Sony is releasing a new PS5 model with a downgrade, and PlayStation fans are not happy about it. This has obviously been an unprecedented console generation. In previous console generations, hardware prices have decreased over time. It has been the opposite this generation. Back in August, the prices of both the PS5 and PS5 Pro increased. Not only will some be paying more for PS5 consoles going forward, but getting a worse console as well.
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More specifically, Sony is set to reduce the storage of the PS5 Slim in Europe from 1TB to 825 GB. This change will be reflected in the upcoming CFI-210 model. Despite this, the €499 price is not changing. Of course, there is already reserved storage with the PS5, so this new console will essentially be somewhere around 600 GB, not much better than the PS4. Why is Sony doing this? Well, as you would expect, it has not been overly communicative or transparent about the downgrade. It is presumably nothing more than to reduce costs for it, but this is just an assumption in the abscence of official information.
“No Way This Is Real”
While Sony hasn’t spotlighted this downgrade, it did not go unnoticed. To this end, one of the top posts on the PS5 Reddit page is about this downgrade, and the comments are full of confused and unhappy PlayStation fans.
“No way this is real? Hilarious and sad at the same time,” reads one of the comments. Another comment adds: “This is beyond pathetic.”
A third comment adds: “Feels like a fever dream when I remember the old days where a 5-year-old console would be dirt cheap, even bundled with games and accessories.
For now, this odd downgrade appears to only impact the digital version of the PS5 Slim, and not the standard PS5 with a disc drive, which makes it all the more strange. And of course, while this is the case now, this could change in the future if not the for the simple fact that this cost saving measure is just as relevant with the standard console. That said, the profit margins on the standard PS5 are understood to be healthier than the digital console for the simple fact that Sony charges far more for the disc drive than it costs to include it. So maybe the standard PS5 won’t need this adjustment. Whatever the case, it isn’t the only new hardware decision that has left PlayStation fans unhappy. Some PlayStation fans also aren’t very impressed with the latest PS5 controller.
What’s Going On?
As alluded to, the economy is in terrible shape right now, for many reasons. This is true of the United States economy, but even more so with the global economy. Sony is simply reacting to this reality when it increases the prices of its hardware. This change seems to have, for many PlayStation fans, crossed over from being a reasonable response to being nothing more than Sony trying to maximize savings in areas where it knows the blowback will not be substantial. All of that said, and as always, feel free to leave a comment letting us know what you think. Are PlayStation fans overreacting, or is Sony being greedy?
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A closeup of a PlayStation 5 with a controller on top.
