Lol, I thought the new console was supposed to be cheaper.
Yeah, they are riding the high demand wave so well they are maximizing their profits. They dont expect that any price reduction will have enough increase in adoption to be worth it in terms of revenue.
It is kind of a shame though. It is very likely that they can sell it at the original price if not less. But they increased it.
I wonder if, in light of the current situation of lay offs across the industry, Sony is desperately trying to get as much revenue as possible to finance its studios.
I don't like the signal they are sending.
But comparatively, one of the great things about their consoles back in the PS1 and PS2 era, was that they they managed to sell a product that was becoming more and more affordable and the form factor was becoming better and better in time. The consumer could only be delighted. They were communicating to the consumer that they were caring, providing a product that was aiming to be affordable for every middle class household. Not because they are good guys of course. They were still money hoarding corporations. Yet the image of PS 1 and 2 had everything.
They both started as the ultimate next gen consoles at a high but still good price and were gradually adapting to become the perfect family console for everyone.
The PS3 ruined this image from start to finish, the PS4 just nailed it with the launch price although we never saw good price reductions and form factor later. The PS5 sits in the middle between PS3 and PS4 in my eyes.
It's been 3 years and the price is around the same if not more expensive. Someone might bring the argument that it sells like hotcakes or adjusting to inflation the price is great therefore it is a very affordable product. Well it kind of is and it kind of isn't. The economic situation of most families has worsen. I believe we still buy them in large quantities because consoles have become a standard product for most households in this digital age. Even if such expenses are felt more.