Is the world ready for $800-$900 consoles?

Would you pay $800-$900 for an enhanced console?

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Celcius

Celcius

°Temp. member
I think it's extremely unlikely that we'll get enhanced consoles this gen for the same price that the ps5 & xbox series launched at. It's just not economically feasible. However, if Sony and MS were comfortable with delivering a $800-$900 product then this would open the door to all kinds of technical possibilities.

"But Celcius", you may say, "That's a lot of money!"

Cell phones cost a thousand dollars these days. Computer videocards can be $1k-$2k depending on what you get at the high end. A Pro console is supposed to deliver a higher-end gaming experience than the base console and the fact is that things are getting expensive these days so price increases are inevitable. Paying $800-$900 is still much cheaper than spending that much on a computer videocard and then also having to buy the rest of the system. Also keep in mind that if you don't want to spend this kind of money on a console, the base consoles will still exist.

"But Celcius", you may say again, "What would a Pro console even offer?"

More memory (RAM). CPUs with either x3d cache or higher clockspeeds. Bigger gpus. Beefier cooling to handle the new specs without sounding like a jet engine. Since the storage is expandable, I'd prefer they don't spend any extra money on the base storage and instead put it all into extra power & cooling.

I'm not saying that we need enhanced consoles now or even next year, I'm just assuming at some point.

Last generation has shown that there is a healthy appetite among console gamers for more powerful hardware but I think now the question is how much would they be willing to pay for a meaningful upgrade in power this gen. What do you guys think... is the world ready for $800-$900 enhanced consoles?
 
64bitmodels said:
price consoles at 800-900 dollars and the market for consoles vanishes. they're meant to be a cheap entry point. by removing that cheap point, it's just.... a console that's more limited than a PC
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I specifically mentioned that the base consoles would still exist so that cheap point isn't being removed
 
The next "step up" is 4k, 60fps with ray tracing enabled

You currently cant even do that reliably with a pc graphics card that costs $1,500

There is absalutly no chance a mid gen "upgrade" is happening that boosts the performance of the console, it makes much more sense for both Sony and Microsoft to just wait until the parts are cheaper and make a new console
 
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Celcius said:
I specifically mentioned that the base consoles would still exist so that cheap point isn't being removed
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ah shit, i typed that out before seeing that... i guess that'd make sense, then


that being said you can easily build a PC under 900 dollars these days with the current prices. whether or not they'd stack up to the bang for buck a 900 dollar pro console offers would be the real question tho
 
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A $900 console is obscene. At that point the value proposition compared to PC is just not there, especially if you are already on board the platform with the base system. Like I bought a PS5, $1400 for PS5 over a generation compared to a PC is a real stretch, especially when you add on the cost of PS Plus over the generation etc.
 
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If you could upgrade them down the line then perhaps.
But I can't really see a corp doing that aside from your SSD.

The argument for a GPU costing X is redundant. You can still use an older GPU for current games. Older GPU's are vastly cheaper.
If your forking out for a band new PC with all the bells and whistles then yes. It's very expensive.
But if you've been gaming on PC for a number of years, then it becomes a relay race.
 
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Celcius said:
I think it's extremely unlikely that we'll get enhanced consoles this gen for the same price that the ps5 & xbox series launched at. It's just not economically feasible. However, if Sony and MS were comfortable with delivering a $800-$900 product then this would open the door to all kinds of technical possibilities.

"But Celcius", you may say, "That's a lot of money!"

Cell phones cost a thousand dollars these days. Computer videocards can be $1k-$2k depending on what you get at the high end. A Pro console is supposed to deliver a higher-end gaming experience than the base console and the fact is that things are getting expensive these days so price increases are inevitable. Paying $800-$900 is still much cheaper than spending that much on a computer videocard and then also having to buy the rest of the system. Also keep in mind that if you don't want to spend this kind of money on a console, the base consoles will still exist.

"But Celcius", you may say again, "What would a Pro console even offer?"

More memory (RAM). CPUs with either x3d cache or higher clockspeeds. Bigger gpus. Beefier cooling to handle the new specs without sounding like a jet engine. Since the storage is expandable, I'd prefer they don't spend any extra money on the base storage and instead put it all into extra power & cooling.

I'm not saying that we need enhanced consoles now or even next year, I'm just assuming at some point.

Last generation has shown that there is a healthy appetite among console gamers for more powerful hardware but I think now the question is how much would they be willing to pay for a meaningful upgrade in power this gen. What do you guys think... is the world ready for $800-$900 enhanced consoles?
Click to expand...
Actually it's very economically feasible for them to sell pro consoles at $499

The price of SSDs have come down a lot since these consoles released & a die shrink will allow the upgrades to the main processors
 
I'm a gaming enthusiast, a pretty big one at that, and bought a 4090 for $1600 but even for me a $900 gaming console would be a tough sell. I'll go with no.

I could see Pro consoles going for $600. $800-900 is too much for just gaming for the majority of people. And that's presumably in the US, one of the market where consoles are the cheapest.
 
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Give I Want One GIF
 
Yes ... 800 to 900 hundred for 8 years of entertainment?? ... people pay more for iphones and change the next year .. scalpers also proved that price wont stop the demand ...

But do it in two skus form .. 400 and 800 .. 450 and 900 .. whatever
 
Depends, if the hardware provided is worth the monies, I'll consider it.

If it's daylight robbery ala Nvidia count me out.
 
Bernardougf said:
Yes ... 800 to 900 hundred for 8 years of entertainment?? ... people pay more for iphones and change the next year .. scalpers also proved that price wont stop the demand ...

But do it in two skus form .. 400 and 800 .. 450 and 900 .. whatever
Click to expand...
That argument doesn't work for two reasons; phones are considered almost a necessity in this day and age. People in developed countries probably use them more than anything else that they own. Most phones are also paid by the plan you own and you kinda need that plan to take full advantage of your phone. Consoles are strictly for gaming and it's a one-time payment.

Phones are grossly overpriced though.
 
Not sure why it hasnt happened yet tbh.

I mean i guess if you take a step back, you can consider the ps4 the budget ps5, since crossgen games are pretty constant and high still.

The argument of cellphones do it so why cant game consoles… i think falls apart due to cell phones essentially being an extension of a person at this point. People live depending on them and carry them everywhere they go. So people dont care about their costs. That need and use doesnt really exist with consoles. A premium tier for consoles should exist though…not for me but for the folks who need those performance boosts.

Also, if youre looking to create that bring everywhere attachment dependency then youve gotta add a hybrid function to your console/ecosystem. No reason to not have a mobile presence in 2023.
 
The PS5 is pretty much that price outside of the U.S. Here in Canada it's $730+tax

Bernardougf said:
Yes ... 800 to 900 hundred for 8 years of entertainment?? ... people pay more for iphones and change the next year .
Click to expand...

The phone argument/comparison doesn't work. Most people pay a phone through contract plans over the course of 2 years. Very very few people buy phones outright.
 
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Not paying over 500 dollars for a console.
If you are gonna charge me 800 - 900 dollars fuck that Ill just build a PC and call it a day.

Hell assuming the PS6 doesnt drop with some heavy CPU, i could probably live with RaptorLake inside and use that 8-900 dollars to buy a GPU.
 
analog_future said:
I'm ready. I'd gladly pay $1,000 for a high end console.

The world isn't though.
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Just build a pc at that point. you're going to get better performance and can configure it to do exactly what you want at the price you want to pay instead of hoping devs put in whatever performance mode you like.
 
I would spend that amount for a more powerful console for sure!

Love the fact we have the choice to purchase the higher end models or stick with the lower end consoles.

Lets just hope the PS5 pro is a reality...
 
I'm not going to spend over 599$ on a console. That's ridiculous. Mainstream will agree.
 
diffusionx said:
Just build a pc at that point. you're going to get better performance and can configure it to do exactly what you want at the price you want to pay instead of hoping devs put in whatever performance mode you like.
Click to expand...

You can get a PS5 or XSX for $500 and it would cost twice that to build an equivalent PC.

I'd hope that a $1000 console would provide much more value than a $1000 PC as far as performance goes.
 
I mean depending on the hardware I'd probably still buy one but it'd be a LOT harder to justify having multiple consoles at those prices (I spent that much to get both the PS5 and XBSX this gen but if this did happen I think I'd have to only get one of them)

I think it's more likely the market is ready for $600 consoles like the PS3 flopped at
 
Bernardougf said:
Yes ... 800 to 900 hundred for 8 years of entertainment?? ... people pay more for iphones and change the next year .. scalpers also proved that price wont stop the demand ...

But do it in two skus form .. 400 and 800 .. 450 and 900 .. whatever
Click to expand...
The "entertainment" doesn't come for free.
 
To justify that kind of cost then the console would have to big one hell of a huge leap forward, we're talking native 4k60 with full on path traced ray tracing GI/Shadows/Lighting, etc and at least 2TB of SSD storage.
 
I'd buy a $1000 console if they went with the no mid-gen refresh approach from the get-go. But we know that won't happen because it is as the saying goes "a fool and his money are soon parted" and companies will tempt people into buying "better" consoles that aren't needed midway a gen just like the phone industry suck people dry with quarterly releases.
 
Do we know what the break down of pro units compared to normal PS4? I know Sony said something along the lines of 1:5 are pro consoles. If they make financial sense then they will build one.
 
I mean, the NeoGeo was basically this ($650 at release, but would be over 1000 in todays dollars).

It was mythical...
 
Dev times have become so long that its really not worth it. We are going to get 1 game per dev per gen now; kinda ridiculous. And im talking 1 game that is exclusive to the new consoles.
 
Everyone that isnt accepting the iphone argument.. go see in 08 years how much people spend on phones ... it is a necessity.. what is not is buying the most expensive and changing it every other year .. in isolation yes I agree phones vs consoles is not the same product.. BUT ... when you consider the buying habits of this industry (technology) you can see that people will go above and beyond for the shiny new PREMIUM product

Either way Im NOT advocating for one sku at 900 dollars... Im advocating for one normal and one premium sku right of the gate .. instead of a pro down the line ... and anyone saying that there is not a market for premium products in this industry has to take their heads out of their buts
 
People were literally crying at the idea of spending more tham 500 dollars, imagine the mass suicides for an almost 1000 dollars console.

I would buy the shit out of it tho.
 
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If it is, I hope the unpoor people who can flippantly afford them also get charged more for the same games with better specs.
How about that? $60 for the peasant's base console version, $80 for the filthy rich's Pro console version. Free market, baybee!
 
If Sony released a PS5 pro with a 4090, 64GB of RAM and a 5TB SSD, then I'd happily spend £1000 for it.

I'm not alone either. It would sell out in minutes.
 
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