During a recent Kinda Funny Podcast, the crew were discussing a leaked image of an Xbox Series X controller at EB Games. In said picture, a label instructing the store to not display or sell before November 6th can be clearly seen. Giving rise to speculation that the date might be the official release date of the Series X.
As the conversation progressed, Alanah Pearce revealed she had seen other photos from friends who continued to work at the retailer. In which the Xbox Series X price is set at $599. After a brief discussion where Pearce says she does not know if this will be the official price, she says she believes the PS5 will cost even more.
Regardless that this was speculation and discussion on their part, it has spawned a rumor that the Series X will cost a whopping $599. Sony’s console being more expensive tends to get left out of those discussions.
What we’re looking at isn’t anything revolutionary. With each console cycle’s launch, retailers want to begin taking pre-orders as soon as humanly possible. Typically they know how many units the console manufacturer has promised them, so what they do is estimate of a price point to take pre-orders ahead of the official announcement.
Typically this price point is an overestimate of the actual price. When the official price is then revealed, the retailers call up the customers and refund the difference. In the past, a few stores have underestimated the price, and then called people up to finish paying off the console.
We do have some evidence to support this. In May, Bloomberg reported the PS5’s cost would be between $500-550. This high price point resulted from Sony having to compete for parts as they do not manufacture their consoles in house, but instead rely on Foxconn to do so.
Microsoft, by comparison, is estimated to be cheaper than the PS5, as the company does its own manufacturing. Right now, no reliable estimates have surfaced as to what the pricing difference will be, but it’s safe to estimate it won’t be more expensive than the PS5.
Rumor Analysis: Mixed
Alanah Pearce has a solid reputation in the industry, one she wouldn’t throw away by falsely claiming she saw screenshots placing the price at $599. Further, she has likely heard of or read the same reports from Bloomberg as to Sony’s pricing issues. At the end of the day, her word is still hearsay, but there is no reason to doubt outright what she’s stated. As she only claimed to have seen the price point and believes the PS5 will be more.
The issue with the rumor doesn’t lie with what she has said or believes, but in how people interpreted it. What she related was she again saw a price point in EB Game’s system that said $599, and this is probably there. People then assumed this to be absolute when the price point is merely a placeholder in the system to take early preorders or have the system ready to take preorders the moment the store can do so.
Thus Alanah Pearce’s statements are plausible, but the conclusions people have reached, which comprises this rumor, are patently false. It should be noted, both manufactures have been coy with annoying their price points and industry rumor has abounded that both are pricey.