The launch of the PS5 was marked by high demand and a significant shortage of two keys, which allowed speculators and sellers to almost completely deplete the supply and inflate the price of the said console. Those of you who read us daily are already familiar with this topic and know that the price of the PS5 has ranged from 1,500-2,000 euros ain times of greatest scarcity and demand.

It was a curious situation because it was not possible to buy a PS5 in stores, but a large number of units were available in bazaar sales channels. Many people tried to take advantage of the moment, and in the end, consumers who just wanted to enjoy the new generation console had to arm themselves with patience to get a unit at a “reasonable” price, in quotes, because only a few lucky ones were so, happy.

Even today, more than two years after the launch of the PS5, availability is still not good, although it is possible to get it in certain bundles that include games and prepaid cards and therefore cost more than the basic version that comes with only the controller. It could have been worse, I remember until relatively recently these bundles were focused on accompanying the TV console so the overall price was huge.

A few months ago we saw that Sony had improved the supply of the PS5, and today the Japanese company confirmed via its official blog that the shortage will be a thing of the past and that it will be much easier to comment on it from now on. consoles in major retailer markets in each country. In some countries it is actually possible to purchase the console directly through Sony’s official website, But has accessibility really improved in Spain?

Yes, quick search I was able to find available units. They were still overpriced in most cases, although I was able to find them as well some units at a good price. That’s good news, but those good value units have been limited to bundles that, as I said before, bring games and other extras that we may not be interested in. In any case, the important thing is that this improvement at the stock level is real and that it is increasingly visible in the market.

PS5: price, availability and real value

That PS5 availability will continue to improve throughout 2023 is undoubtedly good news. However, we must remember that we are talking about a console that came to the market at the end of 2020 and that its life cycle has evolved during all that time in a completely opposite way than would be normal.

It is normal for a console that has been on the market for more than two years there has already been a drop in price, or that it’s available with bundles that include the game or controller at a lower price than they would on their own. We already saw this with the PS4 at the time, but the opposite has since happened with the PS5 its price increased by 50 euros and some bundles that include games or accessories are overpriced.

There is no doubt that the launch of the PS5 was something completely anomalous from the perspective of the market, and that its situation today has not yet normalized. with recovery of the euro against the dollarthe drop in prices in the world of semiconductors, the normalization of the supply chain and the maturation of the key components that the mentioned console uses should significantly decrease the production costs and this should be reflected in the reduction of the price of the PS5.

Unfortunately, It doesn’t look like Sony is going to lower the price of the PS5 in the short or medium termand it’s completely normal because you don’t have to do it. Your console is still in high demand, and until that changes, the Japanese company won’t start thinking about adjusting the price. If we’re talking about the value it offers in terms of hardware, yes, it’s clear that despite the passage of time, it’s still an interesting option, especially when it would be much more expensive to build a PC with the same performance.

In this sense, it is important to emphasize what I have already told you on other occasions, that the PS5 has a much more balanced hardware configuration than the PS4, and that you do better and retain more value over time. However, the recent price drops that have occurred in the graphics card sector are bringing us closer and closer to being able to build a PC higher than the PS5 for 600 euros.

I think A very interesting stage awaits us. now that PS5 availability will gradually improve. We’ll see how demand develops, how the resale market changes and its potential impact on the selling price of the console, as well as what happens when Sony launches the rumored swappable optical drive version of the PS5 that gives you will make it possible to unify design and centralize production around a single console.

I am convinced of that this year will be the year that marks the end, generally speaking, of PS4 and Xbox One, and this, with exceptions, will serve to finally complete the generation change. What I mean by this is that 2023 will be the last year we see the release of several major triple-A games developed for both console generations, and that between the end of this year and the beginning of 2024, the vast majority of games will already be exclusive to the current generation.

The truth is that it is already touching, from the previous generation it is very long lastingand she has been showing for a long time clear signs of exhaustion. Intergenerational development eventually burdened the current generation of consoles and had a very negative impact on highly anticipated games.