There are a few details about the upcoming PlayStation 5 that Sony and third-party partners have confirmed about the gaming console, but many are still scrambling to get the finer details. What will the launch price be? When is it coming? What studio is working on the first major launch exclusive? Publication BGR reports (via WinFuture) that Ace Research Institute analyst Hideki Yasuda has predictions for a couple of those questions. Yasuda believes the PS5 will launch in November 2020 with a $500 price tag.
In one of our previous reports, we shared that Sony won’t be spending any money on marketing for the PS5 anytime before March 2020, but the company is spending some of its profits on the development of the next-gen home gaming console. With that being said, a launch date in November of 2020 isn’t something only Yasuda is predicting.
The price of the PS5, though, is a point of contention. The PS4 was $400 at launch and it’s known that companies typically take a loss on hardware early on. The PS5 will not only be utilizing new tech, but it will also require the hardware need to be backward compatible with PS4 games and that alone would warrant a higher price out of the gate. Digital Trends editor Matt Smith theorized that the console’s new chip and solid state drive to cost around $516 to manufacture, compared to the $381 needed to build the PS4. Selling the PS5 for $500 would mean Sony is still taking a loss if the estimates are anywhere near the actual cost and selling it for the same price as the PS4’s launch would be a dangerous gamble.
Suffice it to say, anything sooner or far after November 2020 would be more surprising than actually launching that month. The $500 prediction is also likely, but something lower would definitely impress analysts, enthusiasts, and consumers. The more likely higher price would be more palatable if Sony released a PlayStation streaming service similar to Google Stadia, though. With that, gamers could choose to upgrade immediately to the new console or subscribe to a service to play newer games while the console’s library grows and transitions beyond early ports to the PS5. We’ll have to wait until either PSX 2019 or E3 2020 to get answers.
