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Did Sony made PlayStation 5 Digital Edition just to brag about low price point?

Raonak

Banned
Doesn't make sense to overproduce the digital version, because the disk version is the more demanded version all round.
 

Chronicle

Member
I decided that it is time to buy a PlayStation 5. But since it won't be my primary platform and I will mainly use it to play PlayStation exclusives through PlayStation Plus Extra, I thought it will be waste of my 100€ to buy classic edition of console, so I picked Digital Edition as my ideal choice. FYI, I'm living in a country where PS5 are starting to appear in stores and are available.

But that's for "classic" console. Not for Digital Edition. There are few stores that have PlayStation 5, but non that have Digital Edition. I even asked a guys in stores about Digital Edition and they told me that Sony is sending PlayStation 5 consoles in 20:1 ratio - so 20 "Classic" consoles and only 1 Digital Edition.

On one hand I get that Sony is loosing more money with Digital Edition. But, what is even a point of that console if they are skewing production so hard towards classic console? Is it so they can brag about "lower price point?" I really don't get it.
Stop. They're not bragging about a lower price point. It's a digital version and extremely popular. Disc's are on their way out in the next few years. I haven't used one in several years.
 

Twinblade

Member
Even though the future of gaming is digital, I was just happy to be able to snatch one up when it was nearly impossible to get, with scalpers buying up stock. I will wait until PS5 Pro before buying the disc version though.
 
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oldergamer

Member
I decided that it is time to buy a PlayStation 5. But since it won't be my primary platform and I will mainly use it to play PlayStation exclusives through PlayStation Plus Extra, I thought it will be waste of my 100€ to buy classic edition of console, so I picked Digital Edition as my ideal choice. FYI, I'm living in a country where PS5 are starting to appear in stores and are available.

But that's for "classic" console. Not for Digital Edition. There are few stores that have PlayStation 5, but non that have Digital Edition. I even asked a guys in stores about Digital Edition and they told me that Sony is sending PlayStation 5 consoles in 20:1 ratio - so 20 "Classic" consoles and only 1 Digital Edition.

On one hand I get that Sony is loosing more money with Digital Edition. But, what is even a point of that console if they are skewing production so hard towards classic console? Is it so they can brag about "lower price point?" I really don't get it.
I said this before launch. It basically existed just so they would have a lower price point but had no intention of making many in production
 

ABnormal

Member
No. That's just a cheaper choice for those who go only software. It allows to have the same performance at lower price.

Why don't you create another title? "Did Microsoft made XSS just to brag about low price point?", but without providing the same quality?

Or better, "Why fanboys try to turn something purely good and practical into something stupidly silly?"
 
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ksdixon

Member
I think it was more to further normalise digital only consoles after the XB1 SAD console. Those are cheaper to make and also cut out preowned sales.

If Sony would just get their arse into gear re: BC/portability, in the age of patches and dlc I imagine a lot of people can't be arsed with the extra step of changing discs. At least back in day you moved and changed disc and then got into game basically as sitting back in chair. Nowadays you might have a patch to update anyway. It's not dead, but it's depreciated.
 

Valonquar

Member
I got the disc version specifically so I could still play my Blu-ray discs if I wanted to. I have not put a disc in the drive yet though. Plex, and streaming services have made discs completely irrelevant for me. If they release a slim digital only or PS5 Pro digital only, I'll probably trade up at that point.
 

THE DUCK

voted poster of the decade by bots
Been saying this right from the the very beginning, the very early shipments were massively for the most expensive model, and the digital was the lock Ness monster or Bigfoot. Even later on ot was very hard to find.
 

THE DUCK

voted poster of the decade by bots
They are allocating stock based on demand. It seems that the market demand for the disk version exceeds the digital version, so they are producing more based on actual market research and actual orders from retailers. It's not a conspiracy.

I am certain that orders from the retailers are more for the disk versions since it's in their best interest to sell you boxed games. So they order the disk version of the PS5s rather than the disk less SKU. Its called business.

Lol that's not true at all, they shipped millions more disk versions because they lost less money per unit. It's called business, losing less money is preffered. If the demand was there to sell every single unit you sell, what exactly is the incentive to sell more units that lose more money? They played the exact same intentional game with the bundles, shipped 10 of them for every non game bundle just to make more per unit.
 
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I Master l

Banned
No

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This bundle is not available in most countries also the standard $400 bundle is out of stock
so basically it's impossible to buy PS5 DE for $400
 
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Topher

Gold Member
This bundle is not available in most countries also the standard $400 bundle is out of stock
so basically it's impossible to buy PS5 DE for $400

Mr Moose Mr Moose showed it available in the UK. How are you determining what countries this bundle is in? How are you determining that the standard PS5 DE is out of stock entirely? That's a lot of data, but if you have it, please share?
 

rofif

Can’t Git Gud
Retailers are going to have to tone down those ridiculous bundles since stock is becoming readily available.
Imo Sony should do something about retailer bundles. You cannot buy ps5 alone since release. Only with retailer forced crap. Usually for higher than total sum of items
 

TheGrat1

Member
"Brag?" Of course not. Even the price point is not that big a deal. Nowhere in advertisements have I personally seen "Starting at $399" for the PS5. Sony does not even need to advertise the price at this moment because the things sell out every time. If anything they sold both models at too low a price. The $399 price was calculated based on the fact that they will have a closed market for digital sales and thus they can make up the loss on hardware later on. They can source a 4k drive for about 20 dollars it is not a significant hurdle when it comes to pricing.
The cheap bastards charge you for the bundled games too 🤷‍♂️

I remember when a game being bundled was usually a freebie haha.

Like when I got my Xbox 360 elite with mass effect 2 :)

I'm still salty I was forced to buy Myles Morales when I had my console briefly. 😔
That is the difference between a bundle and a pack-in.
Sony is not making digital only console anytime soon. Loads of countries around the world doesn't have good Internet infrastructure.
Especially, Japan, they love physical media. SIE headquarters may be in California now but they still answer to Sony proper and they surely keep their ear to the ground over there. Nintendo may dominate the sales charts but they are not going to actively alienate their homeland.
 

PuffyCan

Member
What? I just received mine, they are starting to be available outside of bundles and the price (at least before it was raised in canada) was good.

It's 100$ less than a Series X, that's pretty good value.
 
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