Regarding the controversial price of the PS5 Pro, Blizzard's former CEO says, 'The PS5 Pro is priced for people who are selling off their PS5s.'

The PlayStation 5 Pro (PS5 Pro) , announced by Sony on September 11, 2024, has been a hot topic due to its extremely high suggested retail price of 119,980 yen (including tax) in Japan and $699.99 in the United States. Regarding the price of the PS5 Pro, former CEO of Blizzard Entertainment, Mike Ibarra, stated his view that 'the price of the PS5 Pro is for people who are selling off their existing PS5s.'

Former Blizzard boss says the $700 PS5 Pro is really more like a $350 upgrade because it's aimed at people who can trade in their PS5s at 'places like GameStop' | GamesRadar+
https://www.gamesradar.com/platforms/ps5/former-blizzard-boss-says-the-dollar700-ps5-pro-is-really-more-like-a-dollar350-upgrade-because-its-aimed-at-people-who-can-trade-in-their-ps5s-at-places-like-gamestop/

Compared to the current version of the PS5, the PS5 Pro has a 67% increase in the number of GPU compute units, 28% faster GPU memory, and 45% faster game rendering speed. In addition, the ray tracing processing speed is 2 to 3 times faster, and it is also equipped with the AI-based resolution improvement function 'PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR)'. For detailed specifications, please read the following article.

'PlayStation 5 Pro' announced, priced at 119,980 yen, with 45% improved game rendering speed and support for 8K games and AI super resolution - GIGAZINE

While the PS5 Pro certainly has a significant performance improvement, its price of 119,980 yen (including tax) in Japan and $699.99 in the U.S. is controversial. At the time of writing, the suggested retail price of the PS5 is 79,980 yen (including tax) in Japan and $399.99 in the U.S.

Overseas users responded with comments such as, 'The price is too high considering it doesn't have a vertical stand or a disc drive,' and 'I guess they're aiming to sell it to super users who don't care about the selling price.'

How do overseas gamers react to the high performance and high price of the PS5 Pro, which costs about 120,000 yen? - GIGAZINE

Many people will feel that the price of the PS5 Pro is too high, but Ibarra , who served as CEO of Blizzard Entertainment until January 2024 , believes that the price of the PS5 Pro is based on the assumption that the PS5 will be sold.

'Let's look at this a little differently: Pro models and in-generation upgrades are about upgrading existing users,' Ibarra said in a post to X. 'Currently, existing PS5 owners can trade in their PS5 at a store like GameStop and get $350 in cash. If you apply that to the $699 price tag, the upgrade cost comes to $350. Still not cheap, but a much more acceptable price for some.'

Think of this a bit differently. Pro models, or any in-generation upgrade, is about existing users upgrading. So when teams evaluate the cost - they don't want to lose money on each console as that puts pressure on other parts of the business. And they think about how they can…

— Mike Ybarra (@Qwik) September 10, 2024

GamesRadar+, a gaming website, acknowledges that this opinion is technically correct, but points out that it ignores the fact that the stand and disc drive are sold separately. Also, if the buy-back price of the PS5 falls, the burden on users may increase.

It has also been reported that following the announcement of the PS5 Pro, the disc drive, which is sold separately, has sold out online.

PS5 Disc Drive Is Selling Out After PS5 Pro Announcement - Insider Gaming
https://insider-gaming.com/ps5-disc-drive-is-selling-out-after-ps5-pro-announcement/