There’s been plenty of PS5 price news and speculation over the last couple of months, some of it both good and bad for Sony PlayStation and Microsoft.
This includes world factors affecting the final price of new next-gen consoles, which would be out of the control of either company.
Then there are more recent reports on the new PlayStation 5 and Xbox Two consoles, which provide a mixed view of how their launches will affect the industry and gamers.
One key factor that analysts are tracking right now is when we will officially hear about next-gen consoles and how that will affect the market in 2019.
Industry analyst Mat Piscatella is hoping to hear more details on the price of the PS5 and Xbox Two soon.
And one of the reasons for this is how it will hit the current sales of the PS4 and Xbox One.
Piscatella gave more information on Twitter, posting: “I know everyone’s excited about next-gen at E3, I’m just hoping to see anything that’ll get me to believe we won’t see 25%+ hardware sales declines for the next 18 months.”
As you can imagine, console declines of this nature would have a huge effect on the overall market.
One Twitter user speculated over if a price drop on the PS4 and Xbox One would help avoid this, with Piscatella adding: “Price drops are great for sustaining unit demand, but it’s rare for a price drop to drive enough incremental volume to make up for the price decline and lead to overall higher dollars.
“Content is what best moves baseline demand, and this year’s slate is unlikely to match last’s.
“But who knows, all depends on the price, offerings and support. That’s what I’m hoping to hear more about this E3…
“Declines are faster than I’d forecast. Last year’s strong HW performance due to Fortnite/X/Pro made things better than normal cyclicality last year probably exacerbating things a bit.”
So while a PS4 and Xbox One price drop would be great for current-gen gamers, it’s hard to see whether it would help Sony and Microsoft in the short term.
Other good news confirmed by Sony this week for consumers is that they will allow PS5 and PS4 gamers to play together online.
This will be facilitated through backwards compatibility (via Game Rant), a key returning feature for Sony PlayStation.
This could help bridge the gap between the generational shift and also give a massive incentive for current PS4 owners to stick with the PlayStation brand.
It’s unclear if BC features will be enough to offset a high PS5 price, which is being predicted to be between $400 and $500 in 2020.
Sony is expected to keep sharing news about the PS5 and possibly confirm their launch plans for next year, in the coming months.
Some analysts believe the PS5 release date will be set for November 2020 and will offer a competitive price point.
This would mean Sony selling their new console at a loss, offsetting this problem with robust software sales and increased subscriptions. But there could be another factor at play that could affect the price of the PS5 and Xbox Two.
The Office of the United States Trade Representative has published new details on what goods are being considered for new tariffs. These charges could be as high as 25% on new goods that are imported from China, a vast manufacturing base for many companies.
There’s plenty of items listed in the new document, including “video game consoles and machines,” which would no doubt include the PS5 and Xbox Two.
At this point, we can’t be sure if these new tariffs will be imposed on consoles, but if they are, a 25% change would see a definite price change.
A hearing for these tariff changes is expected later this month, and changes could be brought into effect within weeks of being decided. The schedule currently lists June 17; however, things continue to change rapidly in the current negotiations.
Sony has already hinted that they may need to move production out of China, although no further news on this front has been shared since early 2019.
