PS5 random pricing in Nielsen survey could indicate that Sony has plans to price the PlayStation 5 consoles at an irresistible point
A Reddit user called u/youessbee has shared some details about a Nielsen survey they took part in. One of the questions was about the PS5 price, which has become one of the most debated topics among PS5 fans. While no actual official prices were offered, the survey suggested random pricing that can be interpreted in a number of ways. The Nielsen statement read as follows:
As mentioned in the product description, the pricing of this new product (PlayStation 5) has not yet been determined. For the purposes of this survey, we will assign you random pricing. Please take this random pricing into consideration at the following questions. The random prices for this new product (PlayStation 5) that you will evaluate are PlayStation 5: £349; PlayStation 5 Digital Edition: £259.
A few points need to be made before continuing: This could be a fake survey screenshot (see image below), even Nielsen has stressed this is “random pricing”, and there’s no way the PS5 will be £349/£259 (US$436/US$323 – direct conversion). The main thing to take away here is that it could indicate that the now renamed Sony Group is planning on setting the price difference between the PS5 Blu-ray console and the PS5 Digital Edition at a practically irresistible level: Maybe US$100/£100/€100 between the two.
This significant price gap possibility has already been suggested in a recent price leak, and with physical games looking likely to be almost prohibitively high in price, if digital software is priced at a more affordable level then the PS5 Digital Edition will be practically a must-have purchase for next-gen console fans. The original poster stated that they had seen products in previous surveys end up with a roughly 20% price increase upon release, which would put these PS5 prices at £419/£311 (US$523/US$388) for the Blu-ray edition and Digital Edition, respectively. The console would fly off the shelves at those UK prices, with US prices being possibly around US$450 and US$350.
It’s all speculation until Sony reveals the truth, which has been rumored to be taking place as soon as July 13. But Sony does need to be wary of Microsoft’s greater ability to soak up a loss in regard to the next-gen console prices, so affordability needs to be taken into account. However, with the amount of anticipation and goodwill surrounding the PS5, Sony might throw a curveball and price its consoles much higher than expected and simply rely on brand loyalty and the burning desire to own the device to push PS5 sales sky high.