As games continue to improve in both the graphics and technological department, consumers will continue to likely worry that the price on the hardware will skyrocket. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One both debuted at fairly average prices, but were still pretty pricey in the grand scheme of things. According to Michael Pacther, however, the current model seems to be one that will stick, and he doesn’t see consoles ever getting more expensive.
Speaking on his web show “The Pachter Factor,” Pachter explained that $500 consoles have historically never sold well, and for that reason it’s unlikely to think that companies will go that route in the future. “I don’t think next gen consoles will be $500… though I guess the right answer is, let’s see what happens with the Xbox One X,” he said. He did add, however, that if the Xbox One X turns out to be a sustained success, he would be proven incorrect.
Using the PlayStation 3 as an example, Pachter said that generally higher priced consoles just don’t have a good reputation for selling well. “The PS3 launched at $600 and it flopped. The Xbox One launched at $500, and it didn’t work, they had to drop the Kinect and bring it to under $400 before it sold.” he said, before explaining that in a few years, higher-end 4K TV’s will be in the price range of a console, so consumers will be less excited to purchase a console for anything more than $400.
Pachter ended the show by touching upon what he thinks will happen in the next generation of consoles, and again reiterated his opinion that he feels like console generations will never happen again, but once again said it would all depend on how well the Xbox One X sold.
For more on the talk, make sure to watch his entire show, which you can view above.
[Source: Gaming Bolt]