[ad_1]
SINGAPORE – The war for next-gen game consoles with more realistic graphics has officially arrived, with Sony’s PlayStation 5 (PS5) set to go head-to-head with Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and Series S this November.
Sony announced the price and release date for its PS5 in a live stream on Thursday morning (September 17) Singapore time, ending months of speculation from both gamers and the media.
The standard PS5 will cost $ 499 (Singapore $ 678), while the digital edition, which comes without a Blu-ray disc drive, will cost $ 399.
Both devices will launch first on November 12 in seven countries, including the United States, Japan and South Korea, and on November 19 for the rest of the world, including Singapore.
Sony has yet to announce local pricing information for Singapore. He said pre-orders start Thursday at select retailers, but did not specify which ones.
“This year has been unlike any other, and there have been many challenges the world has faced,” Sony Interactive Entertainment chief Jim Ryan said in a blog post published after the live broadcast ended.
“Everyone at PlayStation, along with all of our partners in development, publishing, technology and retail, have put in great effort to launch PlayStation 5 in time for the holiday season.”
The Japanese electronics giant was expected to reveal the PS5 price and release dates in response to rival Microsoft, which did the same with its Xbox Series X and Series S last week.
The Xbox Series X is priced the same as the PS5 at $ 499, while the less powerful Series S costs $ 299. Both will launch on November 10.
Sony scored something of a hit in the previous-gen console war in 2013 when its PS4 launched at $ 399, significantly undermining Microsoft’s Xbox One, which was $ 100 more expensive at $ 499.
Thursday’s livestream, which drew a peak of nearly 1.1 million concurrent viewers, also further developed the list of games consumers can expect for the PS5, including a range of console exclusives.
New installments of the popular Final Fantasy and God of War franchises will be console exclusives for the PS5, with the latter expected to launch next year.
Fans also got an expanded look at the Spider-Man: Miles Morales game, which will launch alongside the PS5 on November 12, and a new Harry-Potter-themed title called Hogwarts Legacy that will launch next year.
Sony denied on Tuesday that it had had manufacturing problems for the PS5, following a report from Bloomberg that said the company planned to reduce its launch production by 4 million units, almost half of the 10 million units it initially planned to produce. for the end. of this year.
“While we do not release details related to manufacturing, the information provided by Bloomberg is false,” said a Sony spokesman.
“We have not changed the production number of PlayStation 5 since the start of mass production.”
[ad_2]
