For the next generation of consoles, pricing is going to serve as an important battlefield. Sony proved how important it was to have a better price than your competitor when it came to the PlayStation 4 vs. the Xbox One. Sony may use the same approach with the PlayStation 5.
The machine is going to have high-end specs, from what we can tell about the leaked information over the last couple of months, as will Microsoft’s Project Scarlett. So, how does pricing work for Sony to have a machine which is appealing enough in terms of power and doesn’t require the same amount of money of the most powerful gaming PC out there?
In an interview at E3 2019, Michael Pachter told Geoff Keighley that he doesn’t see how it’s possible that Sony could offer such a powerful console, with top-notch technology, at just 3-400 dollars. That price range was the same used for the PS4 to be as successful as it ended up being until now.
The analyst also said that it would be a massive mistake if PlayStation 5 ends up launching at $600. Sony learned with the PS3 how essential it is to get the pricing right because if not, fans won’t go out and purchase a console on day one.
So, the best solution seems to be that of $499, which is the same price Microsoft shipped a couple of years ago the Xbox One X. It’s likely to be the same price as Project Scarlett when it releases next year.