PlayStation 5 will "emphasize value over price," says Sony

[midian182]

Why it matters: We now know what the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 look like. We also know most of their hardware specs and have seen some games. But the big question remains: how much will they cost? In the case of Sony’s machine, we’ve just heard that the company will be "emphasizing value as opposed to price."

The admittedly vague statement comes from PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan, who was speaking to the BBC.

There’s still no official word on how much the PS5 will cost. It’s something that’s rumored to be a sticking point for Sony. In February, we heard that deciding a price for the console was proving difficult, with expensive components, such as the much-praised SSD, pushing the price tag up to $470 or more. It's also rumored that the next PlayStation’s supply could be limited at launch due to its high price.

According to Ryan, however, Sony has acknowledged that a potentially disastrous recession in the wake of Covid-19 lockdowns means the MSRP of the PS5 will be even more of a deciding factor for those considering a purchase.

"Conventional wisdom and history show that our business is one of the more recession-proof businesses," said Ryan.

"But I think this will sharpen our need to ensure that we focus on getting the value equation right. And I emphasize 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."

Last week’s PS5 event revealed two PS5 consoles: one with a disc drive for physical games and playing 4K Blu-Rays, and a disc-free, digital-only machine. We can expect the latter to be around $50 - $100 cheaper than the standard console. With digital purchases becoming increasingly popular, this looks like a smart move by Sony, one that could increase its overall PS5 sales.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/85629-playstation-5-emphasize-value-over-price-sony.html

 

[gigantor21]

I wonder how long this game of chicken with the pricing can last. Retailers need to put these systems up for preorder sooner or later.

 

[QuantumPhysics]

I hear so much talk about the SSD but I will be the judge once I actually get to test it.

I need to see the price and I need to see killer apps.

Thus far neither Xbox nor PS5 have shown me anything that I want that can't get on the PC.

 

[m4a4]

It's stuff like this that makes me think that they're going to go for $600+ USD. Which, in this economy, just looks like they'll be shooting themselves in the foot (probably just a lose-lose situation for them right now).

 

[Gypsygib]

I wonder if the digital only will have a bigger SSD than the disc drive version.

 

[dirtyferret]

I value my money so what's the price?

 

[brucek]

What do we think Sony pays for an internal blu-ray drive? Maybe $10? If they're charging $100 I'd bet it's more about wanting to push all sales digital vs wanting a lower cost hardware option.

 

[Danny101]

What I recommend is at least 4 different starting models at different price points with the smallest feasible SSD size of 500GB at this point, I guess, another model would include a Blu-Ray player, a third one with a 1 TB drive, and the last...1 TB + Blu-Ray. All priced respectively.

 

[m4a4]

What I recommend is at least 4 different starting models at different price points with the smallest feasible SSD size of 500GB at this point, I guess, another model would include a Blu-Ray player, a third one with a 1 TB drive, and the last...1 TB + Blu-Ray. All priced respectively.

1TB minimum for this next gen. 500GB is too small for what potential games will have with an SSD. Heck, I would like to see 2TB as minimum, but that would add an easy $50-$100 to the base price...

 

[Theinsanegamer]

I still havent seen anything that makes me want one. The PS4's exclusive library was trash compared to the PS3 or the mighty PS2, and these machines are going to be ridiculously expensive, I'm betting $600+ for the bast 1TB model.

 

[Rayneofpayne]

Well most 4k Blu-ray drives are still running at the >200$ mark in the US so tbf this could have alot of value, I am going to expect it to be around $500 though, but I think the value is there as you simply have backwards compatibility and a better piece of hardware out the gate that can handle significantly more including the pro games.

 

[Danny101]

Well most 4k Blu-ray drives are still running at the >200$ mark in the US so tbf this could have alot of value, I am going to expect it to be around $500 though, but I think the value is there as you simply have backwards compatibility and a better piece of hardware out the gate that can handle significantly more including the pro games.

It's the backwards compatibility that would sell it for me. Haven't played one PS4 game to date.

 

[Gezzer]

I wonder if the digital only will have a bigger SSD than the disc drive version.

Might, but I doubt it. With the PS4 almost everything on a disc get's copied to the HDD anyway AFAIK. The big advantage of the discs is not having to download as much of the game initially, after that it's mostly for DRM purposes then anything else.

 

[Rjmachine]

I will pick one up eventually. Not at launch. I'm sure first revision is going to have some issues, and overpriced.

No rush for me. Especially not when there's barely any launch titles.

Hoping for all-black version.

Horizon Forbidden West is the only MUST-PLAY confirmed title for me.

If Bloodborne is getting a Remaster (with save-game import) it would be very awesome.

 

[Claude Ammar]

It's the backwards compatibility that would sell it for me. Haven't played one PS4 game to date.

Totally agree, I always wanted to invest in a PS4 but never did. What should I do with my PS3 games (which I'm still playing) that require expensive accessories like DJ Hero, Guitar Hero, Band Hero and dozens of my ps3 games?
"Backwards compatibility would sell" for me and for a lot of other gamers as well.