Specifically referring to \u201cthe next generation platfom\u201d, the attendee asked the execs whether it was \u201creasonable to assume that your pricing will continue to prioritize profitability of the hardware, as it does today\u201d.<\/p>\n
The official answer given by Sony\u2019s transcript from the Q&A noted that it considers its hardware to be one of the most important parts of the gaming experience, and that it wants to make sure users recognise the value offered by its hardware.<\/p>\n
It also stated that the company doesn\u2019t plan to sell hardware at a loss as a matter of principle, but that it\u2019s currently monitoring the market situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst, we regard hardware as the base for providing the gaming experience, and by offering products such as the PlayStation<\/a> Portal Remote Player (PS Portal), we aim to provide experiences tailored to users\u2019 play styles beyond the living room, which has traditionally been considered the primary usage environment,\u201d Sony replied.<\/p>\n \u201cAs for pricing, it is not realistic for us to absorb all component cost increases, and we have already implemented some price increases outside Japan. At present, however, sales are proceeding as planned, and we do not believe this has led to a decline in customer demand.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a principle, we do not intend to sell hardware at significant losses. At the same time, we are carefully monitoring the market and continuing to evaluate our approach. We believe it is important for us to make every effort to ensure that customers fully understand the value we provide in relation to pricing.\u201d<\/p>\n The ongoing shortage of RAM and storage \u2013 and the drastic increase in costs that have resulted in it \u2013 have already seen numerous hardware price increases not just for Sony, but for Microsoft<\/a>, Nintendo<\/a>, Apple<\/a> and others. Last week Microsoft raised the price of Xbox consoles again<\/a>, while Valve<\/a> announced that the price of its Steam Machine<\/a> was significantly more than it had previously planned.<\/p>\n Last month Sony president and CEO Hiroki Totoki said the company hadn\u2019t yet decided when it\u2019s going to release the PlayStation 6<\/a>, or what its price will be.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have not yet decided on at what timing we will launch the new console, or at what prices,\u201d Totoki said last month, via Sony\u2019s translator. \u201cSo we would like to really observe and follow the situation.<\/p>\n \u201cLooking at the current circumstances, the memory price is also expected to be very high FY 2027, because there will still be a shortage of supply. So under that assumption, we must think carefully what we will do.\u201d<\/p>\n He also noted that the number of active users on PlayStation\u2019s platforms continues to grow, \u201cso it\u2019s not that the demand has gone down,\u201d implying Sony has time to think about its strategy for the next generation.<\/p>\n Analysts reacted to the price of the Steam Machine<\/a> last week by debating what it meant for PlayStation 6 and Xbox Project Helix launch prices<\/a>, with some warning they could pass the four-digit mark.<\/p>\n<\/a>Sony has shown that it isn\u2019t averse to selling at a loss when it feels it\u2019s necessary. The Japan-only version of its PS5<\/a> Digital Edition is selling at a loss because Sony wants to grow its audience in Japan.<\/p>\n