Although it seems that Sony is holding out on making announcements about the PlayStation 5, the company recently stated that the reveal timeline for that device be similar to that of past consoles. Although there have been a variety of leaks and speculation about the PS5, Sony has continued to remain tight-lipped about almost everything about it, which has frustrated gamers who are desperately seeking information about Sony's next-generation console.
At this point, about the only thing Sony has confirmed is the PS5's logo, although the company has also revealed a holiday 2020 release date. In contrast, Microsoft continues to unveil details about the Xbox Series X, which will compete directly with the PS5 - although Xbox boss Phil Spencer believes that might not actually be true. Sony officially trademarked the PlayStation 5 name in January in Switzerland, suggesting that an official announcement about the console could potentially come soon.
Motley Fool released the transcript of a recent Sony earnings call, in which Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Hiroki Totoki reiterated that Sony would make announcements about the PS5 "when the time is right." He stated that the reveal will follow what the company has done in the past for previous consoles. He said:
"It's very difficult to really discuss this timing-wise, but as of today, we will provide the guidance at a time period, which is comparable to the past. So we will not change the time schedule."
Sony was also fairly secretive about the PS4 right up until its big reveal, which happened in February of the year it released. That could potentially mean that gamers will have new information about the PS5 within the next few weeks, perhaps during a State of Play live stream event. Perhaps the strategy will be another one of comparing the PS5's specs and features to the already revealed elements of competitors, especially if rumors are true that the PS5 will not just be backward compatible with PS4 games but also with PS1, PS2 and PS3 games.
Unfortunately, Sony's most significant issue could be the price point of the PS5. Reports suggest the PS5 is an expensive machine to make and if Sony sells it for anything under $450, it will lose money on the console. Some suggest that the PS5 could cost anywhere up to $500, which would undoubtedly give gamers pause in adopting the console at launch. However, it's also likely that Sony is waiting for Microsoft to announce the Xbox Series X price so that it can price the PS5 competitively. Now the question is: will gamers invest that kind of money into new gaming systems?
Source: Motley Fool