Sony finally unveiled its much-hyped and eagerly awaited next-gen gaming console – the PlayStation 5. Apart from coming out with an extremely futuristic looking gaming console, the company was able to keep leaksters at the bay ensuring that the actual design was only seen when the company intended it to be seen. Indeed, a praiseworthy effort.
While at the unveiling the company did not announce the price or the exact availability date, however, it was confirmed that the PlayStation 5 will start launch during the holidays i.e. around the end of the year and would be available across the globe at the same time.
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PS5 India launch and availability
While the company is tightlipped about the timelines of PS5’s India availability, some reports suggest that Sony has been more proactive in its approach this time and has already started reaching out to the major retailers to assess the demand and hype around the new console.
While the company wants to keep the launch date close to the launch of rival X Box One X that is slated to launch between October to December 2020, unconfirmed rumours suggest that the PlayStation 5 may be released around November 20th. This would leave enough time for the consoles to reach to the users right in time for the Christmas holidays.
Online blog TheMakoRactor reports that multiple retailers from different cities in India have hinted that the console will be released in India in line with the global release. Though it also quotes one retailer stating that the price of PlayStation 5 in India would be higher and they were advised by Sony officials to focus on selling the current console PS4.
“No price has been given to us and we just wanted to do this, so customers could tell us if they’re interested. However, Sony India told us it would be on the expensive side when it hits and has asked us to focus on PS4 instead,” a retailer from Delhi was quoted as saying.
The retailer also hinted that the price of the new Sony PlayStation 5 could be higher, it would be interesting to see how much Sony India prices the console for. A high price of a gaming console in the current coronavirus-induced slowdown will not be logical. However, going by the specs both the Microsoft XBox One X and Sony PlayStation 5 look extremely similar yet insanely powerful.
Another domestic online retailer, GamesTheShop, also proudly displays a banner for PS5 stating "in time for Holiday 2020", hinting at the Indian release. When we reached out to them for clarity, they also confirmed that the “PlayStation 5 is scheduled for India launch around the end of the year, alongside its global release”.
A screenshot of an Amazon India mobile app is also doing rounds on social media suggesting that the console will be making its way to India through Amazon. This screenshot carries the same banner as the GamesTheShop is running.
However, we could not establish the authenticity of the screenshot and hence decided to ignore it for the moment. However, do watch this space as we track the arrival of the next generation gaming consoles starting with PS5 and moving over to the XBox Series X.
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