From the Atari 2600 to the PS5 Pro: the launch price of the consoles adjusted for inflation in this curious graph

Thinking about the price of consoles is thinking, at least for me, about Sony. Except perhaps with PlayStation 2, the launch price of its consoles has been a turning point in the market. Legendary is the announcement of the 299 dollars of the first PlayStation 1. The 600 euros of PlayStation 3 and the coup d’état of a PS4 cheaper than Xbox One. Now a new console arrives, a PS5 Pro that we have analyzed and that is launched on the market for 799 euros without reader or vertical support.

Whenever a new console hits the market, it is interesting to take a look at the past to see what the price of previous consoles was. And if we adjust the price to inflation, even better, something that we can see perfectly in this graph of Visual Capitalist:

PS5 Pro. It is evident that the conversation in recent months (and will continue until Microsoft decides to respond or it is time for a new generation) has revolved around the price of Sony’s new console. Even adjusting for inflation, the PS5 Pro is more expensive than previous consoles: 799 euros or $699. The PS3, adjusting the price in dollars to today, continues to surpass it, but that console not only had revolutionary hardware, but also a brand new Blu-Ray reader.

settling accounts. In fact, although the graph is illustrative, we are going to break down the launch price in dollars of each of the consoles to get a better idea of ​​the situation and to clearly see the inflation-adjusted price in 2024:

Leaving aside the fact that the first consoles were quite expensive, there are several elements to highlight, such as the very affordable price of machines like Nintendo’s Game Boy (also including the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance). Without a doubt, they were popular prices that helped video games become massive and reach more people. It is also interesting to see the prices of more recent systems, such as previous generation consoles, Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck (this one has risen less because it has only been two years since its launch).

Against the current. And with this list present, it’s time for reflection. Are we moving in a direction in which consoles have stopped being that more affordable item than a PC to compete head-to-head with those devices in the price of hardware? The 800 euros for PS5 Pro without a reader are more affordable than what an equivalent PC can cost, but the advantage of the PC is the price of the games on Steam, GOG or the promotions both in stores and free games in the Epic Store .

Furthermore, these years we have seen something curious. Traditionally, consoles dropped in price as their components became cheaper. Revisions with better hardware (not more powerful, but more optimized pieces) were also continually released. This is something we haven’t seen with the PS5 and Xbox Series

Also with games. A few years ago we shared some graphs in which we analyzed how, even adjusting prices for inflation, the games of this generation are the most expensive in recent history. The $79.99 is only surpassed when we go back to the $82 for Nintendo 64 games. If we go further back, we see truly crazy things (and that’s not counting the Neo-Geo titles).

And here it is true that the video game industry is increasingly demanding. It sells much, much more than in the past, but there is also more competition and, above all, the cost of development has risen. Maintaining teams of dozens and hundreds of people for years to launch a video game is something that may have become unsustainable. Added to the fact that games have to be kept alive through updates and that there are companies that are increasingly releasing longer and larger games, the result is an industry in which it will be difficult to return to the $60 gaming scene.

Don’t worry, Rolls-Royce. But hey, no matter how expensive the PS5 Pro seems, there are still two consoles that will be able to stay on the podium for many, many years. We are referring to both Neo-Geo, the “posh” console or “the Rolls-Royce of consoles”, and 3DO. The first, from SNK, was launched on the market for about $649 at the time, about $1,552 adjusting for inflation. The second, which is still unclear if it was a standard or a console, was released for $699, easing the inflation price of the SNK machine to around $1,510 today.

The only console that, adjusting for inflation, is close to $1,000 currently is the complex Sega Saturn to which the $299 of the first PlayStation did so much damage. In a few years, when we see the adjusted price of consoles again, PS5 Pro will be close to that figure.

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