While we know an increasing amount about the PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles coming in late 2020, one aspect that still eludes us is the price. However, that could be set to change very soon.
As reported by SlashGear, former Game Informer editor Imran Khan has claimed knowledge of console pricing reveals in August, which would mean that the PS5 price and Xbox Series X price are soon to be upon us.
The statement came in episode 32 of the Kinda Funny Gamecast on YouTube (around the 56-minute mark), during a discussion of what’s expected from Microsoft and Sony in the coming months. Co-host Imran Khan stated that, “Both have shows this month. From what I’ve heard, both have to talk about hardware this month – in terms of pricing, availability.”
- PS5 price and pre-orders
- Xbox Series X price and pre-orders
- PS5 vs Xbox Series X: what we know so far
August: is it likely?
The comments scan with expectations of some sort of month announcement or reveal event from both Sony and Xbox, both of which have shown off new first- and third-party titles coming to the next-gen consoles.
But after a series of knockout (and less knockout) announcements, including a Skyrim-like RPG called Avowed for Xbox Series X, and a Spider-Man: Miles Morales game for PS5, it’s likely that both console makers have to give gamers more pricing and availability info to keep the hype train going.
Both Xbox and PlayStation are likely waiting to see what the other announces in terms of price, but it’s getting late in the day, and retailers such as Amazon or GameStop will be keen to start planning their stock and distribution – something that's hard to do without pre-order numbers to work around.
Khan also hinted at incoming PS5 games and Xbox Series X games we have yet to hear about, and we expect some killer titles are being saved until after pre-orders go live, to motivate purchases.
"I’ve also heard that – I don’t know if it’s this month or later – but they both do have more software to show," said Khan. "So, whether they do it now, or before the launch, or after the launch, they both have things that are going to be like, ‘I can’t believe they are revealing that’."
What could the price be?
It's speculation at this point, but previous estimates put the number for both consoles at around $450-500 (around £400 / AU$700).
Given the similarity of the console's internal specs, we're unlikely to see as huge a disparity as the launch of the Xbox One ($499 / £429 / AU$599) and PS4 ($399 / £350 / AU$599).
The existence of the disc-less PS5 – and expectation of a similar All Digital Xbox Series X – also means there should be a slightly cheaper option, but we don't expect to see a huge discount even without a disc drive included.
- PS5 games list: everything Sony has announced so far
