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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 those PlayStation 30th Anniversary pre-orders start rolling in, and by then it will be far too late to make a considered purchase. With only 12,300 PS5 Pro bundles 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.
I saved for my PS5, relying on a store that rewarded other purchases with points to put towards the next console and putting cash away for a year. At around midnight on September 17, 2020 I hurriedly threw a console, extra controller, Pulse 3D headset, and a DualSense charging station into my cart and begged for checkout to clear. I even upgraded my TV to a 4K model to make the most of my treat. I don't think I'm too dissimilar to others within PlayStation's fanbase, I can't drop $699 / £699 on some prettier graphics but I will save to back Sony in getting the Next Big Thing and everything that comes with it. The PS5 Pro 30th Anniversary bundle feels like the first time the brand has properly turned its back on me.
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. Regular PS5 Pro pre-orders will 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.
Right now, Sony is an old friend I expected more from and its latest move is anything but "for the players."
Don't even get me started on the fact that Sony's celebration of its past comes in the form of two consoles without disc drives.
We're rounding up all the best PS5 accessories and the best TVs for PS5 right here. Or, take a look at the best PS5 controllers for more gadgets.
