Redakcja Choose TV
Rising hardware prices have been causing concern among gamers for months. First Microsoft and Sony announced price hikes, and later further forecasts predicted even more expensive devices. Now the former head of PlayStation, Shawn Layden, has weighed in. In his view the current situation could mean the definitive end of cheap consoles. It's all due to rising production costs and record-high memory prices.
PlayStation 5 may never get any cheaper again
Shawn Layden, the former president of PlayStation Worldwide Studios, believes players should not expect significant price cuts for the PlayStation 5. He says the current crisis in RAM and memory chips has completely changed the console market. In previous generations it was standard to gradually reduce hardware prices a few years after launch. Consoles typically launched at around $399 and later sold for as little as $199. That's when sales accelerated the most. According to Layden, that scenario will not be repeated in the current generation. Rising production costs mean manufacturers have little room for big discounts. As a result, the PlayStation 5 could remain an expensive device for the rest of its life cycle. A similar situation may affect future consoles as well. This signals the end of the sales model gamers have been used to for many years. More and more experts share similar predictions.
The next generation may be even more expensive
Problems are not limited to PlayStation. In recent months Microsoft has also raised the prices of its consoles, and memory manufacturers are signing multi-year deals that keep prices at their current level. This makes the prospect of cheaper hardware increasingly unlikely. Analysts predict the next generation of consoles could cost around $1,000. Such forecasts are already being made in relation to the PlayStation 6 and the new Xbox. Of course, for now these are only predictions and no manufacturer has revealed official prices for forthcoming devices. Nevertheless, more and more signs point to the era of consoles available for $399 coming to an end for good. For many players this may mean using their current hardware for longer or upgrading to new generations less often. Everything suggests the games industry is entering a whole new era in terms of hardware prices.
The former head of PlayStation believes the PS5 may never again see large price cuts. Rising production costs mean cheap consoles are becoming a thing of the past, and future generations could be even more expensive.
source: tech4gamers
