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Sony has finally announced the release date and price for the PlayStation 5 (PS5). This follows months of detail from drip-feed players on console features and various launch games.
We now know that the new console will launch in select markets such as the US and Japan on November 12 and later in the rest of the world, including Asia, on November 19. The company also revealed that the digital edition of PS5 will cost $ 399.99 (~ RM1,652) while PS5 with an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive will be sold $ 499.99 (~ RM2,065).
However, there is no indication of its local price or if Malaysia will be among the first wave of countries to get the console. In 2013, the PlayStation 4 also launched at USD 399 and in Malaysia it sold for RM1,799.
If you were to look at the initial European, British and Japanese prices of the PS5, which are EUR399.99 (~ RM1,946), GBP359.99 (~ RM1,920) and JPY39,980 (~ RM, 1574) respectively, they are below 2000 RM after conversion. That said, we can expect the PS5 digital edition to be priced below RM 2000 in Malaysia.
It appears that Sony has overtaken Microsoft as pre-orders begin September 17 at select retailers in the US Last week, Microsoft announced that it would open pre-orders for its Xbox Series S and Series X on September 22.
Sony’s next-generation console will use a new set of accessories including the new DualSense controller and a wireless headset that supports 3D audio. Here’s what each new accessory will cost:
DualSense Wireless Controller – USD 69.99 (~ RM 289)
Pulse 3D Wireless Headphones – USD 99.99 (~ RM413)
HD camera – 59.99 USD (~ 248 RM)
Media Remote – 29.99 USD (~ 124 RM)
DualSense charging station – 29.99 USD (~ 124 RM)
Apart from that, the console manufacturer also announced its new PlayStation Plus collection. It’s described as a new PlayStation Plus perk for the next-gen console that offers gamers a comprehensive collection of some of the best PS4 games to play at launch.
There are a total of 15 games in the collection including classic titles of their own like Uncharted 4, God of War, The Last of Us: Remastered, Bloodborne. The collection also includes notable third-party games like Fallout 4, Mortal Kombat X, Persona 5, and Batman Arkham Night.
According to Sony, gamers only need to download the games to play them, so it is not a streaming service. However, there is no information on whether players must pay additional fees in addition to their PlayStation Plus membership. We expect Sony to provide more details closer to the release date.
Launching games galore
In addition to the release date reveal, Sony also showcased some of its own games alongside external partners to build buzz for the PS5 this holiday season. It kicked off its nearly hour-long virtual representation with a bang, showing the latest entry to Square Enix’s long-running RPG series, Final Fantasy XVI (that’s 16 in Roman numerals). Little information about the game has been offered, aside from a sneak peek of what appears to be real-time combat and a ton of jaw-dropping CGI cutscenes.
There is also a new Harry Potter game called Hogwarts Legacy that takes place in a completely different era before the books. In it, players appear to take on the role of a student in the famous school of wizardry in the 19th century. The game is set to offer players a new perspective on the Harry Potter universe, so expect to mix potions, tame fantastic beasts, and cast spells in the new game.
We also saw more game videos than we saw in June, like Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. The action-packed superhero game will launch with an Ultimate Edition that comes with a remastered version of the hit 2018 game Marvel’s Spider-Man.. That’s a lot of content for your money.
Sony saved the best for last as it teased that the God of War 2018 sequel is scheduled to come out next year. The game will be developed by the Sony studio in Santa Monica and will resume after the end of the journey embarked by the protagonist Kratos and his son, Atreus, in the first game.
Other upcoming games like Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition, Oddworld: Soulstorm, Demon’s Souls, and Deathloop also appeared during the presentation. According to Sony, the price of its own PS5 titles is expected to be between 49.99 USD (~ 206 RM) to USD 69.99 (~ RM 289).
The beginning of a new console war
Both Sony and Microsoft have been very secretive about their next-gen consoles for months, keeping release dates and pricing a secret. The two rival console makers waited for their counterpart to announce the price of their console first, no doubt with the intention of lowering the rival’s price.
In the past, the price of a console has played an important role in determining its success or failure. In 2006, Microsoft capitalized on Sony’s mistake when it priced the PS3 at a whopping $ 599 (RM2,488), though the PlayStation maker changed the script in 2013 when it released the PS4 $ 100 cheaper than the Xbox One. .
Sony first revealed the new PlayStation console in June, where it announced two variants: a digital edition and one with an optical drive.
In case you are not up to date, the latest PlayStation will feature the ability to play games in 4K at 120fps, will feature 3D audio support, and backward compatibility with PS4 games. The console is powered by an AMD Ryzen “Zen 2” CPU paired with 16GB of GDDR6 RAM. For graphics, it uses an AMD Radeon RDNA 2 architecture.
The console also touts a custom 512GB NVMe SSD that supposedly loads 2GB of data in just 0.27 seconds.
However, there were concerns that there would be a shortage of PlayStation 5 units during launch. In late August, Sony opened up the PS5 for pre-ordering (though only for the US) and said there will be a limited number of consoles available to pre-order this holiday season.
Those concerns appeared to have been borne out by a Bloomberg story that Sony could be short of about 4 million consoles due to “production issues with its custom-designed system-on-chip for the new console.” Sony has since denied the report, claiming the information was false. “We have not changed the production number of PlayStation 5 since the start of mass production,” the company said.
Last week, Microsoft revealed that its two next-generation Xbox consoles – the Series S and Series X – will launch in the US on November 10. The Redmond-based company only revealed the price of the Xbox Series S at $ 299.99 (~ RM1,243), although the more powerful Series X is priced at $ 499.99 (~ RM2,071).
Now that Sony has finally released details about the PS5, what do you think of the price? What version would you buy? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this article priced the Xbox Series X at $ 599 based on a previous estimated price by retailers. We have since updated it with the official price provided by Microsoft.
