It’s official, we now have the pricing and launch dates for next-gen consoles. PlayStation 5 pre-orders are sold out in the UK. Xbox Series S/X pre-orders start on 22nd September at 8 am (UK Time). But, are the next generation of consoles truly affordable for us all?
Next-Gen Costs
A subject that is often avoided in the games industry is wealth. From a £40k a year exec to a teenager waiting for Santa, Christmas is going to be an expensive holiday. Excluding retailer-specific financing options, we’re looking at £449 for top tier consoles. A price point of £359 for PlayStation 5’s all-digital edition and Xbox Series S at £249 gives players a budget option also.
A big feature that Microsoft is pushing is its ‘Xbox All Access’ membership. get an Xbox Series X/S plus 24 months of Game Pass Ultimate for £28.99 and £20.99 respectively. There’s nothing upfront to pay and it’s 0% interest. PlayStation 5 will carry on its PlayStation Plus membership alongside the newly announced PlayStation Plus Collection. Sony has also commented that a Game Pass proposition is not viable for £100m first-party titles for PlayStation 5, which is a fair comment.
Online Scalpers
Hiking up consumer demand are online scalpers. eBay is already flooded with PlayStation 5 consoles in excess of £600 at the time of writing, which isn’t helping the affordability of getting a next-gen console under the Christmas tree this holiday. Super Mario 3D All-Stars’ physical release is also a magnet to con merchants worldwide due to its limited run (Thanks Nintendo). Surely with such a big launch event online reselling sites should be doing their bit to suppress scalping activity at least until after launch?
Cloud gaming is also another way to make next-gen content affordable to a-lot of audiences. Granted, the quality of Game Pass Ultimates Cloud Service isn’t the best, but it’s better than nothing. Families on a budget can subscribe to Game Pass and use the service on the go (5G / Fast Broadband is highly recommended). Sony does have the slowly dying PlayStation Now service, but it seems that Sony has a vastly different tactic this generation.
Digital Next-Gen Consoles?
Looking back at the Xbox One Reveal at E3 2013, it’s crazy to think that both Sony and Microsoft would release an all-digital alternative to their upcoming flagships in November. Granted, they were around two generations ahead of their time and suffered poor leadership under Don Mattrick, but it was still a train wreck.
The problem with an all-digital landscape is ownership. No one (bar a thief) can take your physical game collection away. A digital library is always in the hands of the console manufacturers’ servers alongside questionable DRM agreements. of course, players need to only keep their old console. But, what happens when servers for that console are taken offline?
For Xbox One owners, they can safely carry over their existing libraries as standard from last gen. PlayStation 5 owners have a very limited backward compatibility option which tends to cater to their digital audiences. This isn’t a new thing within generational leaps. However, the idea of keeping a digital library no matter which consoles a player has should be key as we all look towards a digital-only future.
What Does The Next-Gen Hold?
It’s clear that Xbox is opting for a ‘Gaming as a Service’ approach to next-gen. No matter what console you have, where you are in the world, or what you can afford, next-gen is for everyone. This also comes in handy for players who may need extra accessibility options when playing games. It also makes next-gen gaming affordable, with an option for most players of variating wealth. Adding to their affordability is Game Pass Ultimate, which includes all-new first-party releases and cloud gaming as standard. Xbox Series S/X Launches on November 10th in the UK.
PlayStation 5 is entering next-gen confident and bold. They have proved their point with PlayStation 4, they now want to keep that pace and build on their solid foundations. They also have a budget console on offer alongside a free selection of games when players subscribe to PlayStation Plus. Sony knows that they have an exceptionally strong first-party offering and are using that to sell the PlayStation 5. This somewhat kicks some players to the curb who can’t afford the console. PlayStation 5 launches on November 19th in the UK.
Do you think Next-Gen is affordable? Which console are you going to pre-order? Although the console war seems to be over, the race for a bigger install base still continues.
