- PS5 Pro sales are now behind PS4 Pro sales in terms of pace
- This is according to industry analyst Mat Piscatella
- It comes alongside a wider decline in console sales
According to industry analyst Mat Piscatella, sales of the PlayStation 5 Pro have fallen behind the pace of the PlayStation 4 Pro in the roughly three months since its release.
Piscatella, executive director of games at market research firm Circana, outlined some highlights from the company's most recent video game market report in a thread on Bluesky. He stated that console spending dropped 35% year on year, while video game hardware spending dropped 45% compared to one year ago.
"Double-digit percentage declines" were observed "across all major console platforms", including a 38% dip in PS5 hardware spending year on year. Xbox Series consoles were hit even harder, with a 50% drop while the Nintendo Switch suffered the largest slow down thanks to a 53% sales decline compared to last year.
While this is definitely bad news for Sony and Microsoft, it's worth bearing in mind that the fall in Nintendo Switch sales is likely due to consumers anticipating the arrival of its successor, the Nintendo Switch 2, which is set to launch later this year. Piscatella has previously predicted that the upcoming console will hit 4.3 million units sold in the US in its first year, so it seems fair to expect lots of pent up demand.
Sales of the PS5 Pro have also taken a hit, despite a very strong start. Piscatella said that it has now "fallen behind" the "pace" of the PS4 Pro in the US. For context, the PS4 Pro accounted for roughly 13% of total lifetime PS4 sales in the US according to Circana data. While it didn't cause a huge uptick in PS4 sales, it did raise the average sale prices of the system signalling a solid level of adoption among enthusiasts.
Although the strong initial sales suggest that the PS5 Pro definitely has an audience, commentators have been divided on its relatively high asking price. At $699.99 / £699.99 / AU$1,199 without the disc drive or vertical stand, it's by far the most expensive PlayStation console to date.
It has received a handful of small discounts at various retailers since its launch in November, but could this decline in sales be the push that Sony needs to properly cut its RRP? We'll have to wait and see, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are some great PS5 Pro deals in the months and years ahead.
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