How well will the PS5 Pro sell?

gamesindustry.biz:

From the reactions we've seen to the PS5 Pro's $700 price tag, it would be easy to think Sony's new console is dead on arrival. But, as our own Chris Dring pointed out yesterday, the price isn't the biggest issue facing the new hardware launch, and for all the uproar over the expense, there is still a market for PlayStation's high-end device.

To get a better sense of the PS5 Pro's prospects, GamesIndustry.biz spoke to a number of analysts about their sales expectations and the many factors that affect a mid-generation console's launch.

Ampere Analysis' games research director Piers Harding-Rolls pointed us towards his forecast, posted shortly after the PS5 Pro was announced, in which he suggests 1.3 million units could be sold by the end of 2024 – slightly behind the 1.7 million the PS4 Pro shifted during its own launch window.

Conversely, Sam Naji, founder of SJN Insights, tells us he would be surprised if Sony shifted more than one million units within the first year.

There are also comparisons to be made with PS4 Pro, which sold 14.5 million units in its lifetime. Ampere expects PS5 Pro to reach 13 million by 2029, a similar timeframe.

"Like the PS4 Pro, we don’t expect the PS5 Pro to significantly alter the sales dynamics of the PS5 platform as most buyers will be a mixture of existing PS5 owners or upgraders from PS4 that have switched their attention to the Pro model instead of the standard PS5," Harding-Rolls wrote.

"However, Sony will be hoping that these power users will spend more on software and services helping its overall PlayStation business."

Rhys Elliott, games industry analyst at Midia Research, agrees that the PS5 Pro will most likely perform in line with its PS4 predecessor, suggesting it could shift up to 15 million units before the end of the generation.

Meanwhile, Kantan Game CEO Dr Serkan Toto observes that PS4 Pro ended up accounting for a little over 10% of all PS4s sold and expects the PS5 Pro to "finish below that but still be roughly in the same