Today is the day of the big PlayStation 5 Showcase event, where Sony is set to give fans another look at some of the games for its upcoming next-generation console, and is expected to reveal the price and release date as well. Alongside announcing the PS5 price and release date, Sony is also expected to reveal when exactly fans will be able to pre-order the PS5, but a French retailer may have let the cat out of the bag early.

French retailer Fnac has started putting up PS5 marketing materials that say the console is "available to pre-order." PS5 pre-orders aren't technically open yet at the time of this writing, but French publication Frandroid believes that this is a sign that pre-orders will go live either tomorrow, September 17, or even as early as today. If PS5 pre-orders go live later today, it would likely happen right after the PS5 Showcase presentation wraps, though it seems unlikely, as Sony had previously said that it would give fans advanced notice as to when they can pre-order the console.

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PS5 pre-orders going live on Thursday, September 17, makes much more sense. Not only would this match what Sony previously said about fans having advanced notice, but it would also ensure that the PS5 pre-orders go live before anyone even has the chance to pre-order the competing next-generation console, Microsoft's Xbox Series X.

ps5 price

Xbox Series X pre-orders will go live on Tuesday, September 22, at which point fans will be able to put money down toward both the standard Xbox Series X as well as the Xbox Series S. Microsoft has also already announced the Xbox Series X and S price points of $499 and $299, respectively, and according to reports, that sent Sony into a bit of a panic. If the rumors are to be believed, Sony slashed the PS5 price in response to Microsoft's announcement so that the standard PS5 will now cost $499, and the PS5 Digital Edition will cost $399. Whether or not there's any truth to that remains to be seen, but fans don't have to wait much longer to find out.

In the meantime, some analysts have predicted an even lower price for the PS5. There are some who think that Sony may sell the PS5 for $450, making it $50 cheaper than the Xbox Series X. If so, and if it plans on opening up PS5 pre-orders later this week, then Sony could effectively undercut the Xbox Series X in two major ways.

But while Sony may have PS5 pre-orders go live ahead of the Xbox Series X, it's unlikely that the console itself will be available before the new Xbox. The general consensus seems to be that the PS5 release date will be mid to late November, whereas the Xbox Series X release date is November 10. Luckily, PS5 release date information will likely be made available during the PS5 Showcase later today, so the rumors and speculation can finally come to an end.

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Source: Frandroid (via GamesRadar)