Full Transcript
[00:00] What's up everybody, Damon here and in today's gaming news, PlayStation doesn't feel like eating the cost of RAM price increases. The PS6 might be a hybrid like the Nintendo Switch, and the final three playable characters from Marvel Toco have been revealed. This new daily fix.
[00:22] Sony hasn't insisted it has no plans to sell hardware at a significant loss, with concern growing over the potential price of the PlayStation 6 amid the ongoing RAM shortage. Current generation consoles have gone up in price, with Sony, Microsoft,
[00:34] and Nintendo struggling to cope with the component shortage fueled by the AI boom. Sony raised the price of PS5 consoles in April, bringing the cost of a standard PS5 to $650, the digital addition to $600, and the PS5 Pro to $900. It blamed the move on
[00:48] continued pressures in the global economic landscape. Just last week, Microsoft announced significant Xbox price rises of its own, which kicked in this August. They come less than a year after the last Xbox price increases in October. There's not only concern that Sony will be forced to raise the
[01:02] price of PS5 yet again, but that the next generation of consoles, the so far unannounced PS6 and Microsoft's project Helix, will cost at least $1,000, unless both companies are willing to take a significant loss in each console sold. In a recent Q&A with Sony interactive entertainment
[01:17] president and CEO Hideyaki Machino, the executive suggested taking a big hit on next-gen consoles isn't something PlayStation will do. Machino is asked, considering consumer behavior, could you update us on your current thinking regarding hardware pricing and profitability?
[01:30] For the next generation platform, is it reasonable to assume that your pricing will continue to prioritize profitability of the hardware as it does today? And the Shino's response, as for pricing, it is not realistic for us to absorb all component cost increases,
[01:43] and we've 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. As a principle, we do not intend to sell hardware at significant losses,
[01:55] 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. Interestingly here that sales are proceeding as planned,
[02:08] despite these price rises. Data from the US suggests otherwise. As we reported last week, May was a catastrophic month for PlayStation and Xbox sales in the US, driven by price rises that have clearly had a significant impact on consumer interest in buying a new console.
[02:22] According to Tsukana data, PS5 spending fell 43% year on year, and unit sales plummeted 58%. In fact, PlayStation hardware unit sales fell to the lowest May total since May 2000, 26 years ago, and Xbox hardware unit sales were the lowest ever recorded for a May month in the US.
[02:39] While Sony struggles to deal with the RAM shortage, it has said it has yet to decide when to launch the PS6. The near six-year-old PS5 is approaching the 100 million sold mark, although it continues to lag behind the PS4. It's worth remembering that the PS4 had seen various price cuts,
[02:53] at this point in its life cycle, making it a compelling, casual purchase. This generation, however, has flown the other way, limiting the potential install base. Moving on, Sony has suggested its next-gen console could work like the Nintendo Switch,
[03:06] by enabling, quote, a seamless experience that can be enjoyed naturally beyond the living room. The comments come from that same Q&A with Hideyaki Nishino. The executive has asked how Sony plans to re-engage with users, play sits and loss to PC gaming during COVID lockdowns,
[03:19] and how will make significant changes with the next generation platform. Nishino replied to point to how Sony is trying to change the perception that PlayStation equals the living room with the release of PlayStation monitors and speakers, people would typically use
[03:31] as part of a PC setup. Quote, for the next generation platform, rather than simply serving as an alternative to PCs, we aim to deliver value that is unique to PlayStation. This includes not only technological advances but also expansion of usage styles, enabling a seamless experience that
[03:45] can be enjoyed naturally beyond the living room. That is people wondering if Sony plans to release a PlayStation hybrid console like the Nintendo Switch. A console that offers a seamless experience that could be enjoyed naturally beyond the living room sure does sound like something that could be taken
[03:58] on the go. Nishino also pointed to cloud gaming as a potential solve for the trouble Sony is having with the ongoing RAM shortage. Quote, while we do not disclose unit sales figures, PSPortal has seen strong demand across North America, Europe, and Japan, with servers reaching full capacity during
[04:12] the latest holiday season. Cloud streaming also requires minimal memory, making it an increasingly attractive low cost, thin client device in the current market environment where memory prices are rising. Looking ahead, we aim to expand cloud gaming experience while maintaining the quality cultivated
[04:26] to date. In finally today, Marvel Tocco and Fighting Souls has revealed the final three playable characters around yet as roster, as well as a quick look at a PlayStation icon. The 15th and Arc System Works tag-fighting game is called Samurai Outredders and includes a previously announced
[04:40] ghostwriter and three new playable characters, Blade, Deadpool, and Loki. The look at Deadpool voiced by Nolan North includes a number of Easter eggs. We see Deadpool perform his own version of Toasty from Mortal Kombat, he does Johnny Cage's famous ballbuster move, performs the Jack O'Pose from
[04:56] Arc System Works own Guilty Gear series, and there's even a fun nod to the fan expectation that the team would be called Midnight Suns. The trailer includes a true blinking you'll miss a look at Polygon Man of PlayStation fame. At the one minute 43 second mark, Deadpool repeatedly hits his
[05:09] opponent with a geometric head that is Polygon Man, an early attempt at a mascot for PlayStation. Polygon Man is a giant purple floating face who serves as the original marketing character and intended mascot for the PlayStation brand in North America in 1995. He later resurfaced as the
[05:24] main antagonist in Final Boss in the 2012 crossover fighting game, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. Marvel Tocco and Fighting Souls is a PlayStation published game set for PS5 and PC on August 6th.
[05:36] And that is really fixed from Monday June 29th. Now that you got up on the news, watch that trailer from Marvel Tocco. I'm Damon Halfill and for all your video game news, stay to Nudgey-N.