With the holidays right around the corner, I’m sure you are getting at least one tech item for that special person in your life. However, as much as you might want to run out and get that PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, I want to remind you that we are getting brand new consoles this time next year!
Sony and Microsoft have already announced their next-generation consoles will be launching in 2020. For Sony, it has already confirmed that the PlayStation 5 is in the works. As for Microsoft, it has just revealed the next generation Xbox called Xbox Series X.
Sony has already released footage of the load times on the PS5 and it is leaps and bounds above the PlayStation 4!
Currently, prices have not been confirmed but we can speculate on prices based on what sort of tech will be under the hood of these two next-generation consoles. Rumors suggest that the PS5 and Xbox Series X will have similar tech specs. Therefore, when it comes to power, these consoles are going to be nearly identical if these rumors are to be believed.
From my experience in watching the gaming industry evolve, I’m going to guess that the next-generation PlayStation will be between $500 to $600. The same goes for the next Xbox. At this price range, it keeps the consoles somewhat affordable and will help both companies to make sales right out of the gate.
Now, you may be thinking that $500 to $600 is far too high of an asking price for a gaming console but keep this in mind: When the holiday seasons come around, both of these companies are bound to create bundles and sell the consoles at much cheaper prices.
To give an example, this past Black Friday, you could buy a PS4 Pro with the Marvel’s Spider-Man video game for $299.99! That is a massive price cut compared to the normal $400 that the PS4 Pro goes for.
If I’m being honest, I personally wouldn’t mind paying $500 for a next-generation system. Back when the PlayStation 3 was revealed, Sony wanted $599.99 for that system… $599. Keep in mind this was over a decade ago. Six-hundred dollars back then would equal to $765.95 today. If we want to include tax, it would be even closer to $800! (Which is a reason why the PS3 didn’t sell well when it first came out because $600 back then felt like you were spending $800... but I digress.)
However in today's world, you aren’t paying close to $800 for a gaming console. You will pay half of that usually, if not, a little bit more.
If you want my humble opinion, if you plan on buying someone either an Xbox or PlayStation for the holidays this year, I would hold off until next year when the next generation of consoles launch. (Did I mention there are also rumors going around that these consoles will be backward compatible with their PS4 and Xbox counterparts?)
Avery Latta-Raines is a producer at First Coast News. He can be reached at Jlattarain@firstcoastnews.com or on Facebook.
