A number of games industry analysts have reportedly said they’re expecting Sony to launch a PlayStation 5 Pro console later this year.
It was recently claimed that the platform holder isplanning to release a PS5 Pro consolein late 2024, and that it will feature a proprietary DLSS-like solution.
And analysts have now reportedly toldCNBCthatSonyis “likely” to launch a refreshed version of the console in the second half of this year.
“There seems to be a broad consensus in the game industry that Sony is indeed preparing a launch of aPS5Pro in the second half of 2024,” said Serkan Toto, CEO of Tokyo-based games consultancy Kantan Games.
“And Sony will want to make sure to have a great piece of hardwareready when GTA VI hits in 2025, a launch that will be a shot in the arm for the entire gaming industry.”
Retailers are currently offering thefirst major PS5 Slim discounts in Europe. Having launched last November for £479.99 / €549.99, the new model’s price has temporarily been reduced by £70 / €75 in a number of countries.
While Sony had previously hoped toship a record 25 million PlayStation consolesduring its current fiscal year ending in March, it said last week that it nowexpects to miss that target by four million units.
A new report calculates thatSony‘s value dropped by around $10 billionlast week, following its revised PS5 sales forecast but also partly due toa drop in operating margin in its gaming business.
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George Jijiashvili, senior principal analyst at Omdia, told CNBC this could mean that Sony won’t cut the price of the current PS5, as has traditionally been the trend in the past, when the Pro model launches.
“Therefore, a scenario where Sony launches a PS5 Pro, but still experiences declining year-on-year hardware sales is very much within the realms of possibility,” he said.
