The next generation of consoles is on the horizon, and as we eagerly await more information on the upcoming offerings from Sony and Microsoft, there are concerns about the PlayStation 5.
A Japanese analyst’s predictions about the console launch suggest Sony might be set to make the same mistake it did with the PlayStation 3 – selling it at too high a price to appeal to consumers.
In a quarterly report of Sony by analyst Hideki Yasuda of Ace Research Institute, the PS5 is forecasted to drop at a price of $499 USD – $100 more expensive than the PS4 Pro was at launch [via Inverse].
“[The console] will be launched at the present time in November 2020 and priced at $499,” writes Yasuda [via Google Translate]. “It is assumed that sales of 6 million units in the first year and 15 million units in the next year.”
The hefty price tag might put off a lot of buyers, even if it turns out to be the best console on the market.
Back in 2007, Sony saw disappointing initial sales of the PlayStation 3. Console chief for Sony at the time, Jack Tretton, admitted the company made “missteps” during the launch phase, specifically relating to price.
Sony’s main competitors, Microsoft and Nintendo, are expected to have more budget-friendly prices for their next consoles. Google’s cloud-based streaming service, Stadia, is also expected to be fairly cheap, with the only hardware being a controller that’s optional to purchase.
In an interview with WIRED last month, Sony’s Mark Cerny spilled the beans on the PS5’s backward compatibility, power and launch year, but didn’t touch on the price.
WIRED senior correspondent Peter Rubin then took to Twitter to say that Cerny and he did discuss the price – it just didn’t make it into the article.
“So: this didn’t make it into my PlayStation story, but given how much people are speculating about the Sony console’s price (esp given the SSD/chip combo), thought I should probably give a tiny little bit of interview transcript on it,” tweeted Rubin.
When asked about the pricing, Cerny reportedly responded: “I believe that we will be able to release it at an SRP [suggested retail price] that will be appealing to gamers in light of its advanced feature set.”
What do you think about the cost of the PS5?
Featured Image Credit: Sony