Sonic the Hedgehog boss says the PS5 Pro justifies its $700 price and could allow for newer games “that can express the speed of Sonic”

The PS5 Pro’s price point has been a hot topic ever since Sony announced that its beefed-up console would cost $700 when it comes out this November, but Sonic Team’s producer reckons its “quality” might justify the high price tag.

Sony has attempted to convince everyone that a $700 upgrade – not including the add-on disc drive – is worth the extra horsepower with several zoomed-in, side-by-side comparisons of games running on both the PS5 Pro and base PS5. Graphics have gotten to the point where most people won’t be able to distinguish the difference while looking at compressed footage online, but hearing that the high-end machine might give us “games that can express the speed of Sonic?” Well, that’s all they ever had to say.

Speaking to IGN, Sonic Team producer Takashi Iizuka admitted that $700 is generally “really expensive” but reckons it might be worth it for “high-end users” willing to drop the cash. “The price isn’t something we feel it’s appropriate for us to comment on, but in terms of the capabilities, we think that it’s definitely worthy of the Pro name. So we’re excited to see what it can do,” Iizuka said.

Sonic Team isn’t currently working to give any of the Sonic the Hedgehog games a PS5 Pro enhancement – or, at least, it hasn’t made any such announcement – though Iizuka is still excited to see what’s possible with the “high-end machines” in the future. “Coming out with those consoles, we feel that we can make newer Sonic games that can express the speed of Sonic and with much better gaming UI as well,” Iizuka notes, although he’s still committed to the people playing on older hardware like the PS4 or Switch.

Check out our PS5 Pro pre-order guide to catch up on everything you need to know before its November launch.