Sony will not be at E3 2019 for the first time!!!

[EricHiggin]

Mandalore76 said:

EricHiggin said:

What about the many games that launch at $60-$80 and are $30-$40 just 6 months later? Heck, AC Origins had only been out for about a month and was $80 at launch, yet only 1 month later on BF I paid $45 for it. GOW was $80 at launch in April, and I'll be getting it in a few days for $30.

What about the majority of companies who launch or are selling a product earlier in the year, fully intending to offer a worthwhile deal for that product on BF, whether it be a price drop or bundle deal?

If you would feel burned, then either wait, or don't ever buy anything at all. Time waits for no one, and time has a value as well.

We're not talking about a $30 drop in software.  We're talking about a $100 drop in hardware.  Software has to compete with new releases within weeks, and therefore have a shorter shelf-life at full retail in general.  Hardware prices are more stable, because they generally face the same competition for years.  I don't think a hardware manufacture would want to intentionally put into the consumer mindset that if they wait 6 months, they can save $100 on their console purchase.  That size of price drop that quickly is usually a reactionary measure from a device struggling to gain traction.  When the 3DS dropped $80 in price within 6 months of release, Nintendo gifted 20 games to all early adopters (Nintendo 3DS Ambassador Program) to soften the blow.  The total value if purchased through Virtual Console would be $129.89.  If Sony were to intentionally drop the price of the PS5 by $100 6 months after launch, that would be a bad PR road to go down.

$30 savings on one game. So if you buy just 3 sale priced recently launched games in one year, or 1 full priced game plus dlc, you've spent $100 already. Why is PS5 selling for $499 late 2019 or early 2020 a problem then if it's price drops to $399 by holiday 2020? Sure, PS4 and Pro have sold very well given their $399 launch prices, but due to inflation, and the want and need to push the boundaries of next gen, a $399 price point can only go on so long before it's completely unfeasible. There's no doubt PS is probably thinking about trying to put the VR breakout box in the console as well, which would mean even weaker standard hardware at $399, if they choose to go that route. The smarter idea in that case, to make sure the specs don't look like they suffered, would be to have the standard specs cost around $450 ish, plus the breakout box at let's say $50, so $500 total. Sell PS5 at $499 year 1, at cost, then the following holiday, subsidize it $100 and drop the price to $399. This may hold back PS5 sales somewhat earlier on, but would be done so to strengthen VR sales in the long run.

If Scarlet was on the market, and was competitive in terms of hardware specs, and was $100 cheaper, then yes, $499 for PS5 could potentially be a bit of a hindrance, maybe. If there is no direct competition for the first year, or majority of it, then your not competing with anyone but yourself.