twintail said:
Is the PS3 situation really the same thing though? that was 2 main SKUs whereby we are talking about the possibility of a main SKU riding alongside a secondary 25th anniversary LE sku. There is no room for being confused because 1 is the main seller and the other is a LE, just like how the introduction of the Pro did not make anything more confusing. Likewise, if the PS5 sells so well at $499 then what is even the point of making it a limited edition n the first place? Sony will ride that price out for a year with strong sales. And telling ppl to wait 6 months for a mainstream version is practically telling them to go buy something else if they want in on next gen. The first ppl buying are usually loyalists, but its also ppl who want to be part of the conversation too and that crowd will have another option available to them potentially (depending on release). At least with the 2 SKU system, you have the core bundle ppl can more easily buy, while also allowing ppl to upgrade a bit to a limited edition item. This is not only more upfront about the price changes, its more inclusive of different buyer brackets and prevent any issue with a price drop so soon after launch. |
One normal model that's $399, and a visually different 25th anniversary edition for $499, probably isn't going to go over very well, especially if that leads to $399 editions being out of stock constantly. Maybe a $499 25th edition with some 25th ann swag and memorabilia could work, but your still going to probably have the overwhelming majority of people wanting to buy the cheaper normal edition, which defeats the purpose if the console hardware is most certainly worth $499.
PS won't really know PS5 is selling well until 6-12 months after launch. A 25th anniversary edition at launch will just be another reason to own one and be part of the group. If that isn't necessary and PS5 sells amazing anyway at $499, then what's the difference? It's not like PS can offer it a year later on their 26th year.
That's if they have another next gen console to chose from. If Scarlet doesn't show up for 6 months to a year after PS5, then all they'll be doing is telling the customers to wait. Just because your a PS loyalist, doesn't necessarily mean you have or $400 or $500 in your back pocket for their next console. That's also why giving consumers a heads up well in advance isn't a terrible idea, because it builds hype if done right, and allows them time to save up or hold off on some games or trade in early before existing hardware loses even more value, to be able to afford that next upcoming purchase.
More inclusive only matters if the console won't sell well enough at $499. That's because $299 or even $199 for PS5 would be by far the most inclusive, but that may not fit the business plan at launch and during year 1 sales. They could even make a 3rd $299 1080p/60 model for all of us who won't be upgrading to 4k anytime soon. The name of the game with consoles is simplicity, as much as reasonably possible, and an initial $499 25th PS5 late 2019 or early 2020, followed by a $399 PS5 holiday 2020, is about as simple as it get's for a console that's specifically built to be worth every penny of that $499 price point.
Last edited by EricHiggin - on 21 November 2018
