- The PS5 price might be higher than what gamers have been expecting, and Sony will reportedly not have enough PlayStation 5 inventory on hand at launch so shortages may be widespread.
- The new PlayStation’s release date is still a secret, but Sony plans to launch the console this holiday season. A delay is still possible and Sony might postpone the PS5 if Microsoft does the same thing with the Xbox Series X.
- It’s unclear when Sony will reveal its new PS5 design, as the report says the only reason the DualSense controller was unveiled was to prevent leaks.
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The novel coronavirus pandemic may cause some severe disruptions when it comes to the launches of some of this year’s most hotly anticipated products. The list doesn’t include only Apple’s iPhone 12 series, but also the next-gen video game consoles expected to hit stores during the holiday season. Microsoft said recently that it had no reason to expect an Xbox Series X delay, but that could still happen. Things are in flux and the COVID-19 crisis might still hurt consoles this year.
Microsoft hasn’t revealed an actual launch date or pricing information for the new Xbox Series X, and we have no idea when these critical announcements will come. Sony has announced even fewer things about its new console than Microsoft. The PS5 design hasn’t been revealed and the company might not even be able to hold a press event for the console, a new report says. The new PlayStation is still supposed to be released this year, but it could be more expensive than initially believed. On top of that, initial stock might be much lower than expected and shortages could hamper the device’s release.
Sony might make only between 5 million and 6 million PlayStation 5 units in the fiscal year ending March 2021, Bloomberg has learned from people involved in the supply chain. The reason why Sony is limiting the initial production run isn’t the COVID-19 pandemic but the console’s specs, the report says. However, PS5 production volume could still change depending on the COVID-19 situation. Suppliers have started delivering PS5 components and the console is scheduled to enter mass-production in June.
Weirdly enough, Sony supposedly doesn’t plan to delay the PS5 unless Microsoft postpones the launch of the Xbox Series X as well. If the PS5 launch does go forward according to plan, Sony wants to go for a simultaneous PS5 launch around the globe. This could further reduce availability before Christmas.
According to the report, the PS5’s “ambitious specs” will “weigh on demand by leading to a high price at launch.” Unnamed game developers who have been creating titles for the new PlayStation expect the console to cost as much as $549. That estimate is slightly higher than some rumors that pointed to $499 as the price for the PS5. Some analysts think both Sony and Microsoft might aim for the lowest possible price point at launch, even if that means losing money on initial sales.
Sony plans to make up for lost PS5 sales by pushing PS4 models as a bridge to get more users on the PlayStation platform, which includes the PlayStation Plus membership and the PlayStation Now game-streaming service. The prices of the PS4 and PS4 Pro might be cut when the PS5 launches to make them more appealing to buyers.
Sony’s board hasn’t been able to meet to approve business plans for the current fiscal year, the report notes. A meeting was supposed to take place in March. But Bloomberg doesn’t explain why such meetings can’t happen remotely, which is how many people work from home nowadays. The report also says that Sony may have to abandon plans to host a public press conference for the PS5 because of the pandemic.
The company only unveiled the DualSense controller a few days ago because it feared the device would leak, the report claims. The final PS5 design is only known to a small circle within Sony, the report says. As a result, it might be less likely to leak than the controller that had already been shared with developers.
