John Kodera: “PS4 Is Entering The Final Stages Of It’s Life-Cycle.”

[KBG29]

KingofTrolls said:

Pemalite said: 

(Remember, consoles cannot afford high-end hardware!)

To a degree I guess. We are not talking about Nintendo, also Xbox One shows that power matters. I think the next gen will be a 180 turn in console philosophy, but we shall see.

I doubt Sony will go all in on an expensive, but extreamly capable PS5. Remember what happened with PS3. I would love to believe times have changed, and people would embrace a console that delivers an unprecedented power to price ratio. But, after Sony tried giving us an $800 PS3 for $500, and seeing it nearly destroy their brand, I just don't have faith in consumers.

PS3 started selling well after Sony stripped nearly all of the value out of the system. PS4 shot out of the gate with next to no games, and extreamly limited additional value. You can also look at the PS Vita and XBO for other examples where power and/or functionallity could not justify a slight bump in price.

 Sadley it appears no amount of power and functionallity can add enough value for people to justify even the slightest uptick in console pricing. Consumers just like t be ripped off, the less value you can give them per dollar, the more happy they are, and the faster your device flys off the shelves. 

Ultimately I would love it if next gen could start with multiple teirs and form factors. Seeing a $400 1080p entry level PS5 Home Console, a $600 PS5 Phone, and an $800 PS5 4K model would would be awesome. Unfortunately, instead of seeing it as an oppertunity to hop in where you are comfortable, I believe people would just complain about the high end unit costing so much, and in turn, not purchase any version of the system.

I think the only way Sony can offer more power is through a later enhanced edition like we saw with PS4 Pro. Get the PS5 out at $400, and let people go crazy building a nice baseline. Then once it is establihed, they can offer a high end model and a cheaper baseline model at the first major fabrication shrink. After seeing how successful PS4 Pro and Xbox One X have been, they should go all in on the PS5 Pro, and truly deliver for their core fan base. I believe that is the safest course of action.