The PS5 Pro retails at $699.99, not includingthe separate $79.99 disc drive. So, for a fully-functioning console, you’re looking at spending nearly $780 (or just over $800 with the stand, which also isn’t included). That’s already a huge investment, but withPresident Trump’s tariffs, things could get even worse, asSony warns that the PS5 could see a similar price hike to the Xbox Series X, which rose by a staggering $100.
I was never going to buy a PS5 Pro.Kudos to those who did, but the idea of throwing out an already expensive console just to spend hundreds more dollars for a few extra frames and some minuscule resolution improvements baffles me. The PS5 Pro isn’t the point, though. What’s worrying about all of this price-gouging is what it means for the next console generation.
We’re on the cusp of the PS6, and looking at Sony’s history, it’ll likely be more expensive than the PS5 Pro (the PS4 Pro sold for $399.99, and the PS5 retailed at $499). If we assume that Sony follows Microsoft’s playbook, the PS5 Pro could rise to $799.99, or $900 including the disc drive and stand. That means, with the next-gen price hike on top, there is every chance that the PS6 launches at $1,000 (though maybe they’ll be nice and release a ‘cheap’ $900 digital version).
Generational Leaps Aren’t Big Enough To Justify The Upgrade Anymore
New consoles used to mark revolutionary leaps that would dramatically alter the medium forever. Sony remoulded what it meant to play games in 1997 with the PlayStation’s dual analogue sticks, a near-perfect controller design that persists three decades later. In 1998, Sega introduced dedicated online play with the Dreamcast, paving the way for PSN and Xbox Live. Then we had the enormous graphical leaps from the PS1 to PS2, jumping from fuzzy, low-poly silhouettes to detailed characters with gorgeous backgrounds.
Or going further back, the leap from pixels to polygons.
These enormous strides in graphical fidelity only continued to improve generation after generation, but we hit a wall with the PS4. Games of that era are still widely regarded as some of the best-looking in the medium, fromRed Dead Redemption 2toThe Last of Us Part 2, and the consoles themselves don’t feel that much different, especially with backwards compatibility and continued support for last-gen. Sure, we have real-time lighting technology now, but that’s hardly as impressive as the first steps into 3D.
Yet, while the generational leaps are dramatically shrinking, prices are dramatically increasing. Many point to the PS3 as a counterargument, which, considering inflation, cost $930, but that doesn’t take in the wider context of how little wages have increased, and how much the basics — like rent and food —have skyrocketed thanks to the pandemic and cost of living crisis, something that will only worsen with tariffs. Gaming is fast becoming an unaffordable luxury, but there’s no point in forking out for next-gen anyway.
As we saw with this generation, Sony will no doubt continue to support thelastgeneration, as many games will be cross-gen and run perfectly fine on old hardware. The only reason to upgrade will be the scant few exclusives, but they’re few and far between, and given thatMario Kart World (and possibly GTA 6) will cost $80, this makes them far easier to skip. I don’t know about you, but my backlog is looking mighty enticing right now.
A $1,000 console that most likely won’t justify its existence, given how little room is left to improve, with increasingly expensive games, just isn’t worth it. It used to be that next-gen was an exciting and bold vision of the medium’s future, pioneered by passionate console giants, but that spark was lost a long time ago. Now, you have to take out a mortgage just to enjoy a conveyor belt of pricey sequels and remasters. I’ll stick with the PS5, thanks.
