If the PS5 Pro (and sparkly Xbox Series X) price is the new normal, I'll be done with console gaming after more than 30 years

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I've owned consoles since the Sega Genesis, but if these prices are what we can expect from now on, this generation will be my last.

Image of Xbox Series X and Xbox Wireless Controller.
The Xbox Series X is pricey, but still OK. The PS5 Pro and 2TB Series X, however, are not. (Image credit: Matt Brown | Windows Central)

I love console gaming. I've been mainly playing on console since my parents bought my first Sega Mega Drive (or Genesis as you may know it) back in the early 1990s (yes, I'm dating myself there). As the years went by, the new consoles of the time were always the things I desired the most. When I started earning my own money, I branched out into having Xbox and PlayStation, as well as dabbling with others like the majestic Sega Dreamcast. 

Already, this generation has seen me slim down to a single console. I have owned a PS5, but it wasn't being used much, so I sold it. Despite an increase in the amount of PC gaming I do these days, especially with the Steam Deck, I'm a console guy at heart. I've owned every single iteration of the Xbox and PlayStation consoles to date. 

That looks like it's in serious jeopardy, though. The PS5 Pro just debuted at an eyewatering $700, without a disc drive and without even including the vertical stand. Absolutely outrageous. Xbox isn't sitting pretty here, either, with the special edition sparkle-clad 2TB version only undercutting this by $100, without any increase in the performance offered. 

If this is the new normal, after more than 30 years, this generation will be my last. 

I'm clearly not alone in an intense dislike of the price

Consoles are now dangerously close to the price of just getting a more generally useful PC.  (Image credit: Sony PlayStation)

I'm not going to start speculating or analyzing markets or earnings, but one thing I am fairly confident of is that Xbox has a better overall position. I'll touch on that shortly, but Microsoft has been building the Xbox ecosystem for a number of years to be more than just the box under your TV. 

I'm clearly not alone, though, in my shock and dismay at the price of the PS5 Pro. It was bad enough that Microsoft decided to jump the price to $600 for a 'new' Xbox Series X with a sparkly paint job and another 1TB of storage. This ain't it, chief. 

The reveal trailer has a crazy number of dislikes, and people are trashing the price literally everywhere you go on the internet. $700 is a lot, whatever you're buying, but let's not also forget this is a mid-cycle refresh. At some point, there will be a true next-generation release, and it wouldn't take much of a leap to imagine that when these drop, we'll be hovering around this price point. 

Consoles used to be a more affordable and much easier way to play games. The PS5 Pro is at a point where it's officially no longer true. Throw around 4K60 and as many buzzwords as you like, it's now in gaming PC territory. So, what's the point of having a console anymore? Especially since your $700 investment is for a fixed piece of hardware that will limit the performance you can get out of newer games in years to come. You may as well buy a PC and deal with a little frustration over drivers and settings and be better off in the long run. 

There's simply no need to spend megabucks on a console

With the advent of cloud gaming, literally anyone can play PC and console games now.  (Image credit: Windows Central)

The landscape of gaming is so different in 2024 compared to even four years ago when the current generation kicked off. Despite the loss of Google Stadia, cloud gaming continues to grow steadily, and the influx of gaming handhelds is opening up PC gaming to an ever wider audience. 

I feel like the overall landscape is beginning to shift more towards just enjoying games again versus an obsession with resolution and the absolute highest detail settings. The Steam Deck is a prime example of this. It's not even as powerful as the likes of the ROG Ally X, but it's affordable and has an enormous library of PC games to play. It gets back to what matters most: the games. 

With services like NVIDIA GeForce Now, a high-performance gaming PC is at the fingertips of anyone who owns basically any device with a web browser. With the top subscription tier, I can play Forza Horizon 5 on a better rig than my own desktop gaming PC with access to an RTX 4080. Xbox's own cloud does the same thing, and it's now like playing on an Xbox Series X without the need to buy one and be stuck to the same display in your house all the time. 

Or, you know, there is that gaming PC or laptop. Nowadays, you don't have to spend a fortune to have a great experience. Black Friday is coming up, and you can guarantee there will be one or two absolutely scorching deals. A PC is, by its very nature, more useful than a console. And if you absolutely have to play on your big fancy TV, it's not like you can't still do that, even if you might have to sacrifice some resolution. But seriously, 4K gaming isn't all that. It's just more pixels. A higher frame rate will still make a game feel better to play. 

Time to talk with our wallets

The Steam Deck is increasingly attractive in the modern gaming world.  (Image credit: Windows Central)

I am fortunate that I get to play with a lot of incredible hardware at work. But when it comes to what I own and buy with my own money, I think the time has come to seriously think with my wallet (and my head) rather than my heart. 

Microsoft already has a $600 console now, and Sony has one at $700. I already have to leave my Xbox Series X at home when I go anywhere, which is where the Steam Deck has really shown its value. But I need a PC to work from, and if I'm going to have to plow that kind of money into something that I can only play games on, it just doesn't make sense anymore. Microsoft and Sony are both bringing their first-party games to PC, so why not just go all-in and have the benefit of playing both on a single platform along with everything else available on Steam, Epic Games, EA, Ubisoft, and so on? 

Microsoft and Xbox will be fine; after all, Xbox is as much a PC platform now as it is a console. PlayStation, well, players voting with their wallets is the only thing that will force any form of change. Concord is living proof of that. We're at a critical moment now, and I'm all but convinced my own mind is made up. 

Richard Devine
Richard Devine
Managing Editor - Tech, Reviews

Richard Devine is a Managing Editor at Windows Central with over a decade of experience. A former Project Manager and long-term tech addict, he joined Mobile Nations in 2011 and has been found on Android Central and iMore as well as Windows Central. Currently, you'll find him steering the site's coverage of all manner of PC hardware and reviews. Find him on Mastodon at mstdn.social/@richdevine

5 Comments Comment from the forums
  • THOMASMISEVICH
    I hear that, you might as well tack on some more money and just buy a gaming PC. In the long run it's more satisfying.
    Reply
  • fatpunkslim
    the problem isn't even the PS5 pro price in fact, it's that it's simply not worth it, this price is not justified and without a reader and without a base. It's just a scam, don't look any further. They just want to line their pockets by brainwashing their fan base with a lot of lying marketing (propaganda?). The difference is marginal in games, and almost no third-party publisher is going to take the trouble to develop specifically for this mid-gen console which will sell very little. In terms of game catalog, it's probably the worst generation of PlayStation in terms of first party games, especially remakes, 1.5 sequels and a turn towards catastrophic service games like Concord (even Helldivers 2 which is a third party game I specify is out of breath).

    I really don't see what justifies staying with PlayStation, they go too far with their prices for no real added value in the end, 98% of the catalog is identical on Xbox and on PC we have everything. Paid updates, overpriced DLC and remake, PSVR2 a big flop that is no longer followed. Playstation doesn't care about players, for them we're just cash cows!

    Personally, I switched to Xbox and PC, and I'm very happy with it, it's a much healthier ecosystem, the rare PS exclusives arrive on PC anyway. No more need to be milked like this !
    Reply
  • negative1ne
    i own an xbox 360, and a friend gave me an xbox one.
    i have no need for xbox series c,s or x either.

    never owned a sony machine, ever. never saw the need for one,
    and not impressed with their machines.

    that said, sony is still crushing microsoft in console sales.

    it doesn't matter what price it is. so what if this the pro version,
    the ps4 pro sold too. as long as a small amount of people buy it,
    it will do fine.

    all the consoles are going digital only, so there's no real loss in the disk drive.

    i own a gaming pc, (with a nvidia 3090), but rarely ever game on it. to me its not much better than the console games (i don't play fps or anything that needs heavy duty graphics). its used more for rendering video and other programs like AI.

    --
    back to console prices, yes, they keep going up, but thats only normal.
    some people only want to play games without the hassle, so they won't switch to the pc.

    and also some want a machine to easily connect to their tvs. they dont' know how to hook up their pcs, and don't want all the wires and clutter.

    so just telling them to switch to a portable machine (which i would never do), or a pc isn't going to work.

    the ps5 pro will do fine, because there are people that want the marginal improvements anyways at any cost.

    as long as their are other console options and prices, people will still continue to buy consoles.
    Reply
  • fjtorres5591
    There are two different points to consider: price and value.
    Price has gone up this generation vs previous generations but we're also looking at 21.6% inflation since 2020.

    This means that a $499 purchase in 2020 is worth $606 in 2024.
    So the sparkly XS Is actually offering an extra terabyte of storage for the same (inflation adjusted) price as the launch edition and the 1TB launch edition at $499 in 2024 dollars is costing $410 in 2020 dollars.

    The same exercise on the Pro raises the question of whether the $800 Pro offers $200 more value than the launch PS5 with drive and stand at $499 (2020 dollars)/$599 (2024 dollars).

    Inflation matters and is not going away.

    So, like it or not, come 2026 the next XBOX may very well cost $599 at which point the real question will be what do you get for $599 in 2026 dollars.

    Just bear in mind that PC prices are also subject to inflation.
    Reply
  • Tim_The_Enchanter
    I'm done. I bought into the hype of this generation, and I'm massively disappointed and regret buying both XSX and PS5. The consoles themselves are fine, hardware-wise, it's the software catalog that's a complete joke. That Sony wants us to pay $700 for the Pro, with no optical drive, no stand, and nothing to play... I'm all set with consoles. Everything started going downhill in 2013. Xbox and 360 were fantastic consoles. PS1-PS2 are legendary. I may buy the next Nintendo console, but MS and Sony can gargle-blast my plum sack, and tongue-punch my starfish.
    Reply