If the 9th gen consoles launch with BC in 2020, is there any reason to produce 8th gen consoles beyond 2020?

[Mr Puggsly]

DonFerrari said:

Mr Puggsly said:

If you recall Sony had the PS3 Super Slim and MS had the 360 E. They were cheaper to produce but as consumers we didn't really benefit from a low price.

I don't think the production will end this year, nor next, it really depends on the intentions of the cheaper 9th gen models. I mean if they can hit 6TF and other improved specs for $299, then we don't really need 8th gen consoles on the market.

I'm really scratching my head looking at the X1S Digital, we don't need this thing. I kinda hope they kill it off first.

Not sure if they were as cheap as you think and if they were making a lot of profits on the HW. I don't remember any reports on this account.

And if you consider PS3 released for 499-599 and were finished at 199 this was and even bigger drop than PS2 299 to 99.

Mr Puggsly said:

PS3 started very high in price, but the parts also dropped quickly and they removed things to lower the price. By 2013 they were selling it at a good profit. But MS also kept the price high so officially prices stayed high during the 7th gen. There might be final revisions for X1 and PS4, I just don't they be a budget price per se. Also, they don't necessarily need to make a new model to make production cheaper.

I have no idea what MS's intentions for the 8th gen are. At the very least we know Gears 5 and Halo Infinite are coming, while some 9th gen content will likely have X1 support. MS is certainly looking to future primarily but I don't believe X1 support is dying immediately. X1 Digital is an interesting way to test the water for an all digital console, but it can't succeed at $250. If they drop it to $149 around 2020, it suddenly make sense.

We might see a PS4 SS at $250, but that's also about the lowest 360 and PS3 went with a HDD, officially. If MS and Sony happen release 9th gen consoles starting at $299, then expect 8th gen sales to die faster.

The parts didn't drop quickly. Sony done several price cuts while still losing a lot of money until the Super Slim. Do you have source for good profit on PS3 sold (HW alone)?

MS kept the price "high" because the direct competitor were losing money at that point and MS had to recover from the previous gen plus RROD. They probably didn't though they would sell much more at a lower price so better keep the price that makes money.

Again, final revisions of PS3 and 360 hardware became cheaper to produce but prices stayed about the same FOR CONSUMERS. PS3 was really $499-$599 at launch but they were pushing the $599 model. Prices went down drastically because the cutting edge hardware was expensive to produce at launch, PS2 specs were eventually removed and the 16GB model didn't have a HDD which is junk.

You're missing the point or changing the argument. I'm saying the PS3 Super Slim DID NOT BENEFIT CONSUMERS. Hence, cheaper to produce models doesn't mean we, consumers, will get cheap hardware. MS could have done a price war with 360 to boost sales, but I'm sure they were content to boost revenue instead.

Either way, at this point I believe Sony and MS rather keep prices relatively high for profits. The price war days on hardware are seemingly over.