TBD and will be a factor. 

And if Knack 3 is a thing. (Okay, maybe not that bit).

Source: Circana Retail Tracking Service. 

The thing is, I still think when all is said and done, this thing is going to sell, as will the base PS5, purely because of GTA VI. I think you don't even change the price and it sells those consoles, but a potential bundle or promotional price cut? It'll do gangbusters. 

Curious if Xbox responds to this with new hardware of their own in the next 12 months or so, or if they're going to really let PlayStation say "GTA VI will play best on PS5 Pro"

Edited September 10 by Julius

[Julius]

CNET went hands-on with the Pro:

 

[drahkon]

Man, those Nex Machina feats are a little tedious. Still got over 40 to go...

[Eddage]

$699 is less than £550, getting absolutely shafted over here!

[Happenstance]

I do like the design of the Pro

[Eddage]

I am still tempted, I told a friend I was gonna get one and then I’d sell my PS5 to them since they’re still on the 4!

But at £700 it is seriously pushing it!

[Hero-of-Time]

34 minutes ago, drahkon said:

Man, those Nex Machina feats are a little tedious. Still got over 40 to go...

I believe in you.

[Happenstance]

I don't 

[Hero-of-Time]

Prove him wrong, drahkon. Prove him wrong!!

[Jonnas]

This 700$ monstrosity becomes 800€ in Europe??? That's not how that works! That's not how any of this fucking works!

Taking into account the state of the industry and the economy, the mere thought of launching like this is absurd. The disparity in prices between regions is an extra disgusting cherry on top.

Oh, and the fact that it doesn't even stand like in its own reveal without paying extra. Fuck everything about this.

I was planning to ignore the PS5 Pro (more accurately, I wasn't planning to feel anything but indifference towards it), but this has now officially crossed my personal threshold of "I hope this product fails". Geez.

[Hero-of-Time]

 

[Dcubed]

13 hours ago, Dcubed said:

As far as the PS5 Pro goes? I think that Sony know that they will be primarily targetting enthusiasts who would otherwise be looking to buy PCs and GPUs at enormously inflated prices with this console; so I think it'll be priced accordingly.  I'm betting on $699.99/€699.99 myself (as an added bonus, it also avoids the dreaded "meme price" of $599.99 too).

So… err… do I win my bet?

I mean, I wasn’t wrong when I said it’d be $699.99!

[Nicktendo]

Remember that the UK / EU price also includes ~20% VAT, and the US price is without it. The disparity is still quite large, but it's mostly down to this. 

Absolutely hilarious that they are asking this much, and as has already been pointed out, you may as well go PC at that point. 

And as has also already been pointed out, developers aren't even using the power they have available properly this gen. Giving them more is not the answer.

You could argue that this is a "niche" product for the ultra-hardcore, but I don't even think that audience is a big enough market to really make this a viable product. I guess we will see.

The differences highlighted in the trailer were negligible at best, especially when many games already don't run at a consistent 60 with ultra stable resolutions in performance mode on both the PS5 and XSX without some form of compromise (ugly upscaling or dynamic resolution). I think the story will be the same on Pro, especially when it comes to 3rd party devs. 

I see far more negatives with this machine than positives (particularly the lack of a disk drive), but then I'm not a Sony gamer. 

 

[Hero-of-Time]

1 minute ago, Nicktendo said:

I see far more negatives with this machine than positives (particularly the lack of a disk drive), but then I'm not a Sony gamer. 

 

To be fair, looking around various sites, there are very few Sony gamers who are happy with what's been shown.

[Dcubed]

24 minutes ago, Nicktendo said:

Remember that the UK / EU price also includes ~20% VAT, and the US price is without it. The disparity is still quite large, but it's mostly down to this.

Even accounting for 20% VAT, the EU price is still €40 more expensive than the US price for no good reason.  No, we’re just getting fleeced (or rather, even more fleeced than the US are; because let’s face it, everyone’s getting ripped off here).

24 minutes ago, Nicktendo said:

Absolutely hilarious that they are asking this much, and as has already been pointed out, you may as well go PC at that point. 

Totally agreed.  You might as well pay the same price for the PS5 Pro as you would for a high-end PC GPU and get better performance for your money if you’re paying this much for the console.

To put things into perspective, the PS5 Pro is actually more expensive than the bloody NeoGeo AVS’ original RRP ($649.99); a literal arcade machine in your home.  Making it the most expensive console of all time by a mile.

But you know what’s even worse? The Japanese price.  You think we’ve got it bad!? Holy shit! 

Doing a quick conversion at today’s JPY to USD exchange rate? The PS5 Pro is retailing there for a ridiculous $843.46!!! There is just no justifiable reason for this utter flogging of the Japanese audience.  This thing is gonna sell negative hardware numbers there!!

Edited September 10 by Dcubed

[Hero-of-Time]

Yeah, the PS5 is already struggling in Japan and this is just going to worsen the situation. 

If the Switch 2 launches at £350-£400, you are gonna be able to get two of those for one PS5 Pro and that will be an actual new device.

[Julius]

5 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

If the Switch 2 launches at £350-£400, you are gonna be able to get two of those for one PS5 Pro and that will be an actual new device.

Ah yes, but you forget, the Switch 2 won't have Naughty Dog remastering the remake of a game which had already previously been remastered!  

[Hero-of-Time]

6 minutes ago, Julius said:

Ah yes, but you forget, the Switch 2 won't have Naughty Dog remastering the remake of a game which had already previously been remastered!  

Indeed. We'll just get another version of Donkey Kong Country Returns.

[Will]

Don’t think I’ve ever been less enthused by a console update. What this thing does is great and all, it’s just not enough to warrant any sort of purchase. I can see why some people would want it but ultimately I agree that market will be very small.

The PC point is an interesting one, if the next gen of consoles are anywhere near this sort of pricing it will certainly push me to move towards PC.

[Dcubed]

Finally had a chance to read the official blogpost.  Seems like the console specs match the leak perfectly.  Very disappointing.

A mere 45% extra GPU performance, no CPU upgrade, and no additional RAM for around 180% of the price of a 4 year old console? (Actually +194% of the Digital Edition’s original UK RRP). How is that worth the money!?

Starting to wonder why they even bothered.  You’re far better off just buying/upgrading a PC at these silly prices.

Edited September 10 by Dcubed

[Ashley]

1 hour ago, Dcubed said:

Even accounting for 20% VAT, the EU price is still €40 more expensive than the US price for no good reason.  No, we’re just getting fleeced (or rather, even more fleeced than the US are; because let’s face it, everyone’s getting ripped off here).

Totally agreed.  You might as well pay the same price for the PS5 Pro as you would for a high-end PC GPU and get better performance for your money if you’re paying this much for the console.

To put things into perspective, the PS5 Pro is actually more expensive than the bloody NeoGeo AVS’ original RRP ($649.99); a literal arcade machine in your home.  Making it the most expensive console of all time by a mile.

But you know what’s even worse? The Japanese price.  You think we’ve got it bad!? Holy shit! 

Doing a quick conversion at today’s JPY to USD exchange rate? The PS5 Pro is retailing there for a ridiculous $843.46!!! There is just no justifiable reason for this utter flogging of the Japanese audience.  This thing is gonna sell negative hardware numbers there!!

I wonder how much of that is down to the weak yen (in the sense of "I wonder what the price would have been had it not been for the weak yen"). 

Although it did remind me when the Pixel Tablet launched it was £100 more in the UK than the USA even when you factored in tax. Put me off getting one. 

1 hour ago, Julius said:

Ah yes, but you forget, the Switch 2 won't have Naughty Dog remastering the remake of a game which had already previously been remastered!  

 

1 hour ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Indeed. We'll just get another version of Donkey Kong Country Returns.

And MK8DX2

[Hero-of-Time]

9 minutes ago, Ashley said:

And MK8DX2

 

[Ashley]

Just seen an image comparison between the Pro and OG and immediately thought of this: 

 

[Eddage]

Whilst this is defo extremely expensive everyone saying you might as well get a PC is seriously exaggerating things. 

A decent GPU will cost nearly as much as this console and it’s not like you can just plug a GPU into a monitor 😂 Once you factor in a case, motherboard, CPU, RAM, PSU, storage, etc then you’re not far off spending double for similar performance. One thing that people also forget is you get a very high quality controller as well which you’d have to add to your PC build price.

Yes, you may already have a PC, so could just get a new GPU, but then you have to consider if you’re going to bottlenecked by your current CPU, etc.

Linus Tech Tips did a good video about this for the current PS5. Had to buy second hand components and then the results more or less just matched the PS5 performance...

 

Edited September 10 by Eddage