In what can only be described as one of the most random and iconic gaming moments of 2020, the public was leaked not only confirmation of the Xbox Series S, but also it’s price, release date, and full spec sheet in the middle of the night last Tuesday. Microsoft’s PR team gracefully dove into action and not only met the leak head on by confirming it hours later with their own official announcement, but they did so while meme’ing and having fun with the whole situation. Literally over night we were given the full breakdown of the Series S and Series X’s pricing and release dates. Not only this, but developers began springing forth with confirmation of games releasing with the consoles on launch day, as well performance specs. Most notably being Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla confirmed to be running at 4K 60fps.
Social and Gaming Media were absolutely abuzz for the past 48 hours, and the fire is showing no signs of being put out. So, what does that mean for Sony? Surely they would seize the opportunity to leverage all the excitement and make their own announcement. Surely they would want to capitalize on the fact that all eyes would subsequently on them, especially on the day of the PSX’s anniversary, right? So far, the answer has been a disappointingly loud NO.
Not only has there been no response, reveal, or announcement of any kind during the height of the buzz, but it has recently come out that the PS5 was potentially going to be more expensive than the Series X. The sudden reveal of Microsoft’s hardware seems to have pushed Sony back to the drawing board to reevaluate their pricing and marketing strategy so that they can find something to One Up Microsoft with. The PS5 being the more expensive console was always within the realm of possibilities. Sony’s Bill of Materials was outed to be as high as $470 USD, meaning that if they were to try undercutting Microsoft anywhere below $500, they would stand to lose substantially more per console sold.
Now, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that regardless of what happens between now and launch day, the PS5 will sell and sell well. The Playstation has an immense amount of Mindshare built up from the PS4’s wholly successful run and their marketing team is diabolically talented at roping in the average consumer with their messaging. However, I can’t help but feel that this particular moment in time has been one huge missed opportunity for Team Blue, and has put them under further scrutiny by their fan base and shareholders. Remember, there is still plenty we don’t know about the PS5’s functionality, pricing, release date, capabilities, and exactly when 1st party games will be available.
Insomniac’s Spiderman: Miles Morales is slated to be a launch game, but as of right now, the official date still says Holiday 2020. Ratchet and Clank: a Rift Apart is set in the PS5’s launch window; Same as Horizon: Journey to the West. After having multiple successful presentations that got consumers excited and eager to know when they can get their shiny new PS5s, it seems as though Sony is inadvertently trying to quell expectations. First we have their limited pre-order system that was presented not too long ago. The parameters for being selected give the the pre-order process an air of being in the Cool Kid’s Club, when in reality it only creates confusion for the average consumer.
Follow this up with Sony’s peculiar silence after their last presentation and you have a fair bit of people scratching their heads. Sure, Sony doesn’t really have to meet Microsoft head on in this scenario. They are still the most popular of the two brands after all. What’s concerning is that with the very real implications of the Global Pandemic affecting production and marketing, one has to wonder if Sony will actually be able to make it to market for a Holiday 2020 release. While they have increased their initial production allocation from 5-6 million up to 10, we still have no confirmation of what the retail unit truly looks like and whether they’ve even begun full production. Their absence from the recent Hot Chips Symposium has also raised a few eyebrows. Where the Series X has been stripped down to the very last CU, the PS5’s overall internal composition is still far from having substantial and concrete data available beyond Mark Cerny’s presentation earlier in the year.
If it sounds like I’m lighting the Signal Fires and raising the alarm…Well, I think I am. Again, the PS5 selling well is not in question. It’s Sony’s seemingly lackadaisical demeanor and response to the demand for info on their product. I plan to purchase a PS5 for myself whenever Blue Point Studio’s Demon’s Souls: Remake is released, but prior to that…Well Sony is doing a pretty swell job on not reaffirming that purchase.
As of this writing, news has surfaced that Sony has plans to make some kind of announcement today that was indeed planned for yesterday’s anniversary, but moved for obvious reasons. There is also an event scheduled for the 14th, so hopefully all the concerns raised above will be addressed. Fingers crossed, everyone.
