The PlayStation 5 is on its way, with it recently announced that the console is expected to be released during the back end of 2020. With this news, there has been a host of theories about features, exclusives, and of course, price. Interestingly, the specs of the console may impact the price, but a huge part of the cost may be down to the pricing of the Xbox's Project Scarlett.
Many favor the PS4 over the Xbox One, but there will be new challenges around the corner, meaning it may not be as clear-cut next gen. With this in mind, many may also be weighing an approximate cost of the PS5 so that piggy banks can be filled, smashed, and quite possibly glued back together.
First, the CPU Cores of the PlayStation 5 are much more impressive than the previous generations. The clock speed for the CPU should have a sizable jump from 2.13 GHz to 3.6GHz if rumors are to be believed. The number of cores is actually the same as the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X, but it will have 16 threads this should mean multiple tasks should be done with more ease. The console is more powerful, as it should be six years after the release of the original PS4, so although the specs are impressive and there are rumors of the console running on 8k, that shouldn't fluctuate the price too much. Primarily because every generation should be a significant upgrade, and 8k televisions aren't commonplace yet.
Still, features will play a heavy role next-gen when it comes to cost, so between subscriptions services, functionality improvements, and major changes — such as the PlayStation 5 changing how players install games — it's something to consider.
Rumors indicate that the next-gen console may sport PlayStation 5 new features including an in-built camera, and it's confirmed to have a new controller. The new features and specs are important in finding a price point. Yet, the competition from Xbox Scarlett will undoubtedly be the deciding factor when it comes to the price point. The Xbox One was released at a price point of $499 and the PlayStation undercut this price by $100. Whether Xbox will lower its expectations or PlayStation will take advantage of this difference and decide to increase profit margins in the new generation remains to be seen. While neither has revealed starting price, there is a logical way to estimate the cost of the consoles.
The PlayStation 4 was released at $399, with the 2013 inflation rate has increasing by 0.25%. By this logic, the PlayStation 5 would set buyers back only one dollar more than the PlayStation 4. With the way prices are set for retail purposes, it is likely that the $399 price would stay, but there are other mitigating factors for price to be considered. Sony let go of a number of employees from its gaming divisions in the wake of the PlayStation 5's announcement, with the company restructuring, which may mean it will restructure their its model for better or worse.
With the number of exclusives that Sony currently has access to, it wouldn't be surprising if it raised the price of its next console. After all, Sony did just announce The Last of Us 2 at its State of Play. It would make sense in terms of retaining the licences of its titles, installing new features, and improving Sony's already impressive profit margins. While Xbox may learn from the previous generation and lower its prices, Sony may be tempted to go in the other direction after the past 5 years of dominance. There may also be deals at certain stores because of bulk stock, but this will unlikely be in place when the console launches.
The lowest price point for the PlayStation 4 will seemingly be $399, and with the incredibly well-timed slogan "for the players" last generation, it is doubtful that the company will begin to misfire now. The real question will be whether Sony takes advantage of its assets immediately or releases an upgraded version. There are already rumors that there is a PlayStation 5 Pro in the works, which if this is the case, then players can be hopeful that the PS5 maintains the PS4's launch price. Those looking for a deal can find one, and those looking for power would benefit too. With that said, market advantage and considerable hardware upgrades may see the PlayStation 5 may revert to the PS3's cost of $499. A fair price, but not the bargain of $399.
The PlayStation 5 will be released sometime during the 2020 holiday season.