If you consider the next-gen consoles to be too expensive, it might not be long until they fall into your price range.
Activision CEO Bobby Kotick was quick to predict that both the PS4 and Xbox One will have price drops soon after the beginning of the next-gen. During the latest Activision Blizzard earnings call he stated:
lots of efficiencies in manufacturing that could drive hardware prices down sooner in the cycle,
The PS3 required years to drop in price, and even then Sony had to remove backward compatibility and wait patiently for blu-ray parts to become more affordable before it could make a move. Meanwhile, Microsoft waited a full two years before reducing the price of the Xbox 360 from its launch MSRP.
The Xbox One in particular is in serious need of a price reduction. Its Kinect camera is truly impressive, but access to it is walled by a price point that denies all but the most serious gaming and technology enthusiasts. Microsoft claims it has the all-in-on multimedia solution, but $499 is a bit much for a Christmas gift.
Kotick is right, manufacturing processes have become much more efficient over the years, to a point where the PS3 can now be sold for $249 (down from its original $599 MSRP). The next-gen will first and foremost be a battle of software and hardware, but whoever can make the price of entry a non-issue for everyday consumers first will have a significant advantage. Don’t write off the Xbox One, though. Considering the Xbox One’s price point is $100 more than the PS4 simply due to the inclusion of a Kinect camera (PS4 includes no camera at all), it isn’t too far-fetched to think it could price match the PS4 sooner rather than later.
[Via]
