- Sony is widely expected to hold a PlayStation 5 event at some point in early June, where the new console will be unveiled.
- The PS5 price, a piece of key information that Sony hasn’t revealed so far, isn’t expected to drop at the event.
- An insider says the information will be revealed only in August, much later than initially anticipated.
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Sony is widely expected to unveil the PlayStation 5 design during an event in early June. We’ve already heard of two possible dates, including June 2nd and June 4th, although nothing is confirmed. Whatever the case, it seems unlikely for Sony to host an actual in-person press conference. Instead, Sony will likely go for an online-only event, hopefully, one more exciting than the PS5 specs event from a few weeks ago. This time around, Sony won’t talk about specs as much, as we have more significant PlayStation announcements ahead. Specifically, we’re waiting to finally see the design of the PS5, as well as game demos for the new gaming machine. In a way, the announcement would mimic Sony’s PS4 marketing playbook, as the original design of the PS4 was unveiled back in June 2013. Unlike seven years ago, the detail you want most about the new PlayStation will not come next month.
Both the Xbox Series X and the PS5 will deliver massive hardware upgrades that will make possible new gaming experiences. The consoles will feature new CPUs and GPUs from AMD that will help deliver similar performance. The storage on both consoles will probably represent the biggest upgrade over the current models, as both the new Xbox and the PS5 will feature speed SSD solutions. In fact, Sony’s custom SSD drive for the new PlayStation will be even faster than the SSD that Microsoft is using.
With all that in mind, we’ve been trained to expect higher price points for the new consoles. At best, these would start at $499, but they could be even more expensive than that. That’s because the components are costly, and you wouldn’t be able to build a similar gaming PC for less than what you’d pay for the Series X or PS5.
But Sony won’t unveil the price of the new PlayStation at the upcoming event, according to VentureBeat’s Jeff Grubb, who recently said the PS5 design reveal will take place on June 4th.
I wouldn't expect console prices until August. When Intel, Nvidia, and AMD launch similar products, they wait until the last possible minute to set a price. It's the one thing they *can* still change. But, of course, consoles rely more on preorders, so can't wait forever.
— Jeff Grubb (@JeffGrubb) May 20, 2020
“I wouldn’t expect console prices until August,” he tweeted. “When Intel, Nvidia, and AMD launch similar products, they wait until the last possible minute to set a price. It’s the one thing they *can* still change. But, of course, consoles rely more on preorders, so can’t wait forever.”
Recent reports claimed that PS5 preorders will go live soon after the early June event, but that can’t really happen without a pricing structure in place. Well, retailers can accept reservations, but it’s not quite the same thing.
On a related note, we did hear that Microsoft was looking to undercut the PS5 price, so Grubb’s tweet isn’t surprising. Both companies will likely sell the consoles at cost. But Microsoft appears ready not to repeat the mistakes of the past and put up a much better fight.
Recent reports also said that Sony might have limited PS5 stock on hand for the launch and that the console might be more expensive than some people expect. Sony did confirm during its most recent earnings report that it plans to still launch the PS5 on schedule, during the holiday season, despite the novel coronavirus health crisis.
