twintail said:
Different times. I think you know the answers to these questions. Better economic situation during PS4Pro. First time Sony doing a mid-gen refresh like this. Digital gaming is bigger piece of the pie now. |
The economy and inflation were much better during PS4, but that doesn't really explain fully why the PS5 price has to remain steady 4 years in, and why PS5 Pro has to be so much more than PS5 Slim.
Another reason, which I think you may be suggesting, is that SNY thinks they didn't make the best of the PS4 Pro since it was their first go at it, and should've made different choices. Though that would seem to mean that PS4 Pro should've been more expensive, whether or not that meant even better performing hardware.
Higher PS4 Pro pricing would likely have led to lower overall units sold. Hard to say how much less since some buyers probably would've just remained on PS4 Slim or would've chosen a PS4 Slim due to lower price, but some new gamers, or gamers transitioning from PC or XB etc, might not have with higher Pro pricing.
This is the kind of thing that may have made SNY more money in the end possibly, but would mean a smaller audience to profit from. That's not necessarily a good thing for those gamers depending on how those profits are eventually spent, not to mention gamers who would like to join the PS ecosystem. PS4 Slim didn't get very cheap after all this time and PS5 (Slim) isn't either.
As for digital, it's certainly a growing market, but are most of those gamers casuals or hardcore enthusiasts? If PS5 Pro is for the hardcore, then it should cater to them shouldn't it?
