It’s Black Friday week, which means plenty of shoppers will be purchasing a bunch of gifts for the upcoming holiday season, and gaming consoles will probably be on the list. PlayStation and Xbox gaming systems are cheaper than ever on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and you’ve got plenty of exciting bundles to choose from.
This year, however, is different than past years, as we’re under a year away from the launch of the next-gen Sony and Microsoft consoles. If you were wondering whether buying a new console in late 2019 makes sense, given that the PS5 and Xbox Scarlett are on the way, well, we have an answer: Yes, it does. And you should still upgrade to the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Scarlett next fall.
Recent reports have indicated that the PS5 and Xbox Scarlett might cost $499 at launch, which is more expensive than current models, but still cheaper than we expected. We’re looking at gaming rigs that will feature costly components, including custom CPUs, GPUs, and SSDs.
But it still makes sense to purchase a discounted PS4 or Xbox One during Black Friday, and then ditch it next fall for the PS5 or Xbox Scarlett. Black Friday prices are currently ranging from $149.99 to $349.99 for Xbox One, and from $199.99 to $299.99 for PS4. That’s at least a $100 discount compared to standard prices.
Buying a brand new console right now means you still get a full year of action out of either platform, and it’s very likely that the games you’ll buy for that console will work on the next-gen version as well. Both the PS5 and Xbox One should offer backward compatibility support, at least for current-gen titles.
When it comes to upgrades, Microsoft is in a place where it can offer an Xbox Scarlett upgrade deal via its Xbox All Access package sale. You’ll have to purchase a brand new Xbox One X console bundled with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and pay at least 12 installments before trading it in for the Xbox Scarlett next year.
Sony doesn’t have a similar product upgrade path in place, which is a shame, considering that the PS5 will target more than 100 million PS4 owners, owners that Sony wants to transition to the PS5 as soon as possible. However, that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to trade your existing PS4 for the new console when it launches.
A Twitter user seemingly revealed the PS5’s launch date and price a few days ago, going as far as to claim that the new console will feature a 2TB SSD onboard. In the same series of tweets, he advised existing console owners to trade in their current console with local retailers, including GameStop (USA) and Game (UK), saying owners should get at least $100 for their old hardware:
https://twitter.com/PSErebus/status/1196566327873462272
That would allow them to purchase the PlayStation 5 for $100 cheaper than the sticker price, which could be as low as $399, assuming that the $499 PS5 price is accurate:
https://twitter.com/PSErebus/status/1196566379832496130
So, if you already thought that $599 would be a fair price for the PS5, given the kind of hardware it’ll feature, then buying a brand new console right now for around $200 and trading it in for a PS5 next year might make sense. And, again, you get one year of PS4 while you wait for the PS5 or Xbox Scarlett to launch. The same is true if you’re considering buying a new PlayStation or Xbox console for your kids or grandkids.
