It sounds as if that long-rumoured February reveal for the PlayStation 5 might just still be on the cards. Sony has confirmed that the reveal timeline for the upcoming next-gen hardware "will not change," and will remain in line with the PS4's promotional campaign. The current console was, of course, revealed in February 2013 and launched in November that same year.
Hiroki Totoki, Sony's Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer teased the reveal in a financial earnings call to investors earlier this month. He reiterated that "when the time is right, we will disclose the new product".
"It's very difficult to really discuss this timing-wise," he told investors. "But as of today, we will provide the guidance at a time period which is comparable to the past. So we will not change the time schedule."
Reading between the lines, it appears that Totoki is suggesting the PS5 is on (roughly) a similar trajectory as its predecessor. The PS4 was unveiled at an event on February 20th, and while it's a little optimistic to expect that at this point (it's February 19th at the time of writing), there's still the chance of late February/early March reveal for the new console.
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We already know that Sony intends to launch the PS5 around Christmas, which likely means we can expect it in November, same as the PS4. If this is the case, then a reveal for the next-gen hardware pretty much needs to happen in the next few weeks so that Sony can start marketing the thing. A new console is quite the investment after all, and not a purchase the average consumer makes lightly.
In the same earnings call, Sony said that it was waiting on Microsoft to set a price for the Xbox Series X before deciding what to charge for the PS5. However, a report from Bloomberg published last week suggests there's more to it than that. According to sources familiar with goings on at Sony, higher than expected production costs for the PS5 could lead to a much higher price for consumers.
Bloomberg understands that the the manufacturing cost for the PlayStation 5 has risen to "around $450 per unit". Not great, when compared to the PS4, which came in at around $381 per unit and sold for $399/£349 at launch. It's now been speculated that Sony is either going to have sell the PS5 at a loss (which isn't that uncommon) or else slap a price tag of "at least" $470 on the new console.
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While that $70 increase only equates to around £10 in the UK, it is worth noting that changes in currency values mean that the final UK price would likely be more than a straight conversion of the US price. Hopefully we'll hear something official from Sony soon.
Featured Image Credit: SonyTopics: PS5, PlayStation, PS4