With the PlayStation 5 inbound later this year, and with the hardware and a partial launch window lineup finally unveiled a few weeks ago, we’ve got some thoughts about just when and for how much Sony is going to make its upcoming console available.
CD Projekt Red has recently moved Cyberpunk 2077 to a November 19th launch, falling on the Thursday just eight days before Black Friday in the United States. Knowing that Black Friday is a critical day to ensure that the console is available means we will likely see the console either the same week s Cyberpunk 2077 or potentially even the week before.
Looking at the history, both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 were released two full weeks before Black Friday 2013, which allowed for the majority of first-wave shipments to reach customers, and small batches of follow-up shipments to arrive in stores.
This year, Sony has said that they’re anticipating smaller production quantities, so having the units available two full weeks before the Thanksgiving shopping rush in the US may not be as big a deal.
Others tend to think that the PS5 release date is virtually a certainty. SBD says that the console is heading for a November 20th release date precisely because of its timing before Black Friday. Their information also takes into account the release date for the DualSense controller that has been credibly rumoured to be releasing on November 20th. There’s no reason to release the controller earlier or later than the console, so November 20th may indeed be a lock as a result.
Pricing may be a bit more difficult to predict, as Sony has often taken a loss on their console manufacturing and made up the profit difference in sales of accessories and games. However, as SBD notes again, PlayStation 4 was produced for roughly $381 USD, and sold for $18 higher, at $399. With Bloomberg’s estimation that the PS5’s cost to manufacture is around $450, it is entirely possible that the console retails in the mid-$400s.
We’re a bit less bullish on a low price than some others, and think the PlayStation 5 might be able to hit a $449 price point only without the Blu-Ray drive, however even that seems a bit of a stretch. The optical drive in PlayStation 4 cost about $28 at the onset of PlayStation 4 manufacturing. Not taking into account reductions in costs, simply removing the drive would actually not likely affect the price of the machine by more than $50 to the customer. Any less than this difference, and more customers would likely just spend the extra money to have the drive as a backup means of playing games and watching movies.
After looking at the evidence and the rumours, we expect to see PlayStation 5 launch November 20th for $499 USD for the Digital Edition, with a $549 price tag on the standard PS5 hardware.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!