PS5 Pro Version Nearly 7,000! Players Dissatisfied, Plan to Quit and Return to Older Consoles

Standing in front of the glass cabinet at the electronics store, my fingertips trace the cold shell of the PS5. The numbers on the price tag are like frost in late autumn, making one subconsciously hold their breath. The lights in the showcase are too bright, revealing every speck of dust in the chassis gaps, and illuminating the crack between reality and the virtual world. In that moment, the desire to "live inside" was pushed back by the cold, hard glass.

Speaking of the hardware itself, this price hike is not without cause; it resembles more of a long-planned tide. The AI wave is like a sudden rainstorm, flooding the warehouses of memory and storage. From 2022 to the end of 2025, the shadow of shortage has loomed until now, with industry predictions suggesting this drought may extend to 2027. We originally expected technology to feel like a spring breeze; instead, it has become snow weighing on our shoulders.

Sam Altman's 2022 tweet about ChatGPT has now become a target for players to focus fire on. The characters on the screen flicker like some distant signal, hinting at the cost behind computing power. Technological progress was meant to serve the experience, but now, it seems to serve financial reports more. Every price increase per byte is like gravel in players' pockets.

The Pro version pricing approaches 7,000, while the standard version is also nearly 4,500. This is no longer simple fluctuation of numbers; it is pushing players out the door. Many players choose to quit due to expensive hardware and software falling short of expectations, even picking up their dust-covered Xbox 360 again. The fan of the old console hums; that is a warm memory from a few years ago, more reassuring than the cold pricing of the moment. Inside that world, there is no need to calculate price-to-performance ratios, only immersion.

However, beyond the visuals lies the game of capital. OpenAI struggles to afford the massive volume of memory procurement, and Google is also developing new technologies to reduce demand, but the cost is passed onto consumers. Our standard for evaluating games is often "do we want to live inside." Atmosphere outweighs everything. But when the ticket to enter this world becomes expensive, with twilight light hitting the ruins, we stand for a long time, reluctant to move forward.

Perhaps one day, prices will recede like river water after the rainy season. But until then, we can only hold tight to the old controller in our hands, seeking infinite peace within limited pixels. Games were meant to be a sanctuary; they should not become another battlefield requiring careful calculation.