PlayStation 5 pre-orders have now officially open, with Sony allowing gamers to register their interest to pre-order the PS5 by submitting their PSN account ID.
However, right now, gamers around the world still don't know what the PS5 price is going to be, nor the PS5 release date – although mid-November is rumored.
In terms of the console's cost, though, that could of just changed dramatically, with respected gaming website DualShockers reporting on how the US retailer Best Buy's PS5 and Xbox Series X pre-order pages could be hiding the consoles' costs in plain sight.
According to the report, when you go to the Best Buy PS5 or Xbox Series X pages, there is a financing option section at the bottom that advertises, "18 month financing on storewide purchases $499 and up". Check the image of the offer below.
The Best Buy financing offer that appears on the bottom of the retailer's PS5 and Xbox Series X product pages.
The significance? Well, that's only the exact price that both the PS5 and Xbox Series X have been rumoured to be retailing at. The offer is also a time limited, and ends on Christmas day this year at the close of the winter holiday shopping season – which is the exact period that the PlayStation 5 is launching in.
Does that mean the PS5 is going to retail for $499? Absolutely not. This financing offer could just be coincidentally being displayed at the bottom of the PS5 and Xbox Series X product pages. And both consoles could easily retail for more than that figure.
Indeed, with so much top hardware loaded into them some people think we might be seeing a return to $599, which was the price point that the PS3 launched at in the US.
That said, though, there has been a lot of smoke around the $499 price point. Back in June 2020, for example, a serial PS5 leaker stated that, "PlayStation 5 available in North America and Europe on November 20, 2020 at a recommended retail price (RRP) of $499, €499 and £449".
Meanwhile, only mere days ago did a leak out of China show that the PS5 will retail for those exact same figures, $499, €499 and £449.
And, when you put the two puzzle pieces together, you are left with the very clear hint that the PlayStation 5 console (as well as Xbox Series X) could well indeed retail for $499 and that, if you shop at Best Buy, you can pick up the console on finance, as the limit of the finance offer is $499.
Whether or not this PS5 price leak proves to be accurate remains to be seen, but here at T3 we remain hopeful both console makers can hit this price point, if not confident.
Hopefully, with PS5 pre-order registrations going live at Sony, we won't have to wait too long to find out.
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