[GameSpot] - PS5 Players Are Spending Way More Than Last Generation

[343iBot]

Sony seems very pleased with how much money PlayStation 5 owners are dropping on video games, add-ons, subscriptions, and accessories for the console. The company boasted that so far--November 2020 through March 2023--people are spending an average of $622.

That's a considerable increase over what PS4 owners were shelling out over a similar time window (November 2013 through March 2016), according to a Sony business update. The "average life-to-date spend per active console" on PS4 was $479, meaning there's a $143 difference. To be clear, these numbers don't involve the purchase of the system.

Sony showcases the spending differences between PS4 and PS5 owners.

Another intriguing aspect of this average spend, per Sony, is add-ons are the segment that's seen the largest percentage increase--210%--from PS4 to PS5. A large chunk of this presumably comes from free-to-play games with battle passes and cosmetics, such as Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone 2.

Meanwhile, there's been a 10% decrease from PS4 to PS5 on full game purchases as part of the average spend. On top of showing the rise in popularity of free-to-play and live-services games, it's important to keep in mind how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected game development and resulted in fewer current-gen exclusives so far.

During this business update, Sony also revealed that PSVR 2 has sold better than the original PSVR at launch. Also, don't forget that the PlayStation Showcase begins later today at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET.

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