Last week, Sony delivered its latest State of Play and while there were a wealth of new games revealed – many of which look promising – one question remains. How is Sony intending to launch PlayStation 5 Pro if the only key triple-A exclusive launching in the same time period is Astro Bot? Make no mistake – as you’ll see in this week’s DF Direct Weekly – we see Team Asobi’s next offering as one of the highlights of the year, but it’s not quite the juggernaut release that’s going to sell consoles.
However, maybe we’re missing the point here. Going into the PS5 Pro project, Sony would have been well aware that the concept of an enhanced console had been proven – but this time the firm has real data on how many sales it should expect. It’s generally accepted that both Xbox One S/Xbox One X and PS4/PS4 Pro had an 80/20 split between base and enhanced consoles. That’s a niche then, albeit a fairly substantial one when you’re dealing with millions of units, and depending on pricing, I’d expect sales to continue along similar lines.
There’s a good argument that the PS5 Pro may not have the same appeal as its predecessor, which leaned heavily into the 4K HDR capabilities of then-new screens. However, one might equally argue that a new display would only be on the shopping list for a niche audience anyway. The people who wanted a best-of-the-best PlayStation experience in 2016 will be the same people who want the same thing with PS5 Pro in 2024.
0:00:00 Introduction0:01:04 News 01: May 2024 State of Play: Astro Bot0:11:00 Concord0:19:51 Marvel Rivals, God of War Ragnarök PC, Dynasty Warriors: Origins0:38:15 Silent Hill 20:51:35 Skydance’s Behemoth, Alien: Rogue Incursion1:00:18 Monster Hunter Wilds, Path of Exile 21:10:22 Infinity Nikki, Ballad of Antara, Where Winds Meet, Until Dawn1:19:23 News 02: Are PlayStation PC ports meant to sell PS5s?1:36:03 News 03: Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will debut on Game Pass1:47:30 Supporter Q1: What games will Sony advertise alongside the PS5 Pro?1:55:26 Supporter Q2: Will Nvidia launch another hardware-reliant software feature with 5000 series GPUs?2:02:35 Supporter Q3: If Hellblade 2 had arrived last year, where would it have ranked on your Graphics of the Year video?2:07:00 Supporter Q4: What are the best settings for using the Quest 3 wirelessly with a PC?2:12:20 Supporter Q5: What’s the best way to deal with VRR flicker on OLEDs?2:15:32 Supporter Q6: How does DLSS affect CPU usage?2:21:40 Supporter Q7: Could a PS4 handheld enhance the look of older games?2:24:44 Supporter Q8: What are you ordering for dinner in London?
I’m also reminded of the games line-up Sony had back in 2016 – it was similarly bereft of console-selling first party titles. The list here shows no new games from the likes of Naughty Dog, Sucker Punch or Insomniac. Instead, what we got were a range of good third party releases and mainstay franchises including Call of Duty, FIFA, Final Fantasy and Battlefield. Switch some franchises around and I’d expect the same situation this time around for PlayStation 5 Pro.