After months of rumors we finally got our first look at the PlayStation 5 Pro. Shortly after, we had to pick up our eyeballs after they all popped out of our skulls when we found out that the Pro model will retail for a whopping $699.99 USD.
At $699.99, the PlayStation 5 Pro will be one of the most expensive home consoles ever released (it's even more expensive in Europe and Japan, retailing for around $880 and $850 respectively). And while PlayStation is boasting big upgrades to the GPU, ray-tracing, and AI, the jury’s out on whether those “three pillars,” as lead architect Mark Cerny calls them, justify the price.
It also got us thinking about how the PlayStation 5 Pro’s price compares to what other consoles cost at launch and, after a little digging, the numbers we found were certainly surprising. Below we've listed the launch price for every main PlayStation hardware release, plus we've adjusted them for inflation to draw a better comparison with the PS5 Pro's $700 price tag. We've also thrown in a handful of other major consoles, just to really see how things compare.
PS5 Pro Versus Other PlayStations
The PS5 Pro is the most expensive PlayStation console ever released by Sony. And that’s not even including the optional disc-drive and stand, which adds another $110 on top of the $700 retail price. Even compared to past Pro models, the PS5 Pro is an outlier.
When the PlayStation 4 was released in 2013, it retailed for $399 USD. Three years later, the PS4 Pro was released and cost… $399 USD. And while today $500 consoles are becoming normalized, the PS5 Pro’s $700 asking price is still head-spinning.
In fact, only one PlayStation console has the PS5 Pro beat in terms of price. Can you guess which one?
PlayStation 1
The very first PlayStation was released in 1995 and retailed for $299 USD. Adjusted for inflation, the PS1 would cost $613 USD in 2024. Pretty spicy considering the kind of consoles we can get for that much money nowadays, but the ’90s were certainly a different time.
PlayStation 2
The GOAT console itself, the PS2 was released in 2000 and cost $299 USD. Adjusted for inflation, the PS2 would cost $545 USD in 2024. Worth every penny.
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 was released in 2006 and, as immortalized by the memes, the 60GB model retailed for $599 USD. While Sony quickly cut the price of the console soon afterwards, the damage was already done. Adjusted for inflation, that same sticker price is now $934 USD in 2024, making it the one console more expensive than the PS5 Pro at launch. Even the "cheaper" 20GB model, which cost $499 back in 2006, would cost $778. No wonder it's the worst-selling mainline PlayStation console of all time.
PlayStation 3 Slim
The PS3 Slim, one of the best console redesigns in history in my opinion, also dramatically reduced the cost over the original PS3 when it was released in 2009 for $299 USD. Adjusted for inflation, that’s around $436 USD in 2024. Much better, Sony, but maybe too little too late.
PlayStation 4
Sony clearly learned from its mistake with the PS3, so when the PS4 was released in 2013 it was priced at a modest $399 USD. Adjusted for inflation, that comes to around $533 USD in 2024.
PlayStation 4 Pro
The first mid-cycle refresh from PlayStation, the PS4 Pro included additional horsepower and storage. Not quite the three pillars included with the PS5 Pro, but a nice upgrade for anyone who wanted to play Red Dead Redemption 2 without their console overheating. When it was released in 2016 it cost the same as the launch PS4 at $399 USD. Adjusted for inflation, that is $517 USD in 2024.
PlayStation 5 & PlayStation 5 Digital
The base PS5 and PS5 Digital split the PlayStation line for the first time, and into two different price brackets. Both released in 2020, the PS5 with the disc drive cost $499.99 USD at launch, or $596.83 when adjusted for inflation. Meanwhile, the all-digital PS5 cost $399.99, or $477.46 USD when adjusted for inflation.
PlayStation 5 Slim
In 2023, Sony released the relatively low-key PS5 Slim, which actually isn’t all that much smaller than the base PS5. The main feature is the detachable disc drive, which you can either buy bundled with the system for $499.99 USD, or $516.75 when adjusted for inflation; or just the digital Slim for $449.99, or $465.07 USD when adjusted for inflation.
PlayStation 5 Pro
And as we all know, the PS5 Pro will retail at $699.99 USD when it goes on pre-order later this month. Wowza.
The PS5 Pro Compared to Other Consoles
But what about other game consoles at launch – how does the PS5 Pro compare to them? Well, I’m here to report that even with adjustments for inflation, the PS5 Pro handily beats out the competition, though a couple of systems do come close.
Here’s a handful of other consoles and how they compare to the PS5 Pro launch price.
NES
The original NES was released in 1985 and retailed for $179 USD in North America. With inflation that comes to $521 USD in 2024.
Sega Genesis
Sega was also releasing consoles around this time and in 1989 it released the Sega Genesis for $189 USD, or $481 USD after adjusting for inflation.
SNES
A few years later, in 1991, Nintendo released the SNES. At launch the SNES cost $199 USD, or $456 USD after adjusting for inflation.
Sega Dreamcast
The last of the Sega consoles, the Dreamcast was released in 1998 and retailed for $199 USD, or $372 USD in 2024 after adjusting for inflation.
Nintendo 64
The N64 was released in 1996 and cost $199 USD at launch, or $372 USD after adjusting for inflation.
Xbox
The original Xbox was gunning right for the PS2 throne when it was released in 2001. At launch it cost $299 USD, or with inflation, $527 USD in 2024. As a reminder, the PS2 was released a year earlier also for $299 USD at launch.
Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo kept things simple for its N64 follow-up, releasing the GameCube in 2001 for $199 USD, or $351 USD after adjusting for inflation.
Xbox 360
Xbox’s most-successful console ever, the Xbox 360, was released in 2005 and launched with a retail price of $299 USD, or $482 USD after adjusting for inflation.
Wii
Nintendo chose a different tact for the Wii, focusing on a novel motion-control system rather than going toe-to-toe with Xbox and PlayStation on graphics. The Nintendo Wii was released in 2006 and cost $249 USD at launch, or $388 USD after adjusting for inflation.
Wii U
The forgotten Wii U was released a few year later in 2012 and cost $299 USD at launch, or $406 USD after adjusting for inflation. The less said about this, the better.
Xbox One
Xbox’s own hardware mishap, the Xbox One, was billed as an all-in-one entertainment system rather than purely a game console. It was also priced at an astounding $499 USD when it was released in 2013, or $667 USD after adjusting for inflation. This is the closest a non-PlayStation console gets to the cost of the PS5 Pro.
Xbox One X
Xbox also introduced a sleeker, mid-cycle upgrade with the Xbox One X. This model was also priced at $499 USD when it was released in 2017, or $634 USD after adjusting for inflation.
Xbox Series X & S
Whereas Sony’s dual PS5 offerings have the same specs and power, and only differ when it comes to a physical media player, the differences between Microsoft’s dual-console offerings were more dramatic. The Xbox Series X and S don’t just differ on price, but the Series X boasts a far more impressive spec-sheet than the Series S. As such, the Series X retailed for $499.00 USD at launch, or $596.83 USD after inflation, while the Series S retailed for $299.99 USD, or $358.09 USD after inflation. Both systems were released in 2020.
Nintendo Switch
Seven years old and still going strong, the Nintendo Switch is one of the best-selling consoles of all time. The hybrid system was released in 2017 and retailed for $299.99 USD, or $381.15 USD after adjusting for inflation. All eyes are on the upcoming Switch successor, and who knows how Nintendo will price that next system.
And there you have it. The PS5 Pro’s price is certainly shocking, though history shows there have certainly been other expensive consoles at launch. While the PS5 Pro boasts some impressive upgrades, it remains to be seen whether they’re enough to get customers on board at the suggested retail price.
For more on the PS5 Pro, check out every game that will be enhanced for the new system, and the internet’s reaction to the mondo price tag.
Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's Senior Features Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.
