Reportedly, the drop isn’t as significant as you might think. Sony is apparently going to ship out five to six million units through the end of March 2021. For context, Sony sold 7.5 million PS4 consoles in an equivalent amount of time.
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Interestingly, the report states that the limited quantities aren’t due to the coronavirus (not directly anyway), but more to do with expected demand. However, Bloomberg’s source also mentions that the production volume could change depending on how the current pandemic pans out. Since Sony employees are working from home, its board hasn’t met to approve business plans, including those pertaining to the PS5. The report also sites game developers as the source of a new anticipated price for the PS5, which is now expected to cost $549, up from $499 to $549. This is reportedly what Sony needs to sell the console at to break even as component pricing increases. Despite the setbacks, Macquarie Capital analyst Damian Thong told Bloomberg that both consoles will end up being $450 despite the losses the companies will suffer. If we had to venture a guess, we suspect the PS5 will cost around $499. Anything below will be a hit for the company and anything higher will turn off consumers. $499 seems like the sweet spot right now, but that could change depending on how long the pandemic lasts. The Holiday 2020 window is getting closer and closer, so we can expect to hear an official announcement on pricing and availability for both the PS5 and Xbox Series X in the coming weeks.
