Report: Sony Slashing PlayStation 5 Pricing In Response to Xbox Series X/S

Tsing

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Yesterday, Microsoft finally revealed that its next-gen consoles, the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, would be released on November 10 and cost $499 and $299, respectively. These are very impressive prices, especially when you consider what they’re packing under their hoods. In fact, they’re so good that Sony is supposedly now on high alert.



According to Gamereactor’s sources, Sony has slashed the price of the PlayStation 5 to $499 so it can meet Microsoft’s flagship eye to eye. The digital edition of the console, which lacks the standard SKU’s 4K UHD Blu-ray disc drive, has also been reduced to $399. While that’s nowhere near as good...
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I thought the +disc version was going to be $499 anyway. If Sony needs to reduce cost on the discless one, could reduce the SSD size as well. Honestly though I don't know if Sony will dig too deep, they do not have the infinitely deep pockets that MS does so they cannot afford to sell below cost.

I think MS is really on to something with the financing model that includes gamepass. Sony should think about something similar that includes PS+/now/whatever
 
Sony knows what a $100 price difference did to their lifetime sales of the PS3, and what it did to Microsoft with the Xbox One, so they definitely don't want to make that mistake again.
 
Exactly, you can't "slash" what doesn't exist. And all that we have had with regard to PS5 pricing is speculative rumors, ALL of which say the disc version will be priced at $499. So we've gone from one guess down to... Well, the same guess.

Side note, I would happily pay $499 or more if Sony would just TAKE MY MONEY already. It's really frustrating that they're still not taking pre-orders this close to "holiday 2020." Kind of inconsiderate to potential customers too, for most people, a $499(?) expense is one that needs to be planned for.
 
Yea it's the same statement like... 'Nvidia slashed prices of the ampere line of video cards in order to keep them price competitive with AMD's blah blah 2 chipset." Nobody knows for sure if that is the case unless they have seen stolen data from both companies in one place where they took the moves based on what the other hasn't announced.

Because really if that IS the case then there is some severe data theft happening in the background.... and I'm kinda upset we don't hear about it. Because that would totally be a hackers, sneakers, cyberpunk type of thing and totally awesome! ;)
 
I've been saying for a couple years. Kw ever since this program was first announced that I saw Microsoft completely changing their business model to reflect something more akin to a combo of iPhone and Netflix.

With time I keep being proven on to something as announcement after announcement they've either confirmed or made pretty clear they're heading the way I predicted they would.

The company is aiming for Netflix on that they are focused on recurring revenue vs hardware or even software sales. They want anyone and everyone to have an option to pay them monthly no matter how or where they want to play (this has already basically happened and is being shown more and more to be their focus).

The second part is still coming together but it's about halfway there and everything from the naming scheme of "series" to the financing program to help you get in the final part of the puzzle is already kinda hinted at with the financing program.

They plan to offer new hardware on a much more regular basis and the idea of "generations" will effectively be dead. Their support between one and series already kinda starts this but between the naming scheme and the fact that the financing program leans heavily into explaining an upgrade program available to you 18 months after signing up (why would you need an upgrade in 18 months unless there's plans to have new hardware soon-ish?) it's pretty clear they want to get you into a pattern much more akin to a cell phone plan than anything they've do e in the past.

By financing you a piece of hardware that will evolve over time or will always be there to entice you to keep upgrading and keep paying them those sweet sweet recurring revenues.

The consoles may not come yearly at least not at first but I certainly expect new hardware with 2 years or so with subsequent iterations coming even more often til they get it to a level akin to the new iPhone.
The games will evolve with time and instead of generations it will work like iPhone do where things work on older hardware up to a certain point but that line in the sand is always moving forward and once you're on the backside of it any new software releases wouldn't work for you and an upgrade will be required to continue enjoying new stuff.

The final piece to my Nostradamus moment can't be confirmed for a couple more years but just remember when it happens you heard it here first from some guy on article comment section lol
 
No way to confirm but sources point to it and facts do as well.

If Sonys original financial plan lined up with this or better they would have bounced right back with a rebuttal (especially when the other day was the 25th anniversary of the US Playstation 1 launch) but instead it's silence because they are scrambling to adjust in a way that's competitive but also not massively detrimental to the finances.

They'll come out matching and ultimately it won't matter Sony had to wait because they couldn't afford to let Microsoft undercut them while Microsoft can go lower without it killing them big time.

By coming out strong they've made sure the higher Sony succeeds the more "damage" Microsofts pricing will be to them. So I'm sure that's a plus for MS.

I don't suspect Microsoft to ever beat Sony and I don't think they do either but more importantly they don't care.

They aren't even fighting the same battle anymore.

Microsoft would be happy if you could play their game pass even on a Playstation. They just want more and more places for people to sign up to pay them monthly recurring payments.

They want to be the Netflix of gaming not the king of hardware sales.

Doesn't mean they can't put pressure on Sony ships doing that and the last few years have proven that MS doing this has been beneficial for everyone as we've seen Sony respond to big MS moves in ways they would never have done otherwise.
 
You know services are the new profit buzz word because Nvidia is bundling a streaming gaming SERVICE with their 3080 cards. I'm still flabbergasted at that.
 
Game service, yeah, may take that just as with streaming. A console here and there and a monthly all in service im okay with that. If the screw too much with selection, then no.
If they wanted to do tiers they could do it with delays, cheap tiers get new games delayed up to say 2 years (with bigger titles delayed the full two years) a medium tier with up to a year, and a premium tier with at release access. 9.99 19.99 and 29.99 a month. Im in for 9.99.
Honestly I can see myself getting 2 consoles and paying 2 monthly subs at the low end if the service would work like that for ms and sony. Im patient, Im okay with delays.. a lot of people will opt for the no delay.
If this is the future of consoles, im okay with it actually.
 
Any new console should come with x number of titles that year. Old, new, whatever. You get x number in that first year at cost. The next year you get x number at 50% off, after that 20% off then done you buy all titles at cost or with whatever deal you can find on line.

Caveat.. for years 2 and 3 you have to have a sub to the console gaming service of your type to get the deal.

Now when you buy that new 500 dollar console, you can sell it as.. "But I get three games for free with it and my year of gaming service sub and that alone saves me... 330 dollars so really the console is ONLY 170!!
 
If I ever get another console I would seriously consider a lease on one with a paid game streaming service.
 
Riccochet said:
Whatever M$ is calling their game service these days. I don't want to deal with physical disks.
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Okay, but you can use xCloud on your PC or phone. They're openly beta testing on Android phones right now, but Microsoft plans to launch the service on practically every device out there.
 
Armenius said:
Okay, but you can use xCloud on your PC or phone. They're openly beta testing on Android phones right now, but Microsoft plans to launch the service on practically every device out there.
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Except Apple.

Because Apple... I don't know what they were thinking.
 
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