PS5 Will Release Early 2019 (Opinion)

[VideoGameAccountant]

Trumpstyle said:

VideoGameAccountant said:

I disagree. Generations are going to get shorter, not longer, thanks to a major system everyone in this thread is pretending doesn't exist: the PC.

Look at it this way. Let's say I care about graphics and performance. Should I get the PS4 Pro? Or should I get "the most powerful console ever," the XBox One X. How about, instead, I just build a PC. With a PC, I can build a system that runs 4K at 60 FPS. Sure, right now you might spend more to build this PC, but prices on parts go down quickly, and it wont be long before you can build a PC that outdoes the Pro for less than what Sony is selling the Pro for. By 2022, as you suggested, you'd get a far better PC for cheaper. In Febuary of 2017, Logical Incriments had a build for $415 that would be about as good as the PS4 Pro. They also provided a system that was better than the PS4 Pro for $550. By 2019, that $550 build could easily be cheaper than a Pro. Sure, Sony can drop the price, but if performance is a big selling point already, then why not spend a bit more and get more. Keep in mind that PCs are also cheaper to upgrade as oppose to buying a new system.

With Sony and Microsoft going the route of power and performance, they will have to compete with the PC. Even back in 2013, not every game was coming to the PC or the PC would have the worst version. Now, almost every game that isn't first party will come to the PC and the PC will be the best versions. Developers are already complaining that the consoles are holding them back. Unlike Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft don't have a strong portfolio of IPs that can draw customers in. They are highly reliant on 3rd parties to provide the software for their systems. 

Sony is at risk of having their market being absorbed by PC. By focusing on power, customers may make the jump to PC as the PC offer a better library (including previous generation games) and offers better performance. If Playstation's hook is "Our games look the best," then consumers will go to where they do look the best: PC. This is partly why the Pro exist in the first place. Sony needs to compete with PC, where better parts keep coming out older parts get cheaper, and the half-step with the Pro is how they do it. The PS5 will likely be a another half-step to complete with the PCs you can build then. Again, by the time 2022 rolls around, the PS4 Pro will be a joke in terms of performance. Sony will have to compete with the constant incrimental improvements that are seen in the PC world. The half-steps are how they do it. Expect the generations (for Sony at least) to move in tandum with PC parts. Expect the generations to be shorter. 

 

Just need to correct several points you made. First $/performance for PC has barely dropped since 2014. That year you could buy a geforce 970 for about 300$. Today you can buy the cheapest radeon 580 on newegg for 250$ and that gpu is about 15% faster according to the site techpowerup. Then consider Ram to your motherboard has more than double in price since the last 2 years. So $/performance is at a standstill. And is barely dropping whatsoever.

 

Point you made about logical incriments is just BS. First he assumed you can buy radeon 470 for 155$. Well I just checked newegg for 570 (470 don't exist anylonger but 570 is the same gpu) it cheapest cost 230$. Than 8 gb ddr4 ram is the cheapest I found on newegg for 83$ when your site assumed 41$. Your site also skipped mouse+keyboard and OS. That is another 150$ if you doing a fair comparison. Also most people don't know how to build so you need another 70$ for that.

So your point about buying a ps4 pro experience on PC went from 415$ to 752$. Another issue with all this pc compared to console is it only applies to US as components for PC is cheaper there than rest of the world while consoles has about the same price everywhere.

 

You made some additional points in other posts but I'm to lazy to quote. "Like Nintendo switch is good enough as a console because it got Doom and Wolfenstein also that Nintendo switch being a big threat to Sony". NO nintendo switch is not good enough as a console. It actually doing worse than wii U. Wii U had several AAA games more than nintendo switch had by now and it died. Doom and wolfenstein 2 are 60 fps games on console and that is the only reason it can be ported over to the switch for 30 fps experience + nintendo probably paying Bethesda a ton of money. But why would anyone buy those games on the switch? So you can play on the go? Why would anyone pay 60$ for a game to play on a 6 inch screen? When you can play on 50 inch TV with a proper controller.

 

I agree with you about ps5 being released 2019. Sony probably views PC as an indirect competitor but not as an direct competitor. Nintendo switch is not a competitor whatsoever in my view, Ps4 and xbox is both cheaper and has a ton of more games. Nintendo switch is more of an supplement for ps4 and xbox owners. But PC are an indirect competitor so Sony want to make sure that the best PC experience is small compared to their console so I will assume an 2019 release. Because everything is ready that year. GDDR6, 7nm node, Ryzen cpu and Navi gpu.

I'll concede on the specifics, but I'll address some points

 

• If you don't like Logical Increments, here is another article building a similar $400 PC. (https://www.toptengamer.com/top-400-gaming-computer/). Gamestop also had one where they build one for $630, which is the highest I saw. Sony will be able to get price for performance because A)different price for parts vs what an individual could get and B)Sony can take a loss on their systems. $752, the price you gave, doesn't appear realistic.
• On Wii U, the system got a lot of ports at launch (only exclusives were from Ubisoft IIRC), and then support dried up after a month. The difference is Switch is getting third party support and it's growing. Bethesda is/has brought 3 games to the system and will likely bring more. The Wii U was a decline, the Switch is an incline
• On your comments on "Why wouldn't anyone want to buy those games on Switch," you're missing the point. You don't want DOOM on a 6 inch screen, but other consumers will value the portability of the system. With DOOM, I can play it on my TV with a standard controller AND I can play it on a flight/car ride or where ever. This is product differentiation. To my point of Sony's consumers moving to PC, there isn't much to differentiate PC from PS4/XBox One. The systems are similar in price point and the PC can offer better performance and has a better library. Being in the middle doesn't help. 
• I like how you say Switch is a supplement to PS. People said the same thing about the Wii.  And the PC is a direct competitor to PS based on the quote I posted earlier.