A year away from Microsoft's next generation console dubbed Project Scorpio, there is much talk today about how much this device would cost. What tickles the gaming community is comparison to the current pricing of Sony's PlayStation 4 Pro.
It was confirmed that PlayStation 4 Pro costs $399 which is very minimal leap from plain PlayStation 4 price tag but with added features on visual capability. Upscale 4K is available in PS4 Pro through what the manufacturer calls Forward compatibility though it lacks Blu-ray player. On the contrary, one confirmed feature of Project Scorpio is real 4K visual touches and apparently better hardware.
The question that haunts is if better features will warrant higher price point for Project Scorpio. GamingBolt interviewed analyst Michael Pachter of Wedbush about the chance of competitive pricing between these two tech giants. One scenario that Pachter sees is Microsoft pitting Project Scorpio against PlayStation 4 Pro within the same price. Then Sony is going to tackle this threat by dropping $50 dollars less, to the benefit of the gaming public.
There is a clear logical approach in Pachter's price prediction for Project Scorpio if taken into marketer's point of view. However, there is a precedent when Xbox One launched at $499 when Microsoft was then leashed with Kinect. The bundle was soon severed and Xbox One managed to drop the price significantly to truly compete with Sony. As far as Project Scorpio goes, Pachter hopes that Microsoft has learned its lesson.
But then again the whole argument is going to cycle with what is under the hood of Project Scorpio. $399 or even a bit higher sounds music to expecting gamers but it is yet to be seen if Microsoft will play to the same tune. Although come Holiday of 2017, the moment of revelation will finally come if Project Scorpio will sweep the gaming world with a real bargain - all for its genuine 4K and Blu-ray disks, plus cross-platform with Windows Play Anywhere.