As Sony expects PS5 sales to decline, the future of PS5 Pro seems concerning

PS5 hasn't been doing as well as it was initially projected, especially when contrasted against its predecessor(s). While the PS4 generation also started equally as slow as the PlayStation 5, it quickly gained traction, not only with the ever-growing line-up of third-party titles but also the expansive first-party offerings, which is something the current-gen system sorely lacks.

In a recent investor call, Sony admitted that PlayStation 5 sales have gone down 29% year-over-year in the recent quarter, which is a fancy way of saying the console's sales have more or less stagnated. This is quite surprising considering the incredible hype surrounding the PlayStation 5 when it was released back in 2020.

The decline in console sales also might affect the reception and overall sale of the upcoming (rumored) PS5 Pro, whose future now, seems quite concerning.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author's opinions.

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Players losing interest in PS5 and its decline in sales can have a drastic impact on PS5 Pro and its future

While the PS5 Pro is yet to be officially announced by Sony, its existence is more or less confirmed with spec leaks, and even the new technologies it'll come packed with. The idea of an enhanced PlayStation 5 is quite intriguing, especially considering the bottlenecks of the current-gen consoles when it comes to resolution and framerate in some of the biggest current-gen titles.

While the PS5 is a massive step up compared to the PS4 and is a highly capable console, it still pales in comparison to the current-generation PC hardware. As such, I do feel there's a market for a "PlayStation 5 Pro." However, without any games, it'll only be a box that sits behind your TV and a very expensive box at that.

PS5 is easily one of the most successful consoles for Sony, at least if you take into account the first couple of years of the generation. While the current-gen PlayStation didn't feature as extensive a library of games as PS4, it still had its fair share of quality titles to entice and bring players over to Sony's console ecosystem.

That said, most of what PlayStation 5 had to offer at the start of this generation, were either remakes or remasters of older PS3/PS4 games, sequels to existing IPs, or simply cross-generation titles that can also be played on the previous generation of PlayStation system. The PlayStation 5 has a dearth of unique and original titles, even to this day.

PlayStation hardware unit year-on-year sales (Image via Tom Warren @tomwarren on X)

It's not that the PlayStation 5 doesn't have any games, it does. In fact, there are some really amazing experiences that you can only have on Sony's system, especially when you factor in the PS4 catalog of games. Titles like Returnal, Horizon Forbidden West, God of War Ragnarok, etc., are all top-tier PlayStation 5 titles.

That said, most of these have either already made their transition to PC, or are next in line to do so in the coming months. As such, there's essentially no reason for you to get a PlayStation 5 Pro, knowing that it'll be nearly as expensive if not more than a mid-range gaming PC.

Additionally, as good as the PlayStation exclusives are, they've more or less started to get quite predictable, and monotonous. Almost every single PlayStation first-party flagship title is either an open-world action RPG or an action-adventure game with a heavy emphasis on delivering a cinematic storyline, with hours of cutscenes, or a mix of both.

The PS5 also has more remakes and remasters than original IPs. Apart from Returnal and the recently released Stellar Blade, there are hardly any games that aren't either a sequel or a remake. The console started its life with Demon's Souls which, yes, is a spectacular showcase of the new hardware's capabilities, but at its core was a remake of a decade-old title.

As such, Sony will have a hard time justifying the PlayStation 5 Pro and its price tag to players, who either already own a current-gen system, or have made the switch to PC. Coupled with the fact that Sony is already expecting PlayStation 5 sales to decline further in the coming quarter, there's no telling how the future of the reported PS5 Pro will shape up.