If you did not see this one coming, you must not be familiar with culture of console wars. Just a week after Microsoft announced the price and release date of the new Xbox Series X (and the Xbox Series S), Sony has finally decided to pay heed to months of intrigue and announce the price and release date of the PS5 (read more here), both of which sound eerily similar to the Xbox. Now who could’ve guessed that?
The PS5, much like the Xbox Series X, drops in November, on the 12th to be exact if you live in the US, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand or South Korea; and 19th if you live anywhere else. Moreover, exactly like its nemesis, the new console from Sony has been priced at $499, while offering a digital version at a discount of $100 at $399.
The company also announced that any PS5 owners with an active PS Plus subscription will automatically get access to something called the PS Plus collection at today’s event, which you can watch here. As a part of this bundle, players will be able to get access to a small but significant library of legacy PS4 games, which ‘made the console what it is.’
This sets the stage of the next generation of console wars, and from the looks of it, it’s going to bigger than ever before. This is because while Xbox might have the edge when it comes to raw power, Sony has something that more frames cannot make up for-Exclusives.
At today’s event, the company unveiled a lot of console exclusives, including the new Miles Morales Spiderman game (along with some gameplay) and the much awaited sequel to 2018’s God of War (even though it was just a sneak peek).
This puts both the consoles at almost equal footing, even though I personally believe that the PS5 is going to massively overshadow the Xbox. Moreover, the option to opt for the same console with just a digital version at a smaller price tag, instead of an entirely new, less powerful console (the Xbox Series S) might tip the scales in PS5’s side.
Nonetheless, 2020 is shaping up to be a phenomenal year for gamers, and we can’t wait to get our hands on the new consoles.
