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[Sosokrates]

I think $499/£449 is the better option.
We will get more powerful hardware and somone who is going to buy a new gen console for $399 can afford an extra $100.
Its just a better investment in the lomg term.
However unfortunately we might get $399 machine in 2020 with 10tflop gpu 8 core zen and 20gb Ram, but they will do PS5 pro in 2023 with a 20tflop gpu, 8 core zen and 24 gb ram again for $399.
I would much rather they do a 14tflop Gpu and 24gb ram in 2020 for $499.

 

[DonJimbo]

399 is the sweet spot more than that it will be a desaster like the xbox one

 

[Blam]

So late 2019 maybe November? Get it in before the Christmas rush?

It'll probably be $450. Calling it now. Also XBX is the next gen leap for M$ so they won't release a new console since they won't need to. Still hate that we are already dropping the gen like this.

Just quoting my old post. This is what I think will happen.

 

[Leonidas]

Hard to say and it depends on if Scorpio can play next-gen games or not IMO.

A $399 machine in 2-3 years will only offer a marginal improvement in terms of graphics over Scorpio if they continue using AMD SOCs.

That being said I hope they go $399 since that will give them the ability to make an even more powerful console 3-4 years after the next-gen begins.

 

[Zog]

I think $499/£449 is the better option.
We will get more powerful hardware and somone who is going to buy a new gen console for $399 can afford an extra $100.
Its just a better investment in the lomg term.
However unfortunately we might get $399 machine in 2020 with 10tflop gpu 8 core zen and 20gb Ram, but they will do PS5 pro in 2023 with a 20tflop gpu, 8 core zen and 24 gb ram again for $399.
I would much rather they do a 14tflop Gpu and 24gb ram in 2020 for $499.

I think if you can afford $499 then you can afford an extra $100 and if you can afford $599 then you can afford an extra $100 and if....

If it's hardware that matters to you, build a PC. Me, I am in it for the games and I have recently discovered the Sega Master System.

 

[Codes 208]

399 is the sweet spot more than that it will be a desaster like the xbox one

I concur, but the problem with xbox wasnt just because it was $500. It was because no one cared about kinect and sony was offering a stronger console for a cheaper price. On top of that, Don Mattrick's constant mixed messaging, the always online fiasco, cant play used games or the whole bit regarding TV TV TV TV really did a number on it's image.

 

[astroglide]

499 was only bad because Xbox made people pay 100 more because of Kinect. I still think 500 is the best spot for powerful hardware. I can see Sony doing 399 and Xbox doing 399 and 499. Maybe 399 model doesn't have a disk drive or something

 

[Nintendo Switch]

$499, if it’s not a huge leap in power, I don’t think it will be worth it to upgrade.

I want the next gen consoles to be cutting edge Vapor Cooled Devices using a 3nm Zen 3+ 3Ghz 3x3 core CPU, 30GBs of 3D Stacked HBM3, a 3TB SSHD and 30 TFs of GPU Horsepower.

With inflation, $499 today is equivalent to $299 in the 90s, the Switch is basically a $180 device in the 90s after accounting for inflation.

Microsoft is very well positioned for next gen. The One X is powerful enough to keep up with anything Sony could possibly launch in 2019. This means that a $299 One X or possibly a $249 One X is MS wants to be super aggressive will be more appealing than a $400 PS5 for the Penny Pinchers.

Meanwhile an significantly more powerful Xbox Two for $500 an year or two later will draw in the whales like me that would happily pay a premium for the most powerful hardware possible and buy lots of games as well.

 

[astroglide]

I think if you can afford $499 then you can afford an extra $100 and if you can afford $599 then you can afford an extra $100 and if....

If it's hardware that matters to you, build a PC. Me, I am in it for the games and I have recently discovered the Sega Master System.

Most people who game or at least the ones I know would rather spend the money than build a pc. I have all the systems and still don't game on pc. Nothing against it. Just not for me

 

[nowhat]

It will be £499 or £599.

...because by the time next gen consoles are released, Brexit will have had the time to properly tank the UK pound

But more seriously, I think around $400/400€ is the sweet spot for a new console at launch. Could we get better hardware for 100 more? Of course, but that price may be too steep for the average consumer (I think both PS3 and One are examples of this).

 

[Sosokrates]

It will be £499 or £599.

...because by the time next gen consoles are released, Brexit will have had the time to properly tank the UK pound

But more seriously, I think around $400/400€ is the sweet spot for a new console at launch. Could we get better hardware for 100 more? Of course, but that price may be too steep for the average consumer (I think both PS3 and One are examples of this).

See you in 2020 when you are wrong.

 

[Bogroll]

Wasn't this the price this gen ? except Xb1 £429.

 

[Shin]

499, i'd prefer a better machine or at least a choice instead of these weak sauce systems.

 

[Sosokrates]

It will be interesting if xbox goes $499 but is about 40% more powerful and sony goes $399

 

[Night.Ninja]

I don't mind £450 if its a beast

 

[THE:MILKMAN]

Wasn't this the price this gen ? except Xb1 £429.

No, PS4 was £349. Last gen PS3 launched at £425 (Sony quickly rushed out the revised £299 model in October) and this gen MS did the Kinect bundled Xone at £429.

The days of a 360 premium launching at £280 are dead.....

 

[camaropilot]

I agree with those saying $399 is the sweet spot for any console launch. The new consoles will not only have to compete with the old hardware dropping in price but each other. If Sony decides $399 and MS decides $499 it will be a disaster for MS and vice versa. The unknown and competition between manufacturers will keep the prices down. That being said, I don't really care, I think I'm going to stick with 8th gen hardware for a while unless 9th gen hardware is 100% backwards compatible. My backlog from this gen is way to big now...

 

[MilkyJoe]

How does inflation work?

 

[Grimmrobe]

Maybe if they are too expensive more players will start being drawn to PC instead, as is already happening.

 

[alken]

.

 

[Sosokrates]

I agree with those saying $399 is the sweet spot for any console launch. The new consoles will not only have to compete with the old hardware dropping in price but each other. If Sony decides $399 and MS decides $499 it will be a disaster for MS and vice versa. The unknown and competition between manufacturers will keep the prices down. That being said, I don't really care, I think I'm going to stick with 8th gen hardware for a while unless 9th gen hardware is 100% backwards compatible. My backlog from this gen is way to big now...

If the $499 one is more powerful I think it will do just as good as the $399 one.

This gen has shown us that hardware power is very important, especially at launch.

These systems are going to be very similar so any advantage is going to be amplified.

 

[Grinchy]

I'd prefer to pay $399, obviously, but I don't really want a gimped generation or one where I'm expected to buy a beefed up iteration 2-3 years later.

They really skimped on the CPUs this gen, and it has been a problem. I would love to see none of the parts be a huge bottleneck.

 

[JareBear: Remastered]

If people truly expect 4K/60 as a standard with UHD players and SSHD or SSD drives than 499 will be the starting point

 

[camaropilot]

If the $499 one is more powerful I think it will do just as good as the $399 one.

This gen has shown us that hardware power is very important, especially at launch.

These systems are going to be very similar so any advantage is going to be amplified.

It's actually pretty rare that the most powerful hardware leads the pack in terms of sales. The PS3 had a sku that was $499 and $599 at launch and it really hurt Sony last gen. What matters is the games. Now I agree, if MS launches at $499 next gen but with amazing hardware and has a ton of good exclusive games available at launch or shortly after then it can possibly be a success but pricing does make a big difference to the average consumer. I just don't see Sony going that route again.

 

[Sosokrates]

It's actually pretty rare that the most powerful hardware leads the pack in terms of sales. The PS3 had a sku that was $499 and $599 at launch and it really hurt Sony last gen. What matters is the games. Now I agree, if MS launches at $499 next gen but with amazing hardware and has a ton of good exclusive games available at launch or shortly after then it can possibly be a success but pricing does make a big difference to the average consumer. I just don't see Sony going that route again.

Yes people will always want to pay less, and depending on how Microsoft treat the 1X , things could be very interesting indeed, imagine a foward compatible 1X @$299 and an X2 @499.

But its which one offers the best package a combination of games, features, services, 3rd party game performance and price.

If I had it my way I wish they would make games for my ps4 pro and 1X for the next 5 years, but that probably is not going to happen.

 

[shpankey]

I think $449 with a rather quick reduction to $399 at the 3 month mark (assuming post Holiday time). A new console can easily sellout at $449 (possibly even $499, though I find that price unlikely) during this short golden zone of initial launch period during holiday time.

 

[JimboJones]

launch:
ps5 399
Switch2 299
Xbox2 349

midgen:
ps5pro 399
switch2 VR/AR 349
Xbox2 PCX hybrid 499

That's how much an Xbox One X will cost in 2020 if we're lucky.

 

[makaveli60]

I would prefer $499 myself as this is something I'll be using for many years and I want the best possible value for that $499. However, that might be too much for a wider market which means cross-gen games for even longer, so we can't really see the benefits of the more expensive console for some time. But a counter argument against this that early adopters are hardcore gamers who don't mind spending more money for it so I don't know. Anyway, hoping for killer hardwares

 

[120v]

generally your joe six pack consumer is fine riding out their ps4 or xbone into the next decade so sony and ms could probably get away with $500 next gen as the launch demographic is willing to spend that anyway

 

[Joe T.]

I'll always be of the mindset that a more powerful and more expensive console at launch is the way to go, provided they're in a position to gradually lower the price over its market life. The early adopters will buy that console regardless of the price as long as there are some high quality exclusives and/or features, such as PS3's Blu-Ray playback, and the extra horsepower under the hood will benefit everyone in the long run.

 

[Droxcy]

I paid $500 for the Day One Edition. Which is insane to think about, so much money and the amount of backlash on that launch. I don't regret my purchase, so I'd gladly spend the same amount or a little more for a completely revamped console. Not talking about Xbox One X, I find this whole 4K phase/hype with consoles to be a joke.

 

[ReBurn]

It depends. How many jobs do I have.

 

[Nintendo Switch]

Microsoft is very well positioned for next gen. The One X is powerful enough to keep up with anything Sony could possibly launch in 2019. This means that a $299 One X, or possibly a $249 One X if MS wants to be super aggressive, will be more appealing than a $400 PS5 for the Penny Pinchers.

Meanwhile an significantly more powerful Xbox Two for $500 an year later will draw in the whales like me that would happily pay a premium for the most powerful hardware possible and buy lots of games as well.

It will be interesting if xbox goes $499 but is about 40% more powerful and sony goes $399

So basically the PS4 Pro vs the Xbox One X? The One X is handiliy outselling the Pro and is winning hearts and minds and Digital Foundry comparisons left and right.

Of course the Switch 2 will probably outsell both of them but that’s because people love Nintendo handhelds.

 

[Nintendo Switch]

Maybe if they are too expensive more players will start being drawn to PC instead, as is already happening.

What are you talking about? Gaming consoles sales have been higher than ever before, by a hefty margin, even if you discount the Switch’s 10 million as handheld sales. Meanwhile pc hardware sales have stagnated and many of pc gpu sales are going into crypto mining, not gaming.

I've actually had the opportunity to teacher classes on this topic a few times. Automation is not about taking all jobs, but enough jobs to severely impact the economy and everything we know about it. In fact it has already taken place.
The concern is that national hours worked and compensation is not increasing at the same rate as productivity. What this means is that more work is being achieves but in the same amount of time and at the same compensation levels. The problem with this is that is creates an under employment situation, where if the amount of available work hours does not increase relative to the population it devalues the hours that are worked due to the excess of supply of workers in the market. Basically work becomes worth less and less where it is available. This, long-term wrecks the economy and even with UBI I cannot see a long-term solution to this issue as all work will essentially be devalued as automation increases where the benefits to the work you are able to find will be negligible.

Most people who game or at least the ones I know would rather spend the money than build a pc. I have all the systems and still don't game on pc. Nothing against it. Just not for me

Exactly. I have a very capable PC but zero interest in PC gaming. With the One X’s launch, I now own a console from each manufacturer.

People don’t opt for console gaming because consoles are cheaper than PCs. They do so because they feel console gaming is a superior, smoother and headache free way to game.

 

[Codes 208]

-double post

 

[Golgo 13]

I’d personally pay $599 for something with a true generational leap. As it’s been said, the price of hardware won’t go down enough by 2020 to release something significantly more powerful than a Pro or an X for less than that. Could they release a $399 Console? Of course. But it wouldn’t be enough of a leap to convince most people.

More importantly, we need to look at market positioning — why would Sony in particular, bring out an entire new system when PS4 is pacing to become the best selling console of all time? Remember, console companies don’t make money off their hardware, but their software. Right now, they have 75 million people to buy their games for their current system.

I think we may be waiting until 2021 or 2022 if Sony is smart.

 

[JORMBO]

I'd pay more then $399 for a really powerful console. I'm not sure if most other people would though.

 

[Cert.in.Death]

Depends on the product. I wouldn't mind either price point.

 

[DavidGzz]

I hope that they are premium consoles at premium prices. If Sony refuses, I hope MS at least gives me a $499 or hell, even $599 but with some exciting power. I couldn't care less about their placing, I'll let the fanboys worry about that. As long as it's overall profitable, give me your best.

 

[gamerforever]

£349 then a premium a few years later. Launching a base model for £450 would be suicidal.

 

[bitbydeath]

PS5 for $450 seems fine, even $499 if the hardware is out of this world.

Xbox will probably be $10/month

 

[nowhat]

The One X is handiliy outselling the Pro

Source? The only one I've been able to find is that during the holiday season One X outsold the Pro in the US. Otherwise, 20% of PS4s sold is a Pro. PS4 is outselling One by a rather hefty margin. In order for the One X to be "handily" outselling the Pro, much more than 20% of all Ones sold should be Xs. I find that rather unlilkely, but if you can prove otherwise, go on ahead.

 

[MrMorningMan]

I'd be happy to pay a premium for a decent increase in performance. In Microsoft's case, I hope they continue to offer backwards compatibility through emulation. One of the main reasons I bought an Xbox One X was to utilise the performance to improve older Xbox One games and 360 backwards compatibility.

I think for me personally, purchasing the next PlayStation will be easy, regardless of how much they charge for it. So long as Sony continue to invest in their studios and produce stellar first party games and promote exclusives, I'll simply need one to play future (potentially) great games.

 

[PRiSMiWi]

I’d like to see a 499$ price tag ONLY if it benefits horsepower instead of stupid peripherals as Kinect or something like that. But I am speaking about PlayStation system.

 

[Boss Mog]

I would prefer two tiers right from the start $399 for base model and $699 for the pro model. I don't mind investing more if I can game at 60fps on console all the time. A lot of people I know feel the same. We don't want to play on PC cause there's too much cheating and we prefer to use controllers for FPS games, plus we like having physical games that we actually own and can lend each other.

Sony and MS need to realize that this and cater to all markets including the high end, that's how a company like apple are able to be successful, they have various tiers and a lot of people are willing to shell out $1000+ for that top tier and you change phones more often than you do consoles.

 

[THE:MILKMAN]

Microsoft is very well positioned for next gen. The One X is powerful enough to keep up with anything Sony could possibly launch in 2019. This means that a $299 One X, or possibly a $249 One X if MS wants to be super aggressive, will be more appealing than a $400 PS5 for the Penny Pinchers.

Meanwhile an significantly more powerful Xbox Two for $500 an year later will draw in the whales like me that would happily pay a premium for the most powerful hardware possible and buy lots of games as well.



So basically the PS4 Pro vs the Xbox One X? The One X is handiliy outselling the Pro and is winning hearts and minds and Digital Foundry comparisons left and right.

Of course the Switch 2 will probably outsell both of them but that’s because people love Nintendo handhelds.

The question is how do Microsoft get to a theoretical $299 or $249? I really can't see where X can get a substantial price cut without a major node reduction without taking a major loss? A design of a 7nm chip is said to much more expensive
than ever before and just can't see either MS or Sony putting in the effort/cost for niche/lower volume models.

Microsoft didn't even halve the RAM chips (enabling a simplified/cheaper MB) for One S.

 

[WeleaseBwian]

£449 if it leads to a better specced console. The struggle for 60fps 1080p this gen is embarrassing.

 

[MilkyJoe]

I’d personally pay $599 for something with a true generational leap. As it’s been said, the price of hardware won’t go down enough by 2020 to release something significantly more powerful than a Pro or an X for less than that. Could they release a $399 Console? Of course. But it wouldn’t be enough of a leap to convince most people.

More importantly, we need to look at market positioning — why would Sony in particular, bring out an entire new system when PS4 is pacing to become the best selling console of all time? Remember, console companies don’t make money off their hardware, but their software. Right now, they have 75 million people to buy their games for their current system.

I think we may be waiting until 2021 or 2022 if Sony is smart.

I'm not sure why people are not thinking the mid gen refresh to to extend it rather than shorten it.

 

[Wunray]

I think next gen will start in 2020 at 450-499 USD. I also believe that Sony won't botch backwards compatibility.

 

[Nintendo Switch]

Most people who game or at least the ones I know would rather spend the money than build a pc. I have all the systems and still don't game on pc. Nothing against it. Just not for me

The question is how do Microsoft get to a theoretical $299 or $249? I really can't see where X can get a substantial price cut without a major node reduction without taking a major loss? A design of a 7nm chip is said to much more expensive
than ever before and just can't see either MS or Sony putting in the effort/cost for niche/lower volume models.

Microsoft didn't even halve the RAM chips (enabling a simplified/cheaper MB) for One S.

How could a console that’s been around and being volume produced for two years not be cheaper than a brand new PS5 that just started production? The One X will be cheaper than the PS5, and if MS is willing to take a slight hit to ensure that more people stay in their ecosystem, there’s no reason why the One X can’t be priced to be substantially cheaper than the PS5.

MS wants as few gamers that value graphics switching from One X to PS5 as possible. Because it’s precisely those gamers that will pay a premium for superior graphics that also buy a large bulk of the games. Casuals on the other hand just buy the yearly Madden or FIFa or COD and nothing else all year.

Announcing a substantially more powerful device than the PS5 for a premium to launch an year after the PS5 while slashing the One X’s price is a great way to do this.