So Sony has finally revealed the PlayStation 5, and, all router jokes aside, I think it’s looking pretty good. It think it looks cool, but more importantly it looks like it’s going to have a healthy selection of games coming to it in the first few months post-launch. Now the only thing left that we need to know is the price, and I have a feeling that this one ain’t gonna be cheap.

For a long time, console prices have been fixed at the $300 and $400 mark. That’s what we’re used to paying for a home console, and, believe me, I would love it if it were to stay that way. I was right there with everyone else back when Sony was getting roasted for selling the original PlayStation 3 for $599 US dollars.

Unfortunately, I don’t think that price point will hold for this upcoming generation. We’ve seen massive strides forward in terms of video game visuals, so much so that these new consoles have to have some serious tech packed inside in order to keep them in the same league as PCs. Frankly I’d rather developers had gone for higher framerates instead ever-more detailed visuals. Seriously, how much more detailed do games have to look?! I can barely tell the difference between standard HD and 4K and we’re pushing for even more? Really?! Anyway, all that tech comes with a price, and it’s likely that we’re the ones who are going to have to pay it this time around.

Notice that neither Sony or Microsoft have announced the prices for their new consoles yet. Why not? If it was going to be more or less in-line with what we’re used to, then there’s no need to delay the announcement? If anything, hearing about such a price would likely make potential customers feel more secure about making the purchase. So yeah, I’m thinking we’re going to be back in $600 territory this time around. Both consoles have high-end low-end versions coming too, right? So it’s also likely that those will cost even more money. All that said though, I’m not sure yet if this is going to be a problem for Sony and Microsoft. Well, not in the long run at least.

If these companies come out and say that the systems will start at about $600, I’m sure people will still rush to buy the things on day one. Not as many people, sure, but still enough to exhaust the initial stock. No I think that all this is going to do is cause more people to wait until both consoles have a more substantial library of games. That’s what I want to do at least. I’m still pretty happy with my PS4 and Switch, so I’m not exactly in a hurry to drop a ton of money on new hardware (especially on first generation, launch hardware). It’s better to wait and get more bang (and stability) for my buck you know? I won’t complain about consoles getting more expensive with this generation, but I’m not going to rush out for the initial run either. What about you?

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What do you think of the PlayStation 5? Are you concerned about the price?

Image from the PlayStation 5 preview material