How much do you think a $399 PS5 Digital Edition would affect the sales of the Series S?*

[Deleted member 16908]

*in the markets where Xbox is actually competitive with PlayStation

At $299, the Xbox Series S is a great deal. For the same price as a Switch, you're getting a console with a next-gen CPU and SSD as well as a GPU that will, at minimum, perform similarly to that of the One X.

But what if Sony decides to price their digital-only model just as aggressively?

Let's say the PS5 DE costs $399 and is identical to the standard PS5 aside from its omission of a disc drive. For just $100 more, you're getting the following:

• Truly next-gen GPU performance (10.3 TF as opposed to 4)
• A much faster SSD that's ~300 GB larger
• Access to Sony's revered first-party output
• A genuinely innovative controller

We know from past launches that $399 is kind of the upper limit on what most people are willing to pay for a new console. Do you think consumers would be inclined to max out that limit given what Sony would be offering in exchange?

 

[vestan]

Would probably move the needle a tiny bit but I dunno if most people are willing to drop $399 just for an all-digital console. Anecdotal but people I know in real-life don't buy games digitally so they'd be looking at the standard PS5. Sony makes bank off of digital sales though so it makes sense they'd get something like this out.

I think $299 for the Series S is easier to suck up considering it's cheaper and you have access to Game Pass which is way better than PS Now, but at the same time, you've got what looks to be a weaker machine. It's a fair trade-off for entry into next-gen and the benefits of it will be way more noticable once cross-gen games stop being made and franchises like FIFA and CoD become next-gen only.

Feel these two consoles are in different lanes.

 

[The Iron Banana]

Depends. For me the S is the better deal because 1440p @ up to 120fps is killer because I can just hook it up to my monitors and away I go. The Series X to me now is the real tough sell.

 

[CottonWolf]

I think if Sony genuinely wants to eat into SS sales, $399 is too high. They need $349 or lower.

 

[D23]

i might get series s for my next-gen FPS gaming machine. just please tell me i can adjust FOV lol

 

[dyne]

I still only care about the games, and I haven't been swayed by either console so far. I would rather wait for the full price consoles to drop, probably a couple years.

 

[TheRealBigRich]

I read the points that you get with PS5 and thought well Yeah it's 100$ more. I would hope you get those things. 299 is a possible amazing price because when a kid wants to just play Fortnite or whatever popular next-gen game that's out they will have the option for 299 vs 399 or more

 

[AfterTheFall]

The S will sell like hot cakes for £250 in the U.K. That's cheaper than a switch.

 

[Windu]

I can't see the PS5 minus a disc drive being that low.

 

[purseowner]

Xbox have more of a thriving digital ecosystem already with Game Pass than Sony do.

The lack of a disc drive is more of a loss on a Sony console than a Microsoft one as it stands.

 

[thuway]

PS5 Digital needs to be 349 to outright kill Series S but it won't be.

And Sony will sell every single console they have at 399.

 

[asd202]

PS5D at that price is much better value but people may not care.

 

[Vommy]

I feel like people have already made up their minds what they will buy except if Sony goes crazy with pricing.

 

[RoKKeR]

Eh, not much I don't think. Some to be sure, but a 299 sticker on its own can stand up to the casual crowd when compared to a 399 sticker.

Also happy to be proven wrong (as I would purchase one sooner than expected) but I don't expect the DE to be 399.

 

[Sems4arsenal]

A $100 for a much better console would be a no-brainer for alot of people.

Doubt it will be $399

 

[krae_man]

Depends on if people think the Series S is good enough graphically like they do the Switch, or think that Series X or PS5 are the only viable options.

Time will tell how people react. Will depend somewhat on how well devs support the system and how good the S versions are. Plus if Microsoft allows devs to make Series X only games or not.

Also, I don't think PlayStation ever confirmed that the PS5DE was identical in every way to the disk version except for the disk drive.

They just said it's not less powerful(ie not the same as the difference between the S and X), there's still plenty of ways the consoles can be different to cut costs that don't impact power such as hard drive size, number of USB ports etc.

 

[asd202]

PS5 Digital needs to be 349 to outright kill Series S but it with be.

And Sony will sell every single console they have at 399.

Click to shrink...

Nah it's $499 and $399 at best. I think it will be $550 and $450.

Also, I don't think PlayStation ever confirmed that the PS5DE was identical in every way to the disk version except for the disk drive.

Click to shrink...

They did. It's the same minus the disk drive.

 

[patapon]

PS5 at $399 is insanely better value than XSS, and will demolish it.

 

[neptunez]

Nvm

 

[Guru Meditation]

I don't think it would really matter, $299 is still a different price tier. $399 would be an amazing price for a ps5 but for those price sensitive $299 or $25 a month (including gamepass) is an attractive option. For those not price sensitive $299 is in impulse buy territory.

 

[krae_man]

They did. It's the same minus the disk drive.

Click to shrink...

My memory is they just said it's not less powerful. That is not the same thing as every spec is identical minus the disk drive.

 

[ianpm31]

PS5 is already going to sell out regardless but at $399 would be insane for the exclusives + power at that price.

 

[vestan]

Also, I don't think PlayStation ever confirmed that the PS5DE was identical in every way to the disk version except for the disk drive.

Click to shrink...

PS5 showcase recap: Everything you need to know

PlayStation 5 revealed, great new PS5 games, and takeaways from today's PS5 showcases.

blog.playstation.com

My memory is they just said it's not less powerful. That is not the same thing as every spec is identical minus the disk drive.

Click to shrink...

Dude, it's literally the PS5 without a disc drive 💀

 

[g-m1n1]

I think if Sony genuinely wants to eat into SS sales, $399 is too high. They need $349 or lower.

Click to shrink...

Bigger & faster SSD, 10,3Tflops vs 4, DualSense is probabaly more expensive than Series S/X controller, a lot more plastic (bigger case) and a bigger cooling system.
No way PS5 DE costs only 50$ more.

Even at 100$ more, the value would be insane.

 

[The Masked Mufti]

It depends. The Series S is £249 and $299. As far as I'm aware, Sony usually keep the US and UK prices the same. So if it's £249 Vs £399, I think the Series S will do great in the UK, at least.

 

[Adrifi]

Little impact. If you can't afford a XSX or a PS5, then a hundred dollars is a very considerable amount of money for you.

 

[Deleted member 59126]

I think most core gamers who will purchase a first round of consoles care about only two things, exclusives and where their friends play.

The only people who care about a medium price difference, at launch, are uniformed consumers and first time buyers.

 

[Jeffram]

Xbox have more of a thriving digital ecosystem already with Game Pass than Sony do.

The lack of a disc drive is more of a loss on a Sony console than a Microsoft one as it stands.

Click to shrink...

I'm not really sure what you mean by this. PSN alone was bigger than all of Xbox (including hardware and accessories) last time revenue was reported.

 

[HebrewHammer]

I think Xbox needed a cheap SKU to chip away at the market share PlayStation had this gen.

At $299, they actually stand a chance this time around.

 

[krae_man]

PS5 showcase recap: Everything you need to know

PlayStation 5 revealed, great new PS5 games, and takeaways from today's PS5 showcases.

blog.playstation.com

Click to shrink...

"Gameplay experience will be the same" is not the same thing as "every spec is identical minus disk drive"

Again this just says the DE isn't a less powerful console like the Series S. It does not say every spec is the same(besides the disk drive).

Does a hard drive with a different size change the gameplay experience? No it doesn't.

 

[Deleted member 9584]

People who want a PS5 will get a PS5 and people who want an Xbox will get a Xbox. What Microsoft is doing with XSS is making people who buy a PS5 ALSO more willing to buy an XSS. A $399 PS5D might be a good thing because it's cheaper and might leave people more willing to get a XSS as well.

 

[Meatwad]

None, a $400 PS5 is not competitive with a $300 Xbox. Depending on how many units of each system ship this fall (they will all sell out) I expect the Series S to be the most popular of the next gen systems

 

[Uzupedro]

I vote for minor. It could be worse(for the XSS) depending on the differences in performance/graphics delivery between consoles, like, it's obvious that will be XSS<PS5<XSX, the question is how much.
''It will be just lower resolution''. Yes, I think it will be the case too, but we have to wait regardless, who knows what will happen in the end.

 

[Dizastah]

Bigger & faster SSD, 10,3Tflops vs 4, DualSense is probabaly more expensive than Series S/X controller, a lot more plastic (bigger case) and a bigger cooling system.
No way PS5 DE costs only 50$ more.

Even at 100$ more, the value would be insane.

Click to shrink...

I'm not sure the average consumer will understand/care about that value though. I have a feeling that they will just see price.

 

[TripleBee]

As much as I'd love the PS5 DE to only be 399 for the sake of my wallet - it just feels so unlikely.

 

[asd202]

"Gameplay experience will be the same" is not the same thing as "every spec is identical minus disk drive"

Again this just says the DE isn't a less powerful console like the Series S. It does not say every spec is the same(besides the disk drive).

Does a hard drive with a different size change the gameplay experience? No it doesn't.

Click to shrink...

Yes that what it means it even looks exactly the same. If it was different it would have a different box to cut more cost.

 

[Joo]

Would probably move the needle but I dunno if most people are willing to drop $399 just for an all-digital console. Anecdotal but most people I know in real-life don't buy games digitally so they'd be looking at the standard PS5.

I think $299 for the Series S is easier to suck up considering it's cheaper and you have access to Game Pass which is way better than PS Now, but at the same time, you've got what looks to be a weaker machine.

Click to shrink...

But like you said, vast majority of people with these systems still buy their games the usual way and don't use Game Pass or PS Now, so the way I see it the actual games on each system are way, way more important to most than Game Pass or PS Now. Iirc digital sales already make up over half of the total sales of games, so there is a demand for digital-only consoles, but at the same time subscription services definitely aren't yet at a place where they would be in a decisive role on whether someone gets Xbox or Playstation.

 

[BobLoblaw]

I sure hope people aren't getting their hopes up for a $399 DE. Edit: Even if was $399, you don't get access to a GP equivalent or the financing options.

 

[platocplx]

"Gameplay experience will be the same" is not the same thing as "every spec is identical minus disk drive"

Again this just says the DE isn't a less powerful console like the Series S. It does not say every spec is the same(besides the disk drive).

Does a hard drive with a different size change the gameplay experience? No it doesn't.

Click to shrink...

are you kidding me lmao. its the same. minus a disk drive thats it.

 

[Xevross]

This is kinda a weird poll because I think Series S cannibalises PS5's sales. So a $399 digital PS5 would be taking some of those sales back, that's how I think of it anyway.

Anything series S sells is a nice bonus to xbox, while pretty much everything is riding on PS5 for playstation.

 

[CottonWolf]

I'm not sure the average consumer will understand/care about that value though. I have a feeling that they will just see price.

Click to shrink...

This is where I was coming from too.

I sure hope people aren't getting their hopes up for a $399 DE.

Click to shrink...

They sure are!

 

[purseowner]

I'm not really sure what you mean by this. PSN alone was bigger than all of Xbox (including hardware and accessories) last time revenue was reported.

Click to shrink...

I mean that the average Xbox owner at this point is mostly all-digital anyway - first-party games are all on Game Pass. With Sony it's more of a split between physical and digital buyers.

 

[PianoBlack]

I'm not really sure what you mean by this. PSN alone was bigger than all of Xbox (including hardware and accessories) last time revenue was reported.

Click to shrink...

That's just because of the multiplayer paywall forcing a bigger install base to shell out. MS has services like Game Pass that are actually designed to attract consumers, not just coerce them (obv XBLG is also a coercion play).

If you go all digital and pay monthly for PS+, you get... A couple random games. If you go all digital on Series S you can pay a monthly fee to get 300 games. It's a much better value for lower end consumers.

(Yes, Sony has PS Now but sub numbers speak for themselves. Most consumers don't see a lot of value in a service with no day 1 releases where even 1st party games cycle out after three months.)

 

[vestan]

are you kidding me lmao. its the same. minus a disk drive thats it.

Click to shrink...

dude is ignoring basic facts 😂

 

[MeltedDreams]

Price matters. Average consumer will eat Series S. Next-gen console that cheap is perfect gift for kids at Christmas too.

 

[platocplx]

dude is ignoring basic facts 😂

Click to shrink...

seeing it all today i dont even want to know what era is going to be like when the PS5 price drops.

 

[RedHeat]

There is enough of a gap to call into question the "value" of Series S in comparison to a $400 PS5. Whether or not 100 bucks would be enough to sway the average consumer to just accept a loss in quality in exchange for savings is anyone's guess

 

[FliX]

We are going to lock this as a reaction thread. Once we actually have a price to compare with we can re-start this conversation.