According to Bloomberg, Sony could bet on a more timid launch of the PlayStation 5 to protect its margin. This would result in particular in a number of machines produced in the first year significantly reduced compared to the PS4.
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It’s no secret that Sony’s management is in the midst of a hesitation, even an internal conflict, regarding the initial positioning of the PlayStation 5. While the video game branch of the Japanese conglomerate wishes rather to be aggressive and assume a strategy of selling at a loss on the hardware, other thinking heads see the rather salty invoice of the components and do not consider it necessary to show the fangs from the launch, nor to align themselves at all costs with the price of the new console of Microsoft, the Xbox Series X.
Now, according to Bloomberg, the balance would rather tend to tip in favor of the latter. Indeed, according to sources “close to the case”, Sony would have informed its partners that only 5 to 6 million machines would be produced during the fiscal year 2021 (which extends until March 31, 2021), where the PlayStation 4 had passed at 7.5 million d ‘copies only in the first two quarters of marketing. In principle, the start of production for the PlayStation 5 should be given next June. This reduced production would be a sign that Sony expects relatively moderate demand, which can only be explained by a higher price.
Sony heals its margin
As we explained last February, each console should cost Sony approximately $ 470, a price which is explained in particular by the high price of components in times of high demand. According to the sources of Bloomberg, the coronavirus pandemic would have no effect on the Sony supply circuit, but would be the source of some delays in the establishment of production and, naturally, the reason for the pause of all efforts to promote the future console. An initial recommended sale price of $ 499 / €, or even $ 549 / €, would therefore be expected. But the final decision has not yet been made. On the one hand, Sony’s roadmap for the 2021 fiscal year has not yet been validated by the board of directors. On the other hand, if ever Microsoft were to be much more aggressive, it is a safe bet that the Japanese group would immediately make an effort to limit the price gap between competing consoles.
In principle, Sony nevertheless seems to be heading towards a smooth transition to the new generation. Besides the production of PlayStation 5 launched more timidly than in the past, the firm does not hide that it still intends to rely for a moment on the revenues linked to the PlayStation 4, without forgetting a policy which tends towards a greater share of regular income (PSN, PlayStation Now). To this is added a significant external factor: if Sony is not fundamentally impacted by the coronavirus, it is however the case of several studios responsible for feeding the launch catalog of the PS5. In other words, the console should arrive on the shelf in due time, but the games capable of taking advantage of it could, at first, be quite limited in number.
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However, Sony has absolutely no plans to postpone the launch of its console. As long as Microsoft maintains an exit in the fall of 2020 for the Xbox Series X, it is certain that a new machine stamped PlayStation will be there to stand up to it on the stalls.
Recall that the PlayStation 5 has not been the subject of an official presentation so far, even if its system architecture and its controller, DualSense, have been revealed by Sony. And for the moment, no event has been announced. Microsoft, for its part, is expected to knock down its cards in June during an online event. The American giant was originally scheduled to make the official presentation of its console at the E3 show, but it was canceled due to the current health situation.
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