Gaming
PlayStation 5 sales still rocking in South Africa — with one new trend
Sony’s latest console continues to perform well in South Africa despite a slow first half for gaming in 2024.
The PlayStation 5 continues to maintain strong sales post its transition to the more compact Slim model earlier this year, as reported by Mario Dos Santos, the CEO of Gamefinity, the official local distributor of PlayStation products.
Sony introduced the PS5 Slim, the first significant refresh of its latest gaming console in over three years since the original release, in South Africa in early April 2024 at the original model’s retail prices.
Both the digital and standard versions of the Slim are 30% smaller and weigh 24% and 18% less than their predecessors, with additional changes including split side panels and an option to add a disc drive to the digital console later.
Dos Santos acknowledged challenges in comparing the Slim’s sales to the previous model due to supply issues but confirmed that the PS5 continues to sell well, noting a rise in the digital console’s sales share.
The digital console’s affordability, priced at R11,999, a factor contributing to its popularity compared to the standard version, which increased in price to R13,999 due to currency fluctuation.
The standalone disc drive, priced at R2,999 in South Africa, offers buyers the flexibility to add it to the digital console later, potentially influencing their purchase decision.
Portal handheld sales exceeding expectations
The PS5 Portal, a handheld streaming device for PS5 games, initially faced high demand surpassing supply, with a robust attachment rate exceeding forecasts as availability increased.
The content slate for the first half of 2024 was deemed softer compared to 2023, though Dos Santos anticipates strengthening content releases in the latter half, alongside hardware promotions, contributing to market growth.
PS5 Pro could deliver bigger blow to Microsoft
Globally, the PS5 leads console sales, outselling the Xbox Series X|S by over twice since their launch in 2020, with 59.3 million PS5 units sold compared to 29.06 million Xbox Series X|S units, as reported by VGChartz.
Reports indicate expectations for a mid-generation refresh with a PS5 Pro version launching in the latter half of 2024, potentially offering top-tier performance akin to high-end gaming PCs.
YouTuber Moore’s Law is Dead’s leaked specifications suggest notable hardware improvements in the PS5 Pro, with Sony’s removal of the video for copyright infringement potentially validating the claims.
If priced competitively and supply remains stable, a more powerful PS5 Pro could pose challenges for the sales of Xbox Series X|S.
