“We are constantly evaluating our business in order to provide our fans with a great selection of games. Our MSRP for the Xbox Series S remains at $299 (£250, €300) and the Xbox Series X at $499 (£450, €500).”, a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed. If the truth of the day is not necessarily the truth of the next day, Microsoft’s response still encourages optimism, as manufacturers are not satisfied with answering language that evades or suggests imminent price increases for its consoles.
You now have to pay 450 euros for a PlayStation 5 without a drive and 550 euros for a console capable of playing Blu-ray. All major markets except the U.S. saw gains, and the current strength of the U.S. dollar does not appear to be enough to justify a break above the symbolic $500 barrier. Sony won’t complain, he’s having the toughest battle in this market with Microsoft (and of course Nintendo, whose Switch remains the number one seller).
Jim Ryan of Sony Interactive Entertainment called the increase “Necessity in the current global economic environment“And underscored that the current situation, especially the high inflation rate, has led to”Many industries face some pressure“Including Sony’s business. Similar to Meta’s presentation, he had no hesitation in raising the price of Quest 2 by €100 a few weeks ago. His headset now shows the same price as PS5 (€450 for 128 GB) 256 GB storage and 550 euros).
Anyone who has reviewed the group’s financial results knows that currency effects tend to affect Sony’s results, sometimes positive and sometimes negative, depending on the strength of various currencies such as the dollar, euro and yen. By raising prices nearly two years after the release of the PS5, a tactic that is controversial but rare, Sony made an inappropriate choice by making consumers pay more instead of losing money on each console make up for the current difficulties. Sell to shareholders and provide shareholders with an unfavorable balance sheet.
Unlike its rivals, however, where detailed performance targets are shown each quarter, the issue of profitability doesn’t appear to be on Microsoft’s shoulders, and in its 20-year history, Microsoft has never regularly communicated losses in profits or video game activity. . If we really have to worry that Microsoft will raise prices one day, then something tells us that we should be more concerned about the Game Pass subscription aspect.
For its part, Nintendo has not commented since Sony’s announcement, but has said it has no intention of raising the price of the Switch on Nikkei’s mic earlier this month. This is despite the rising prices of other devices, such as Apple’s. It has to be said that after nearly six years on the market, the Switch’s profitability margins are clearly much more comfortable than the new generation of consoles.
- Also read | ‘Affected by the global economic environment’, Sony raises PS5 price by 50 euros in Europe