I guess you meant ps4? if so, I wouldn't mind ps4 releasing in spring but IMO, it makes more sense in August or September, this way sony can build momentum near holiday and then push that momentum further with uncharted 4 which is the biggest game for Sony this year.  Maybe  I'm expecting a similar effect when ps3 was cut to 299 around August or september (I'm not sure) which was huge and then pushed further with Uncharted 2, that combination help ps3 cut the ps3/360 gap from 8m to 5m in just matter of few months, though microsoft released the slim with kinect and stop the gap from decreasing rapidly. 

I can't agree with that line of thinking. If there is going to be a price drop then it needs to be before the Christmas period. It is better for Sony to sell more consoles before Christmas based on consumer demand through a price drop and then guarentee another spike because of excluseves around Christmas, than it is the put all of your eggs in one basket and risk shortages in the most lucrative time of the year. They can't suddenly build consoles because they're short but they can cater to a consistant market much easier.

I don't have any problem before the christmas period but considering ps4 will be ahead in the following months (based on current amazon rankings), I don't see the need of a price cut any time soon unless microsoft does another desperate pricecut.

I'm not saying there WILL be a price drop, I'm just saying if there is it would be better to drive sales prior to Christmas and then let the exclusives drive even more sales through Christmas. That way they can maintain great sales for much longer rather than risk shortages because both exclusives and a price drop hit at the same time of year.

I think Sony should ride out most of the year at $400, even if X1 gets ahead, and then have a large price cut right at the start of November. $70 or so

maybe I see things different but IMO pricecut doesn't work or has the same effect on people when it's new vs it has been on the market a little bit longer and even tough August could be considered to be in the holiday period, sales don't really explode until end of october so a pricecut in August could start things strong and finished the holiday season strong, I don't considered August as part of the holiday period.

X1 dropped out of the top 20 :O #21

PS4 at #10

How long has the second X1 discount been in effect? Has there been a significant marketing campaign for it? I've honestly been out of the loop, but the Amazon standings look like it's not yet working or it hasn't yet started.

9-10 days

And have they been pouding the pavement to get the word out?