PS5 Pro Sold Out Nationwide After GTA 6 Trailer

[The_Liquid_Laser]

CosmicSex said:

The_Liquid_Laser said:

This really makes me hate GTA6.  Now Sony will think they can charge hardware prices like current ones even when component prices come down.

Having said that, this also confirms my #1 principle for gaming: "You can charge whatever you want for hardware as long as your games are good enough, but those games better be really damn good."  I bought a new $1000 PC in 1998 to play Ultima Online, because I couldn't get an experience like that anywhere else.  It does seem like there are a fair amount of gamers out there who will pay just about any amount just to play GTA6.

This does send the wrong message to Sony though.  I hate GTA6.

This is incorrect.  Sony would not be charging this much money if they costs weren't as high as they are.  It will always be in their best interest to keep hardware costs down as it helps promote uptake of games and services which are a lot more lucrative to them.  The more people you can get into the ecosystem... the more actual profit you can earn.  They would much prefer to be able to sell the PS5 for 399.  Especially now that there is a game that could move as many units as GTA. 

This sounds good on paper, but the reality is that once they see people buying overpriced hardware, they are going to continue overpricing hardware.

For most of gaming history price cuts on consoles were the norm, but after the Switch launched, both Nintendo and Sony stopped cutting the price of the Switch and PS4.  This all happened before AI drove up hardware costs.  Sony and Nintendo simply made high profit margins on PS4 and Switch hardware, when hardware margins were slim to none in previous generations.  Basically, they figured out they could get away with charging more for hardware, so they did.

Same type of thing is happening right now with the PS5.  Expect baseline prices for hardware to stay high even after the AI bubble bursts.  If the console manufacturers can make money on hardware, then they certainly will.