Can Sony repeat their PS4 success next gen?

[Ivanovic]

looks like they'll be adopting the same formula that worked for them this gen into next gen which is basically AAA high budget first and third party exclusives and a $399 affordable console. in fact, looking at the PS5 and it's already strong first year, looks like they'll turn it up a notch.

The problems they have next gen compared to last is of course a resurgent Nintendo, but does Nintendo's success really affect Sony in terms of sales? Switch success the last three years hasn't slowed down PS4 sales.

Theres also a resurgent Microsof, even though their first party line up isn't that good till at least 2022, Gamepass and Series S present quite a challenge. So will Sony sell more PS5s than PS4s next gen looking at everything so far?

 

[Karlinel]

In the end it will boil down to what people prefer, Sony style of AAA single player, or hundred-something games mostly BC for now and the whole MS production.
To be fair, I don't know myself what I'd enjoy more.

 

[bing]

I think the main reason PS4 won last gen was its price. They have a very competitive price this year and so does Xbox, so I think it will be a lot more competitive this gen.

 

[Y2Kev]

The PS5 is going to be a monster. Look at all of the engagement metrics.

 

[Alak96]

In the US, sure. Not a chance in Europe or Australia, 80€ for a single game is too much here in Sonyland (Spain).

 

[LebGuns]

Yes, I think people are wedded to their ecosystems more than ever (for example, I think I have 200+ digital games at this point thanks to sales and PS+) so it would be difficult to switch over to a new console I'd say.

 

[kamineko]

it's not an equivalent scenario due to series s

whether or not it takes off remains to be seen; that $300 price seems pretty appealing

 

[xaosslug]

PS5 is a beast™

 

[Siggy-P]

I have some friends who are hard ore Sony fans and are gonna get the PS5 no matter what.

But people I know who aren't attached to one over the other are very heavily leaning towards Xbox's £30 a month deal.

 

[Napalm_Frank]

80€ is a risky gamble to be sure.

 

[Duxxy3]

Maybe, but it won't be as straight forward as current gen. Microsoft didn't sabotage themselves this time around. They don't have the price advantage.

 

[Deleted member 5491]

Maybe. Same goes for fucking it up. Same goes for Microsoft

 

[Pai Pai Master]

looks like its already happening

 

[cowbanana]

Not with €80 games, lol.

 

[Thrill_house]

Good question. Myself and a few friends are debating on going back to xbox this gen. The idea of buying a xbox last gen was fucking laughable to us at the start. Now MS has some cool stuff coming up and the goliath that is gamepass.

The competition will be far more fierce this time around and I don't think Sony is going to be able to rest on their laurels.

 

[Bundy]

Yes. With a great next-gen system, next-gen controller, PSVR and their powerful 1st party studios and IPs, no doubt.

 

[Mr.Deadshot]

As long as the games are coming, yes. Maybe it will take a bit longer to take off because of production shortage, Covid and recession, but games like Horizon and God of War will drive hardware sales.

 

[N.Domixis]

The PS5 is going to be a monster. Look at all of the engagement metrics.

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All the angry tweets at missed preorders?

 

[thermopyle]

Region wise, the US is always competitive for both companies. MS is SOL in most of Europe and Asia though.

Nintendo will do what Nintendo does.

 

[Elios83]

In the US, sure. Not a chance in Europe or Australia, 80€ for a single game is too much here in Sonyland (Spain).

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Emmm that is the price that will be requested by all major publishers for all their AAA games.
It's not a Sony problem, it's an industry wide issue which btw will simply mean that people are going to wait for deals and if day one sales are significantly hurt by the price increase publishers might even go back.

 

[Bear]

The PS5 is going to be a monster. Look at all of the engagement metrics.

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And many of those are not positive.

 

[Kill3r7]

Sure. The question is whether they will be able to expand the market?

 

[N.Domixis]

Also those prices on games will hurt first party sales.

 

[KartuneDX]

The PS5 is going to be a monster. Look at all of the engagement metrics.

Click to shrink...

This. The name PlayStation is just too strong in 2020. The hype for pre-orders is unmatched. It's not a question of "can they?" tbh

It'll be a closer, competitive gen for sure but I don't see PS5 losing the lead if ever for the next 2-3 years.

 

[Meg Cherry]

I think the main reason PS4 won last gen was its price. They have a very competitive price this year and so does Xbox, so I think it will be a lot more competitive this gen.

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Yep. I think a major reason PS4 took such a commanding lead is that it was the obvious choice from a financial perspective - and that snowballed as more casual players got the console that let them play with friends who were early adopters.

This generation, I think that advantage has been decimated for many reasons. The price being one - but now, the biggest online games are cross platform. If you're the sort of player who only cares about Fortnite/Rocket League/CoD - there's a good chance you don't need to worry about platform matching with friends.

Which then turns this gen into a match between value (low price Series S + Game Pass) and prestige (Sony's catalogue of exclusive games).

 

[iceblade]

I don't think so. I do think they can be successful - very successful, but I don't think they'll be as dominant as they were this generation.

IMO PS4 benefited from being the more powerful console, the $399 price point, and the no used games / Kinect debacle. This go around, it's not the more powerful console, it's got the $399 price point, but the Series S is cheaper, and there's no no use games / Kinect debacle. Plus Game Pass and the BC is a very compelling reason to join Microsoft's ecosystem.

I think Sony can still win (in terms of outright sales), and they have the advantage of having a large PS4 userbase who'd likely stick with them, but MS look like they've come in swinging and I think it'll be more competitive this generation.

 

[Deleted member 61469]

Doubt it. The way they put on the screws on EU is gonna be felt by them no doubt.

 

[ThisIsBlitz21]

PS4 competitors: Wii U (lol), and Xbox One. Wii U flopped out the gate, Nintendo really screwed up with it's marketing there. Same with Xbox launch, with the price, and the kinect debacle, the used games, the TV focus, screwed everything up and haven't recovered fully since. I'm not suggesting that this why PS4 was a huge success, but these still are two key reasons out of a bunch though.

I think the PS5 will be a successful machine? For sure. Will it surpass PS4 sales? I'll go with a firm no. The $399 price point is there, yes, but with the caveat of barely any digital PS5's being shipped (at least for now). I'll put it in 90-100 million range in sales.

Now we're looking at a rebounded Nintendo with the Switch and an Xbox that isn't screwing around.

 

[Siggy-P]

I assume ps5 will lead but noway near as much.

And if Microsoft pumps out some great AAA's on gamepass they might take the lead in the second half of the generation.

 

[EagleClaw]

Well, consoles are already sold out if i believe the retailers...
But i have no clue how many were to be sold.

 

[Axel Stone]

I expect Microsoft to take a bigger piece of the pie this time around even if they don't take first place, so I think it's unlikely that PS5 will do quite as well as PS4.

 

[Alienhated]

There might be a fiercer competition from Microsoft in their more favorable english-speaking countries this time, but Europe and most of the usual rest-of-world territories will stick with Sony and its more popular brand, so they probably won't get a 2:1 advantage but they'll likely still be on top overall.

Too bad because they really deserve to get all the shit they can for their disgusting 80€ pricing stunt.

 

[get2sammyb]

In the US, sure. Not a chance in Europe or Australia, 80€ for a single game is too much here in Sonyland (Spain).

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You'd think if things are going that badly in 6 to 12 months they'll just recant on the pricing and bring it down again, right?

 

[Zok310]

I would ask what changed for them not to be able to? I would argue it might be better.

They hit $399, again.
Momentum from PS4 greater than the momentum from PS3 to PS4.
1st party seems to be even stronger.
PS+ now with greater value.

Everything that brought them success have been enhanced.

 

[ThisIsBlitz21]

In the US, sure. Not a chance in Europe or Australia, 80€ for a single game is too much here in Sonyland (Spain).

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I think the exact opposite lol. The US (and Canada, UK) is very competitive so the scene there can change very quickly. Europe though, is Sonyland, and I dont see their grip on the region loosening this gen.

 

[Alak96]

Emmm that is the price that will be requested by all major publishers for all their AAA games.
It's not a Sony problem, it's an industry wide issue which btw will simply mean that people are going to wait for deals and if day one sales are significantly hurt by the price increase publishers might even go back.

Click to shrink...

However, Microsoft has GamePass, and Nintendo isn't raising their prices (yet).

Don't know, maybe the GP will be receptive of these prices and simply won't care, but I'm having a hard time seeing how in hell a 20€ increase is going to be well received in Europe in the verge of a economic recession.

 

[Glimlocker]

I'm curious to see what impact the price has.

PS4 was pretty cheap for a completely brand new console, so maybe the digital-only PS5 will sell super well?

And the game prices weren't terrible, either, though they weren't great. This time around, they're pretty terrible. I certainly can't see myself ever buying a new game for $70.

And we'll be in a recession for at least the next couple years.

Who knows, though.

 

[HardRojo]

And many of those are not positive.

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I'd say people being mad that they can't find preorders for your product is a good problem to have, especially if you're producing more stock than your previous launch.
With that said, I believe the first year will be key and will tell us how the market reacted to the console prices and the new price for games, especially in Europe.

 

[Mathieran]

I think they will do the same. And MS will also do better by tapping into a different market than Sony.

 

[ianpm31]

I assume ps5 will lead but noway near as much.

And if Microsoft pumps out some great AAA's on gamepass they might take the lead in the second half of the generation.

Click to shrink...

Not a chance. You do realize that in order for MS to have a 360 gen they would have to outsell PS5 by double digit millions in the U.S. and that's just to be neck and neck with them. Some people on here just have no idea how far fetched that is and all signs are pointing to PS5 maintaining their lead. The metrics have been insane. Then look at PS5's exclusive lineup for the next 12 months from GOW2 to Horizon 2 to GT7 to Ratchet to etc.

 

[liquidtmd]

Software pricing is going to be fascinating to follow

It's all very well pricing new games higher, but we're in recession territory. Overall the console will sell, and certain titles will still sell on the same trajectory but without doubt if you're asking for more money per title, you're going to sell less titles out the gate which will make the market course correct

 

[TheXbox]

I expect a slower burn than PS4. Microsoft looks too competitive for Sony to retain the same dominance in NA. The contest will be much tighter and closer to the PS3/360 era than last gen (only in NA!). Neither company has made a humongous gaffe yet, so it feels in some way like it really is a true test of these brands and the value of the consoles themselves.

 

[RivalGT]

Sure, Sony are even shipping more consoles this time around since they know they will be selling more. Its crazy to think considering PS4 sold very well at launch. People also forget, but the xbox one also sold extremely well at launch, and for the first 3 years the system sold better than the xbox 360.

 

[Thorrgal]

I'd say is a given at this point

Question is, how much better can Sony and the PS5 do?

 

[Tiber]

PS4 was the console of dreams. Mostly because of Sony's focus on single player games. If they maintain that focus PS5 will also be a monster

 

[Mediking]

I wanna see a few more JRPGS before I fully commit to PS5

 

[fanboy]

I assume ps5 will lead but noway near as much.

And if Microsoft pumps out some great AAA's on gamepass they might take the lead in the second half of the generation.

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They wont take the lead in this gen and they are obviously not even trying to, as Phil has stated himself. They might stand a chance in the next gen after this next gen, but they wont beat Guerilla, Insomniac, ND, SSM and others in the near future. I am keeping my fingers crossed for Microsoft, they really changed the perspective on how I perceive them.

 

[Crayon]

Well they seem to be doing alright.

 

[Yahabane]

Kinda, I guess? I expect the PS5 to be really successful, but it definitely won't dominate as much as the PS4. That's a good thing as it means there is healthy competition going on which boosts the market. Microsoft and Nintendo are doing great. I'm excited to see how the next gen will turn out for consumers.

 

[finalflame]

Yup, they are coming in hot.