A hot potato: A month after its release, the PlayStation 5 Pro is proving popular among gamers worldwide. This mid-generation upgrade to the original PS5 lacks a Blu-ray disc drive, doesn’t include a vertical stand, and comes with a hefty $700 price tag. Despite these omissions, console enthusiasts seem eager to spend nearly a grand to enjoy enhanced ray tracing effects and improved performance.
According to Circana (previously The NPD Group) analyst Mat Piscatella, PlayStation 5 Pro sales are off to a promising start. The much-debated hardware upgrade launched on November 7, 2024, with a price tag of $699. In the US alone, the PS5 Pro accounted for 19 percent of total PlayStation 5 units sold in November and contributed to 28% of the month’s PlayStation 5 revenue.
Piscatella noted that the PS5 Pro’s launch-month revenue was more than 50 percent higher than that of the PlayStation 4 Pro, although unit sales were 12% percent lower. The PS4 Pro debuted in November 2016 under very different market conditions and geopolitical challenges.
Early sales figures suggest a comparable level of interest among gamers upgrading from the base PS5 to the PS5 Pro as those who considered upgrading to the PS4 Pro during its lifecycle. Regional performance further underscores the PS5 Pro’s appeal: in the UK, the console made up 26 percent of all console sales in November, while in Japan, it accounted for an impressive 63 percent of all PS5 sales.
The PS5 Pro’s price tag is significantly higher than the PS4 Pro’s ($400, inflation aside). According to Rolling Stone, the PS5 Pro’s introduction was met with an “overwhelmingly negative” response due to the console’s perceived limitations and the modest increase in graphics performance.
Despite this, early sales suggest that many gamers are still willing to invest heavily in the latest and greatest gaming hardware. Sony president Hiroki Totoki recently stated that the PS5 Pro’s pricing strategy has not negatively impacted sales, as the console is intentionally aimed at “hardcore” users.
While PS5 Pro sales are off to a strong start, it is still too early to draw definitive conclusions about its long-term success. Even the Wii U initially saw strong sales before it became one of Nintendo’s biggest flops.
