Zain Aftab

Zain Aftab

Computer scientist who loves to read about different topics and write about different topics. 80% of my body is made of videogames.

PS5 - But What About The Price?

2 minute read

Sony unveiled an alien looking device in August 2020, but what’s the price?

  • reveal
  • price rumors
  • sony’s strategy

These are unprecedented times due to the global pandemic but surprisingly, Sony’s console launch is unaffected. It’ll launch in the holiday window of 2020. The console looks great, the games revealed alongside the console impressed reviewers and the general audience alike. Many are excited to replace their old console machines, and for some people, this will be their first console investment. But the question right now on everyone’s mind is: what’s the price? Let’s try to figure that out.

The Legacy

When the PS4 was revealed back in 2013, it wasn’t a very impressive device. The hardware specifications were equivalent to a mid-tier gaming PC. The launch titles such as Knack and Killzone Shadow Fall were mediocre at best. What made the console sell, however, was the price in the beginning. It was revealed to be $399 with no additional cost. That was extremely cheap for the console especially compared to Microsoft who priced the new Xbox One at $499. As a result, the console outsold everything on the market. In March 2020, Sony reported that the PS4 had sold 110 million units compared to Microsoft’s 46 million Xbox sales. There is a clear winner for this generation of consoles and it is the PS4.

If we take the legacy of PS4 into account, it would make sense to deduce that the PS5 would be similarly priced. Sony executives would want the PS5 to do just as well as the PS4. However, it isn’t that simple. Taking into account the general inflation that occurred over the past 7 years, the demand of a new console machine and the latest technology that is being used in the PS5 systems, the price is going to a lot higher than the measly $399. Some people predict it to be as high as $799 but personally, I believe that’s a bit too high. When the PS3 launched, the price was $499 in 2006 - that was a lot of money in 2006 and because of this steep price, the console ended up not selling as well. Sony learnt a valuable lesson in 2006 and they are not going to repeat the same mistakes. I believe that it’s not going to be as low as $399 for the PS4 in 2013 and it is also not going to be as high as $499 for the PS3 in 2006.

Sony’s Strategy

article in progress, please check back later

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