2020 is a big year for the PlayStation brand, as Sony is releasing the PlayStation 5 this holiday. We’ve learned a little about the next-generation console so far, like its faster loading times, but there are many questions that remained unanswered. One big one is about pricing.
What will the PS5 cost? Sony management responded to that question during an earnings call, saying those details might depend on other factors, including the competition. This is presumably a reference to the Xbox Series X, which also doesn’t have a price point yet.
“What is not very clear or visible … is because we are competing in the space,” CFO Hiroki Totoki said, though a translator. “So it is very difficult to discuss anything about the price at this time. Depending upon the price level, we may have to determine the promotion that we are going to deploy, and how much cost we are prepared to pay. So it is a question of balance.”
It is difficult to speak concretely about PS5 pricing at this stage, Totoki said, but fans and investors can be sure that Sony will “choose the optimal approach.”
For comparison, the PS4 launched in 2013 at $400 USD, while the Xbox One–which included a Kinect with every console–debuted the same year at $500 USD.
Currently, Sony is focused on nailing down the production and sales elements of the PS5 launch strategy, in addition to securing the right volume of consoles for launch, Totoki said.
Harry Miller is a writer and editor based in Toronto who has Ten years of experience in the journalism industry. Before coming to Canada News Media as a National Online Journalist, Miller worked as a senior writer and a reporter-editor with the Canadian Press and a breaking news reporter with the Toronto Star.
Miller currently holds two bachelor’s degrees, one in journalism from Ryerson University and another in communications and film studies from Carleton University.
