The inception of a new generation of consoles is always an exciting time for us gamers. With new hardware comes larger, more advanced and more detailed experiences, but it also comes with a fairly substantial blow to our poor old wallets.
The launch of the PlayStation 3 is still a a sore spot for many who remember its $999 price point, with the PlayStation 4 coming it at a much more reasonable, though still pricey, $549. So it’s safe to say that gaming can be an expensive hobby at the turn of a generation.
According to a Bloomberg report, Sony is apparently having a hard time keeping costings down in the manufacturing process of the PlayStation 5, which could see its consumer price rise higher than expected.
Bloomberg’s insider information claims that the manufacturing costs of the PlayStation 5 could be as high as $450 USD (roughly $670 AUD), meaning that the minimum retail price would be around $499 USD (roughly $750 AUD) before adding on additional retail costs. The main issue driving the price up is the scarcity of DRAM and NAND flash memory that are being snapped up by smarthone creators.
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The console heavy-hitters are known to sell their units at a very small profit margin, or even at a loss in order to get them in the hands of consumers, hoping to make back the profit with software, accessories and subscriptions.
Sony is known to release their console pricing in February, though according to Bloomberg’s report we might be waiting a little longer than usual to find out what the damage will be. Their sources say that Sony may be waiting for Microsoft to make the first move, holding off until the Xbox Series X price is unveiled before they do the same.
Separately in the report, the unnamed inside sources claim that a new version of the PlayStation VR is in the works, set to release shortly after the launch of the PS5.
The assumption was that we would all be forking out a fair bit for the new consoles, but does this news deter you at all? Will you get the PS5 day one if those prices turn out to be accurate? Let us know.
