Support NeoGAF

[Herp Derpington]

How's that PR spin exactly?

Why is 20% disappointing? Because you expected more? that 20% helped booed Playstation to their best selling year. The ratio is not as important as the quantity in determining a product's success.

The PS4pro is unprecedented, there's nothing to benchmark it to say that 20% is a failure any more than 50% is a failure. Sony is looking at overall Playstation sales, as PS4 pro and PS4 all support the same ecosystem and revenue streams. At the end of the day Sony is still killing it in overall sales.

You have to ask though are those Pros people weren't going to buy a PS4 for or would those systems just have been regular PS4s? The ratio becomes more important because 4k tvs are just about all being offered past a certain size range and I don't see Sony being nearly aggressive enough in pitching it. You don't see any demo stations at Best Buy in the game section nor in their tv section. They need to have a Pro on demo yet you see none so yeah 20% for a product deemed the best way to experience PS games is disappointing. I'm curious to see how aggressive they get in marketing it once Scorpio launches. In that regard I'm glad for the competition because Sony needs to get on the ball with advertising this thing. Honestly I think they just need to phase out the regular PS4 and be price aggressive with the Pro to get it in the marketplace.

 

[gundamkyoukai]

Good number and in line with what some of us were thinking.

 

[Sectorseven]

How many of those Pros are upgrades vs. new customers?

 

[DNAbro]

I still think releasing the Pro and PSVR in the same time frame hurt them. How not to fracture your consumer base 101. MS waiting a year plus to release Scorpio and only release the Xbox One S model was the better choice. It may not seem like it now, but it will be in the long run.

I fail to see how. PS4 is still selling better and I don't think Scorpio is going to shift it dramatically. And I don't see how VR would affect it.

 

[Omnii-chan]

So... maybe 2 sku's of PS5 at launch?

1 in 5 is less than I thought.

Personally I upgraded from launch to slim. In Australia it was $230AU more for a Pro at the time I wanted to upgrade, I don't have a 4k screen, not all games down sample and I have a gaming PC. I still feel happy with my choice.

 

[Boke1879]

How many of those Pros are upgrades vs. new customers?

40% of Pro owners upgraded from a PS4.

 

[Amory]

Kinda surprising, tbh

I guess I'd go for a Pro if I were buying my first PS4. But no 4k blu ray compatibility is a real disappointment. It makes double dipping a tough buy, because there's just not enough added functionality there.

 

[mindatlarge]

Even my Sister has a Pro.
Go Pro or Go Home.

If you already own a PS4 and don't own a 4K display yet, a Pro purchase can be hard for some to justify. Myself being one of them.

 

[Xando]

considering its a premo product, I think its good



consumers aren't onboard with the Xbox brand this gen - not sure how a refresh with the same games will do

That's what I'm saying. The hardcore xbox guys are more likely to buy a scorpio and make up a higher percentage of Xbox owners than with PS4 since Xbox installbase is smaller.

 

[AmFreak]

My guess would be that Scorpio percentage could be even higher since they have a smaller install base and enthusiasts seem to be making up a higher percentage for them.

Yeah, they also have to push it harder, because they don't have a good selling base version.
And it probably won't be as supply constrained as the Pro.

 

[PuppetSlave]

Kinda hard to tell if it is good numbers or not. This kind of refresh hasn't really happened before as far as I know. Not much to compare too.

Kinda telling how large the demographic is, that value "power" though. I bought the pro and gave my regular ps4 to my brother but I also love electronic toys.

 

[DieH@rd]

So Microsoft can expect around the same amount?

20 million Xboxes, 4 million Scorpio?

Probably a bit more [especially in the months immediate after the launch] since Xbone user base is most likely filled with higher percentage of "core" gamers.

But after initial sale push and after a lot of core gamers do the upgrade, then we shall see how it will sell...

 

[Capella]

You have to ask though are those Pros people weren't going to buy a PS4 for or would those systems just have been regular PS4s? The ratio becomes more important because 4k tvs are just about all being offered past a certain size range and I don't see Sony being nearly aggressive enough in pitching it. You don't see any demo stations at Best Buy in the game section nor in their tv section. They need to have a Pro on demo yet you see none so yeah 20% for a product deemed the best way to experience PS games is disappointing. I'm curious to see how aggressive they get in marketing it once Scorpio launches. In that regard I'm glad for the competition because Sony needs to get on the ball with advertising this thing. Honestly I think they just need to phase out the regular PS4 and be price aggressive with the Pro to get it in the marketplace.

It's a great number. The PS4 Pro targets a core gamer niche that owns a 4k set with a significantly higher price point. It's actually quite fantastic.

Seems like it's meeting their expectations and it's expected that the lower priced slim is going to make up such a large percentage of sales.

 

[BriGuy]

I expect the Scorpio to perform in the same ballpark. We're somewhat late into this generation. Most people interested in console gaming have bought their systems and probably don't see the need for a half-step upgrade. Those that haven't might not be able to justify the added premium. These are enthusiast machines after all.

 

[jts]

It's been in and out of stock on Amazon.com since it launched. I don't see the PR spin here.

It's in stock right now, and there are 3rd party sellers there selling new/used under MSRP.

Doesn't seem too hot.

 

[Primethius]

Number seems in line with Sony's initial expectations, so I would call it a good figure.

 

[Qvoth]

20% sounds like a good result to me

 

[hanspampel]

I dont know numbers from November, so the exact amount of Pro's will be hard to tell, especially because that was the launch month for the console too.

But, from December 6 to March 31st, they have sold (in) 10M PS4's, which would put 8M slims/old models and 2M Pro's

you made a mistake somewhere whit those numbers

Sony sold through 6.2 million from mid November to end of December 2016 (Ps4 Pro launched 10th November)
Sony shipped 2.9 million from January to end of March 2017
Sony shipped 12.6 million from October 2016 to end of March 2017

 

[sense]

You have to ask though are those Pros people weren't going to buy a PS4 for or would those systems just have been regular PS4s? The ratio becomes more important because 4k tvs are just about all being offered past a certain size range and I don't see Sony being nearly aggressive enough in pitching it. You don't see any demo stations at Best Buy in the game section nor in their tv section. They need to have a Pro on demo yet you see none so yeah 20% for a product deemed the best way to experience PS games is disappointing. I'm curious to see how aggressive they get in marketing it once Scorpio launches. In that regard I'm glad for the competition because Sony needs to get on the ball with advertising this thing. Honestly I think they just need to phase out the regular PS4 and be price aggressive with the Pro to get it in the marketplace.

40% pro owners are people that upgraded from a regular PS4. They are not marketing it heavily because they don't really care which PS4 a consumer buys plus they did not expect more new people to pick up a pro over a regular going by their comments after the holiday season and so the shipments and marketing wasn't heavy. The whole point of the pro was to stop the decline of hardware sales which usually starts around the middle of a generation. They may even want people to pick up a slim first so they can entice them to upgrade to a pro.

 

[Kyoufu]

It's in stock right now, and there are 3rd party sellers there selling new/used under MSRP.

Doesn't seem too hot.

PSVR is also being sold under MSRP by 3rd party sellers. Or are you going to tell me that wasn't/isn't supply constrained either?

 

[binarymelon]

From my point of view this is actually great news. It's a sign to Sony that the demand is there for the option, but there's a much larger audience they shouldn't ignore.

 

[Sheroking]

For comparison, I'd like to see the numbers for other console revisions 8 months out.

My gut says this is low, but I have nothing real to support that.

 

[MisterR]

That seems perfectly reasonable sales and about what I expected.

 

[Scrotum Phillips]

I'm betting this holiday season they'll properly really start pushing the Pro as its been tough to find in stores.

PS4 Pro w/Horizon for $350 this holiday season is my guess.

 

[MisterR]

For comparison, I'd like to see the numbers for other console revisions 8 months out.

My gut says this is low, but I have nothing real to support that.

There has never been a console revision like this before. Console revisions are usually just smaller and cheaper. There is no comparison to this, Scorpio will be the next.

 

[Kyoufu]

For comparison, I'd like to see the numbers for other console revisions 8 months out.

My gut says this is low, but I have nothing real to support that.

There's not much to compare it to because nobody has released a mid-gen upgrade as a premium option alongside a standard model.

 

[I-hate-u]

Makes you think how Xbox will market Scoprio.

If they go the Sony route and assume their box performs the same, only 20% of the X1 sold doesn't seem like the push MS wanted. If they go with the new-gen route then they risk market confusion.

 

[Shin]

So what's the rough estimate of PS4P's sold since it's launch (in millions)?

 

[Theonik]

That's pretty good considering shortages. Should increase over time once Sony actually pushes the thing, they need to do more bundles and aggressive up-selling for it but I don't see the motivation at the moment.

 

[Gestault]

Considering to new buyers, it's a more expensive version of a readily available system that technically plays the same games; I'd say that's a totally solid ratio, and the Sony statement indicates they're really happy with those figures.

I think universal feature support for Pros would be a good priority to work toward, and if they can pull it off, it should probably be the framework for for mid-gen revisions moving forward (tech permitting).

 

[NolbertoS]

Need actual numbers 1 in 5 doesn't mean shit to me. Could be 20 putta 100 or 5000 outta 25000. Spin it all you want Sony.

 

[Primethius]

So what's the rough estimate of PS4P's sold since it's launch (in millions)?

About 2 million I'd say.

 

[hanspampel]

So what's the rough estimate of PS4P's sold since it's launch (in millions)?

~1.8 million as of March 2017

 

[InsaneTiger]

Need actual numbers 1 in 5 doesn't mean shit to me. Could be 20 putta 100 or 5000 outta 25000. Spin it all you want Sony.

Take the number of consoles sold since Pro launch. Take 20% of that number...simple!

See all the post before my post and yours.

 

[Primethius]

Need actual numbers 1 in 5 doesn't mean shit to me. Could be 20 putta 100 or 5000 outta 25000. Spin it all you want Sony.

That would be about 150-200k Pros sold world wide on a monthly basis. About what XB1 sells in NA in a month.

 

[KageMaru]

Considering how price is usually the most important factor with new customers this far in the generation, this is expected.

 

[Sad Affleck]

Not bad, although not especially impressive either. I wonder which of the two PS4s (Slim or Pro) is more profitable for Sony. Any educated guesses?

 

[big_z]

For comparison, I'd like to see the numbers for other console revisions 8 months out.

My gut says this is low, but I have nothing real to support that.

Well Nintendo is the only company to have done it with their handhelds. The new models have always taken the sales lead from launch despite holding a higher price point. Still handheld prices much easier to swallow in general.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

This is perfectly in line with 4k HDTV adoption rates. I doubt there are that many casual gamers willing to spend an additional $100-$150 (plus whatever games in holiday bundles for slim SKU) to play a handful of games with better AA or SP framerate at 1080p.

I don't think it would be fair or realistic to expect more.

 

[privitsan02]

It's funny how many people scoffed at the Slim and said the Pro would sellout like crazy on GAF.

I'd personally go for the Pro if my launch unit fails because of the optical out, but it's always been proven that the cheaper unit will sell more.

Best wishes.

 

[DieH@rd]

For comparison, I'd like to see the numbers for other console revisions 8 months out.

My gut says this is low, but I have nothing real to support that.

Other console revisions were not optional midgen consoles. There were what you described, tbe revisions for cheaper manufacture and less power consumption. When they appear, the old version are no longer manufactured.

Going from LaunchPS4 >CUH1200 all matte>PS4Slim changed nothing rendering and compatibilty wise. The same seamless upgrade cycle happened to many other consoles [PS1, PS2, PS3, X360, Xbone...].

 

[horkrux]

That's way more than I thought it would be actually

 

[Breakage]

Hopefully a non-ugly revision is in the works.

 

[Markitron]

It's funny how many people scoffed at the Slim and said the Pro would sellout like crazy on GAF.

I'd personally go for the Pro if my launch unit fails because of the optical out, but it's always been proven that the cheaper unit will sell more.

Best wishes.

I don't recall many people saying this, in fact the opposite seemed to be the consensus on GAF.

 

[mejin]

So, it really is a great option for buyers.

 

[bombshell]

Sony sold through 6.2 million Ps4 in the Holiday season
Sony sold in 2.9 million Ps4 in Q1 2017


Ps 4 Pro sold through as of March 2017 <1.8 million

You're leaving out the Pro launch here, more precisely the first 10 days on sale.

 

[gatirosho]

It would have sold better if it had a 4K bluray drive....

who cares...

 

[Falchion]

Evaluating these hardcore consoles is weird since most people aren't going to care about them at all.

 

[Shin]

I don't see Sony being nearly aggressive enough in pitching it. You don't see any demo stations at Best Buy in the game section nor in their tv section. They need to have a Pro on demo yet you see none so yeah 20% for a product deemed the best way to experience PS games is disappointing. I'm curious to see how aggressive they get in marketing it once Scorpio launches. In that regard I'm glad for the competition because Sony needs to get on the ball with advertising this thing. Honestly I think they just need to phase out the regular PS4 and be price aggressive with the Pro to get it in the marketplace.

So far they've been pushing the base PS4 because that's what people buy the most, Pro or not it's still the best selling iteration.
Keep in mind that we're closer to the next generation (PS5) as well, PS4P was an option for those that are interested, but you don't see them being aggressive with bundles and what's not, it's for a small demographic not mainstream.
Seems like money wasted at this point, sure there might be bundles this holiday but I don't expect them to push PS4P as much as they will PS4.

 

[sgtmofo]

I picked mine up as an upgrade from my PS4 because Gamestop was having their trade-in promo. However, nearly the entire transaction the guy kept trying to talk me out of the purchase. The time of day wasn't near their closing hour or anything, so it wasn't because he didn't want to do the work. But as I told him my reasons (wanting to upgrade my launch console, get more storage, just purchased a KS8000), he stood fast by his initial recommendation of not getting it as I would hardly notice a visual difference. If that experience is typical for others, I wonder if it is affecting the PS4 Pro's adoption rate.

Has anyone else run into a situation like this when purchasing it at a physical retailer?