Next gen is, of course, one of the the major talking points for the games industry as we head into 2020, with both the PS5 and the Xbox Series X launching this holiday, and one particular piece of info that we’re all keeping a keen eye on is what the price of both these consoles is going to be. With the power and specs that both of them seem to be promising, the question of price is a pertinent one- but even though there might end up being a gulf in specs between the two consoles (if recent reports are to be believed), industry analysts think they will end up launching at the same price.
In an article published on GamesIndustry that compiles 2020 predictions for the industry from various analysts, Piers Harding-Rolls of IHS Markit Technology and Dr. Serkan Toto of Kantan Games talked about the potential price points of both consoles, and both arrived at the same conclusion- that Sony and Microsoft’s next-gen consoles will probably launch at similar price points.
Harding-Rolls, in fact, thinks that both consoles will launch for a maximum price of $399. “I also expect pricing of both PS5 and Xbox Series X to be similar,” he said, “and I think it’s more likely than not they will be higher than the PS4 launch price point of $399.”
That said, Harding-Rolls says that Microsoft could go with a dual-SKU approach and opt to release a cheaper, less powerful variant of the Xbox Series X as well, in order to hit that price, while selling the more powerful SKU for higher prices- but he doesn’t expect Sony will do the same (not at launch, anyway).
“A high price point may prompt Microsoft to follow through with a dual-pronged product strategy and release a less powerful, cheaper version of its next-gen platform during the launch window,” he said. “I don’t expect Sony to follow this product strategy at launch so this approach would give Xbox more go-to-market flexibility although it would also add complexity around marketing and consumer education. Personally, I would wait to bring a cheaper version to market.”
Meanwhile, fellow analyst Dr. Serkan Toto agrees that both the PS5 and the Xbox Series X will likely launch at similar prices- but feels that $499 might be the price range they launch with.
“Both consoles will be a lot more similar to each other in terms of specs, pricing and features when compared to the last generation. Microsoft will likely avoid shenanigans like higher price (I expect $499 price tags for both), weaker specs, restrictions to used disc sales etc,” he said.
With the PS5 and the Xbox Series X still months away from launch, both Sony and Microsoft have plenty of time to nail down and announce these final details- here’s hoping they fall within analysts’ predictions on this one.
