Following the official reveal of the PlayStation 5 Pro earlier this week, the majority of the conversations about it have centered on its $700 price rather than its advanced PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution technology. This is understandable, since $700 is a lot of money to put down on a new version of a console that’s only been out for four years. But as noted by former Blizzard president Mike Ybarra, there’s at least one way to get that price down. Or as they say in the spam ads, “one weird trick.”
Ybarra pointed out a tactic that many fans had already thought about–namely trading in their existing PS5 models and effectively cutting the cost of a new PS5 Pro in half.
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
GameStop is offering between $350 to $385 in store credit for used PlayStation 5 consoles, with the higher prices for models with the disc drive. But if a significant number of gamers pursue that strategy, would GameStop keep that trade in value or lower the amount that it offers? Just because GameStop is offering those rates now doesn’t guarantee that it will in November. That would throw a wrench in this strategy, especially since GameStop is facing more store closures. Additionally, the PS5 Pro doesn’t come with a disc drive, with the optional add-on costing another $80. Unfortunately, it’s already selling out across multiple retailers.
That strategy also runs into a problem if gamers haven’t upgraded to a PS5 yet. Without a modern console to trade in, getting a PS5 Pro remains prohibitively expensive for some fans. But if a lot of used PS5 consoles suddenly hit the market–even with GameStop’s markup–then perhaps that’s a solution for anyone who hasn’t joined the current console generation yet.
Sony will release the PS5 Pro on November 7.
