When will current-gen console production stop? [XO, PS4] *spawn*

That’s why Sony have their budget label and PSN sales.

 

If so, that argument would have applied to PS1, PS2, and importantly because it didn't cost reduce at all well, PS3. Sony still kept them going so they must have been profitable. The moment they were loss making, Sony would have stopped producing them.

PS4 is even more valuable than PS1 and PS2 because even if games are bought second hand, Sony can get $50 a year from PSN subs for multiplayer gaming, and any cheap games sold digitally are pure profit.

 

It does long term though, also it's also dependent on making some profit on the hardware.

 

Yes digitally sold and/or online played... so a ps4 or ps4pro all digital (and with maybe some improvements like the use of an SSD, very small form factor, very low price) are going to still have sense to be produced.

The used ps4 & used physical media are direct opponents (the Gamestop business in short)....

 

Not no-one, but the nearly no-one.

But a parent who cannot afford a PS5 won't buy it. Plain and simple.

If those were the numbers we're talking about, you'd be right. But I don't think it's anything like that. If it worked that way in business, there wouldn't be cheap entry-level platforms and the more expensive options would always be pushed. There are consumers who's spending power will never reach the high-end costs, so you either ignore them or give them a lesser experience at a lower price. If you don't offer a lower, cheaper experience, someone else will, which is why everyone in CE except some exclusive high-end brands produces a range of products.

To one that is far, far more profitable based on number of network users. One network user will generate more profits than ten consoles sold at a small margin.

This couldn't be further from the truth.

In response to an investor question. It wasn't a PR announcement. Has anyone asked Sony what will happen to PS4? If not, don't expect them to talk about their cost-cutting plans. That's not a conversation that interests them.

Yes. That's all to give PS5 a great start. That doesn't stop PS4 going anywhere. Even if no more new games are made for it, there's a library of thousands of titles for late owners to enjoy.

And they want everyone who wants a console and can't afford a PS5 to buy an PS4 instead of an Xbox, no?

Indeed. But, again, for those who cannot afford a PS5, you either let MS win them over or provide a PS4.

It totally is. Times one million!

 

To me the people buying into cheap console late in cycle are way different folks than people in this forum/typical gamers. Those folks are probably super casual and bought into wii way back when. If sony/ms wants to keep the cheap old option around and succesfull then one way to do that is to get those cheap folks into psn+/... The value proposition should be there in form of monthly free (quality) games. What's better than "free"? Other part is that those folks likely would buy those casual games that might not even exist at the moment. Bring back the singstar/rockband/buzz/... or invent some new easy to play family games. No need for triple a investment level but some investment is needed to keep the old console alive and selling to super casual folks.

Keeping old cheap console around is investment also to ecosystem. Maybe cheapsters eventually upgrade to new console? BC helps to keep people in specific walled garden.

 

Xbox One X and XboX SAD discontinued officially.
https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/16/21327330/microsoft-xbox-one-x-s-digital-edition-discontinued

edit: thanks for the thread move, for some reason all of this was stuck into lockhart.

 

And now it's official. Even before we have prices on next-gen systems.

Though they say they're still making One S Optical editions.

 

The logical one to keep would be the SAD.

But if they can get the 1S to be cheap enough, then you will still get more people buying the 1S at that price point.
They've already factored in physical media, they will just try to make gamepass too compelling to not get.

 

Brave decision from MS. This could easily affect buying habits of late console cycle buyers. But in a way this was only way to make the product port folio maintainable for microsoft. I wish we would see more mobile phone like model where old model becomes cheaper and new models tend to come into high end price points. Maximize usable lifetime of each product.

 

I think that shows the SAD just isn't that popular. If they make the choice between S and SAD, and choose S, there has to be good reason.

I expect S to get a price drop, same as I expect for PS4. There's an audience for super-cheap consoles. Unless Lockhart really is as some people would imagine cheaper and faster and better in every way, that should be a middle-tier product, replacing XB1X. So we'll have on the market in 2021...

XB1S > LH > XBSX

and

PS4 > PS5

With XB1S and PS4 pushed as far below $200 as possible to build up the ecosystems.

 

It could be product segmentation, wind down the One S as a cheap UHD/HDR BluRay Player and push Lockhart Digital Edition for the inexpensive consumers?

 

There's also a load a physical games inventory that retail would want to shift.

(I don't know how Xbox game inventory management works in practice though)

 

If talking about price then it will be
PS4 > PS5 DD > PS5

 

I would agree, but if Lockhart is digital only, then this still provide a cheap console for physical disks. Otherwise you would have to buy a Series X to get the optical & that would go against their plans to let customers move to next-gen when they want.

Tommy McClain

 

There will be two platforms on sale in the PS family and three in the XB family. PS5DD and PS5 are the same tier.

 

If you're going after the most price conscious to get them into the ecosystem, not caring too much how much revenue they bring in at this point, then the disc enabled option is the cheapest one. Those owners will be able to buy used games and share discs.

 

Did they make a statement about 4Pro that I missed?

 

Yea, I do agree with that. That's why I said if they can make it cheap enough.

Although considering the SAD is exactly the same without the drive, it's not like it's a huge overhead to continue to sell it.
So I can see why you would think this supports the view that the SAD isn't a huge seller.

 

Depending on your point of view it could be 4 PS SKUs & 3 XB SKUs. You can be pedantic about whether that's 2 vs 2, 2 vs 3, 2 vs 4, etc, but at the end of the day when a customer goes online or to a store they're not going to understand the minutiae differences we're squabbling over. They just see 7 different boxes at varying price points.

Tommy McClain