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The PlayStation 5 Pro release date is expected to drop in the latter half of the year according to analysts. Rumors of the console coming in 2024 have popped up before now. As past rumors suggested Sony could be looking to drop the console sometime in September of this year. In 2020, Sony released the original PlayStation 5 in November. So there’s a good chance it could do the same thing with a Pro model.
Nothing is certain of course as plans can change and there are still more than a few months between now and a potential PlayStation 5 Pro release. That being said, CNBC reports that analysts predict Sony is targeting the back half of the year for a specific reason. Though the reason might not be that surprising if you’ve been following console launches long enough. When it comes to the hardware, it’s only really as good as the software that can be used alongside it. In the case of the PlayStation 5 Pro, Sony wants the upgraded version of the PlayStation 5 to launch close to a game that is likely to help move units.
The PlayStation 5 Pro release is said to be close to the launch of GTA VI
If Sony wants a game to move console units, GTA VI is a good bet. Rockstar’s sixth entry in the long-running franchise is slated to be its biggest ever. And it’s already being suggested that it could overshadow the popularity of GTA V. That kind of hype is a good reason to want your hardware to launch as close to the game as possible. While the report doesn’t mention any specific dates, GTA VI launches in 2025. So the PlayStation 5 Pro is likely to launch closer to the end of the year.
The goal, analysts said, is to have a more powerful version of the PlayStation 5 ready for the release of GTA VI. “There seems to be a broad consensus in the game industry that Sony is indeed preparing a launch of a PS5 Pro in the second half of 2024,” said Serkan Toto, CEO of Tokyo-based games consultancy Kantan Games. Another analyst predicts Sony may opt to keep the regular PlayStation 5 price at its current cost. Even after the PlayStation 5 Pro is released. That’s according to George Jijiashvili, senior principal analyst at Omdia.
The decision to not cut the cost of the regular model wouldn’t be shocking. Sony recently announced it had to cut its sales forecast for the PlayStation 5 for the fiscal year 2023. The company was expecting to sell 25 million units by the end of this fiscal year. Which ends on March 22. However, it has since scaled back that forecast to 21 million units. Sony also reported lower profit margins for its gaming division. So an immediate price cut of the regular PlayStation 5 once the Pro model releases might not be part of the plan.