Sony's refusal to reveal the PS5 Pro 30th Anniversary bundle price means it's not for me and you

Sep. 25, 2024

They not like us

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Sony’s 30-year celebration kicks off tomorrow with a series of retro-inspired console and accessory releases, and we still don’t know how much the PS5 Pro bundle will cost. This package throws in the $699.99 / £699.99 console, a $200 / £200 DualSense Edge, charging dock, extra face plate, and a bunch of retro-themed cables - it’s not going to come cheap. However, we’ll likely only know the full price once thosePlayStation 30th Anniversary pre-ordersstart rolling in, and by then it will be far too late to make a considered purchase. With only 12,300PS5 Probundles up for grabs, things are going to move fast tomorrow - you’ll likely be faced with a $1,200+ price point and a five second window to place your order. That’s not a strategy aimed to capture the mass market.

At best, it’s elitist - at worst it’s downright predatory.

Yes, there are going to be people for whom a $1,200 pre-order is simply a drop in the ocean, like me and you buying a beer. And it would have been fine for Sony to create this bundle for those players, I’m in no way against premium products as long as they can back up their prices with value. The problem is there will be way more people who have fought to get to checkout only to be met with a substantial price tag and the pressure to go all the way with their precious loot.

This is the only way you can get your hands on the retro colorway of the PS5 Pro. Sony could have easily taken the DualSense Edge, extra cover, and charging station out of the box and pitched a friendlier 30th Anniversary price point. A cost that would still appeal to a smaller portion of its market, but that opened the door for more players to celebrate the brand they love in style. Piling in accessories to drive up the price is a move that borders on feeling anti-consumer. RegularPS5 Pro pre-orderswill be going live at the exact same time. Their $700 / £700 price tags are still incredibly expensive but that cost is going to feel a lot easier to swallow if you’ve been gawking at four-figure bundles all morning. Nice move, Sony.

So I’m a little bit salty that I’ve been priced out of the 30th Anniversary PS5 Pro bundle considering all the extras it throws in, but I didn’t expect to be handed it on a plate. After all, it’s just a colorway - having a PS One-themed console isn’t going to make your games run better, it’s a nice-to-have. My problem is the almost sinister feel of Sony’s pricing silence. Not everyone knows this is going to be an expensive bundle going in.

How many are going to get through to checkout and feel compelled to finish their purchase just for having fought through the competition, no matter the cost? Had the brand announced the price of its bundle ahead of time, things would be different. Not everyone keeps up with all the latest news and developments, there will be parents, grandparents and partners aiming to grab this bundle ahead of the holidays. It all feels a little bait and switch, like they’re keeping a piece of bad news from their fanbase, only to strike with it at the worst possible moment.

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Managing Editor of Hardware at GamesRadar+, I originally landed in hardware at our sister site TechRadar before moving over to GamesRadar. In between, I’ve written for Tom’s Guide, Wireframe, The Indie Game Website and That Video Game Blog, covering everything from the PS5 launch to the Apple Pencil. Now, i’m focused on Nintendo Switch, gaming laptops (and the keyboards, headsets and mice that come with them), PS5, and trying to find the perfect projector.

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