Pachter: Microsoft Has a Problem if PS4 Pro Drops to $299

I have a feeling the Xbox One X being $499 will hurt it in the end regardless of the PS4 Slim and Pro price.

I was surprised at the price, the Pro was expensive but this is priced at brand new generation launch pricing.

Saying it in the forums but yes, Sony will own it if they drop PS4 Pro pricing and have the catalogue to go with it. All good news for us gamers!

@Deadlyblack Agreed. $499 is a big ask, especially when pockets are being hit badly by the current economic climate... unless it's a ruse and there's going to be bundled discounts appearing later on.
And a PS4 pro price drop would be a kick in the goolies for Microsoft.

@Deadlyblack same here, if it had been a brand new system perhaps it would be OK but it isn't and it's just an enhanced XB1 so i personally don't think it's worth the price they are asking for it

i think MS made it TOO powerful and that's the issue the should have dropped the power by half because it still would have been more than powerful enough to do 4K and anything else the XBX is meant to do and they could have released it at a cheaper price

i mean the average consumer isn't going to care about how many terraflops it has they are just going to see that's it's $499 and that EVERY other system is cheaper including the XB1-s which will play every game the XBX will play

they should have waited a year or two and released it as a brand new system

@roe 499 vs 500 is marketing 101 and Sony and Nintendo are doing that too. You're just more conscious of it than some people. Some people will really think it's in the "400's" of dollars

Sony doesn't need to and probably won't drop the price, they'll probably want to keep the profits after that crappy MS conference

I liked my Pacheter quote from last night, seems better here:

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"We expect (Xbox One X) to underwhelm at retail, as has PS4 Pro, which costs $399," said Michael Pachter of Wedbush Securities in a pre-show note that speculated a $499 price tag.
"The subdued sales numbers for the PS4 Pro since launch are partly a reflection of gamers opting for the older and cheaper hardware (sometimes with a pack-in) in order to save over $100. The potential price delta between Project Scorpio and the Xbox One of $200 or more is even greater than the delta between the PS4 Pro and the PS4 of $100 or more."

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PS4 going to $249 all the time today doens't make any sense as they just released the gold model for $249 last week and said it was good for 8 days or so. When those 8 days are up,let a week or so pass, then announce a price cut to $249 otherwise the whole gold thing looks stupid.

Besides, w/ all of their fist party "exclusive" games, not "console launch exclusive" they dont' need a price cut right now. Switch is also being pushed for $299. So yes, soon, but not today. Maybe September, $249 and $349, then BF Weekend (I never see sales only on Friday anymore) have them for $199 and $299 for 5 days.

It's all about the games, and even 3rd party is promoting w/ Sony these days.

The other problem they have is the S, as some will have already upgraded to that and parents will be hard pressed to know the difference when buying for their kids. I can see the arguments now 😃

@rjejr basically you're right, the standard PS4 still and will always outsell the Pro and that will be the case for the X, most gamers won't have any interest in paying such a large premium to play exactly the same games but a bit prettier. I have both versions of the PS4 at home and if I'm honest the only time I notice any improvements is when I boot the game up on the standard model. Apart from HDR because that's amazing, much better than the increase in resolution

At the same time, I don't think reducing the PS4Pro by $100 across the board will do Sony any favors. Especially if it's already being sold at a loss.

MS stressed the Xbox One family of consoles this time around, which suggests to me they arent opting for everyone to pick up a OneX on release. It's an enthusiasts machine, they want the big 4KTV + UHD Bluray families to pick this up.

@carlos82 "Apart from HDR because that's amazing"

When my current TV - 52" 1080p - dies and I'm looking for a new one good HDR will be my top priority. I may even pick up a PS4 Pro then on sale. I have 2 PS3 now, phat and super slim which always lags on Netflix after 30 minutes, quite annoying. Don't know why only on the super slim, it's wired, my Wii U wireless has no problems. I'm one of those people bothered about Switch not having Netflix, I watch it everywhere on everything.

Even if the PS4 Pro does drop to $299, do you really think that it will affect XBX sales? It will be sold out every where.

it doesn't exactly require much foresight to see that the Q4 console war is going to be the $200 PS4 slim bundles v $200 XB1s bundles.

$299 is a bit too much of a drop - I can see a $349 bundled with a game (God of War perhaps) but that's still a $150 difference which is 'significant'. Most people will probably think the Pro is a '4k' console and that its visuals won't be too 'dissimilar' from the XBX - a bit like the difference between an XB1 and PS4. Coupled with the great line-up of Exclusives, they may think that a few 'extra' pixels aren't worth the $150 difference and buy the Pro.

Of course things like 4k assets could make a big difference to image quality but whether that 'justifies' the difference to many, time will tell. The fact that many will think they are getting a 'similar' product that plays all the games they want at a 'higher' resolution for a lot less money with a better line-up of exclusives too could be a significant factor in their decision making.

Wish so much that the PS4 Pro would get a 4k Blu Ray upgrade. Sigh.

not really. he comes to this with the mindset that people who buy xbox one x care for the price. they won't. this is a premium product for a customer who doesn't care if they spend $300, $400 or $500 on it.

Can't really see Sony doing 300 for the Pro, though.

@manu0 mmm the "premium price for a premium product" hasn't worked well with the ps3 launch or the original Xbone. It will hit their niche target but won't impact the current generation equilibrium in the slightest imho, just like PS4Pro.

Yes please bring the ps4 pro price down so then I can finally upgrade from my ps4 normal yay, Thanks Microsoft for helping with the X haha

@Neolit you're right, should have used "status quo".

@BraveFencerZan I thought Sony was making a profit on the consoles now.

@SegaBlueSky I dont think its worth the extra money for the very few people who even buy 4K discs.

But to be fair this is 3rd upgrade for MS Xbox S was also one. And dont come with the PS4 slim its just a smaller PS console.

@flaming_kaiser I honestly wouldnt know.

I'm still not sure how big a deal this is. If MS had made this the 'Xbox Two' $500 would be a steep asking price but the Xbox One X is still part of the Xone family so in the end, like the Pro, doesn't matter if it really takes off or not.

Sony will drop the price. It makes sense to blow the x1x away and leave Microsoft facing the bullet in the console space.

Sony will push VR or pro hard and I'm going with the pro.

@Feena ? the original PS3 or XBoxOne were never marketed as premium products and they definitely didn't have the build quality for it. they were just expensive consoles. this is marketed as a premium product and has the build quality. just like iPad Pros actually (which btw. start at $650)

@manu0 Sony execs used those exact words for the ps3. But fine..if you want to call it a premium product, it IS still an expensive console and not even a new one. If it sells well I will be extremely surprised.