Sony Wants to Ensure “Getting the Value Equation Right” For PS5 Amidst Current Economic Upheaval

The PS5 is certainly looking like an impressive piece of machinery, and if yesterday’s barrage of game announcements is anything to go by, that impressive tech is going to be backed up by a solid stream of excellent content as well. However, the one factor that will be pivotal in many decisions for purchasing the console is price- which is something that Sony haven’t revealed yet.

Questions about what the PS5’s price will be have been asked countless times, and given the current situation of the world – with the global economy facing unprecedented stability due to the COVID-19 pandemic – that question becomes even more pertinent. Microsoft’s answer to that with the Xbox Series X’s potential pricing seems to be very simple– the Series X is simply one part of a larger ecosystem, and there are many cheaper ways to get into that ecosystem. But what about Sony?

Speaking in an interview with BBC, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan touched on this topic, and said that now more than ever, Sony are going to try and ensure that the PS5 provides the best possible value for money that it can, but also specifically said that the emphasis there is on value, not price- echoing very similar recent statements.

“Conventional wisdom and history show that our business is one of the more recession-proof businesses,” Ryan said. “But I think this will sharpen our need to ensure that we focus on getting the value equation right. And I emphasise value as opposed to price.

“We must be more attentive than ever before to ensure that the overall value proposition in terms of the console and the games – the range of games, the quality of games, the quantity of games – makes this something that our community aspires towards.”

The explicit caveat that Sony’s focus for the PS5 is on value instead of price seems to suggest that the console will launch at a higher price than one would normally expect, but will look to make up for that with its hardware and content offerings. That is, of course, just speculation for now- with the PS5 scheduled for a Holiday 2020 launch, we should learn more about its official pricing sooner rather than later.

When the PS5 does launch, it will be releasing with Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales as a launch title. Sony showed off the console’s form factor yesterday, while also detailing its digital-only SKU. Read more on that through here.