Video game industry analyst Michael Pachter has recently revealed his thoughts on Sony's next-generation PlayStation 5 console, including its Digital Edition. And according to Pachter, Sony "really blew it" when it comes to the PS5 Digital Edition.
Pachter made this statement in a recent interview with Gaming Bolt. During the interview, Pachter explained that "Sony really blew it" with the PS5 Digital Edition because of how the console is priced. Pachter believes that it costs around $450 to build a PS5, and so Sony is "breaking even" with the standard PS5 console, but "losing $40 or so" on the PS5 Digital Edition. Pachter added that a disc drive isn't worth enough for the PS5 Digital Edition to be priced $100 lower than a standard PS5.
Pachter acknowledged that Sony would be getting $6 more with each digital game purchase than it would with physical game purchases, which could potentially be the reasoning behind why it priced the PS5 Digital Edition the way it did. However, Pachter doesn't think that many consumers will buy enough games for Sony to cover up the loss. This could cause Sony to produce fewer PS5 Digital Editions, which some reports have indicated is already happening.
It should be noted that many video game companies have sold consoles at a loss over the years. And as time goes on, it will cost Sony less to manufacture PS5 systems, and so it will eventually starting making a profit on consoles sold as opposed to just software sold.
Other analysts have predicted that PS5 sales will be considerable, to the point that the system may become one of, if not the, best-selling video game console to date. This combined with impressive sales numbers that Sony games typically enjoy, and it seems unlikely that the company will be putting itself in a bad spot with the PS5 Digital Edition.
And if Sony sells as many PlayStation 5 consoles as analysts predict, one would think that would mean an increase in PlayStation Plus subscribers as well. Sony is going a long way in beefing up the value of PlayStation Plus with the PlayStation Plus Collection on PS5, which gives players instant access to a slew of highly-rated PS4 games, mainly exclusive titles. Perhaps Sony will be able to offset the losses it experiences from selling PS5 Digital Edition consoles by getting more gamers signed up for PlayStation Plus.
We'll have a much better idea of how this all plays out later on, but for now, fans can look forward to the PS5 release date of November 12.
Source: Gaming Bolt