Xbox One v PS4 – which one will have the best Q4 2017 deals?
Labor Day 2017 is here, and with it comes the annual ramp up toward Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas and the general holiday period. According to our numbers, this is when more than ⅗ of all consoles are bought during the year, and a big reason for that is the deals.
Now, there have been thousands of comparisons made between the respective power, designs, outputs, games catalogues, and just about everything else of the PS4 and Xbox One, so we’re not going to delve into that here. What we’re going to do instead is examine what we think could happen in terms of deals and prices between now and the end of the year.
Xbox One X v PS4 Pro
With the One X the only new piece of hardware releasing in Q4, it stands to make its price comparisons the most interesting.
We can be very confident that the One X won’t budge from its $499 retail price. At most, you might get a percentage chunk knocked off by retailers running a site-wide promotion, or a free game or two bundled in within the $499 price. Microsoft have worked hard to ensure the One X’s core messaging has positioned it as a premium quality product. Knocking the price down within a few weeks of launch would send all the wrong messages.
Where it gets interesting is what Sony plan on doing with the PS4 Pro, the closest competitor to the One X. Sony’s flagship retails for $100 less than the One X. Not only that, but it’s been out long enough that Sony may countenance the idea of price drops and bundled deals. The One X has the Pro beaten in most key technical categories, so Sony may well use their big selling point – price – to their advantage.
Xbox One S v PS4 Slim
Both the Xbox and PS4 are now on their second versions of the standard level console, and both have been out long enough to be looking at some pretty big discounts.
Expect bigger drops for the One S than the PS4. Microsoft have been playing catch up for most of this generation of consoles, with Sony taking a decisive lead. Not only that, but with the One X, Microsoft have a new flagship; the One S is no longer the company’s sole money maker. Microsoft may therefore be willing to take more of a hit on One S margins.
That said, PS4 bundles with both new and exclusive games will be available, and Sony will be looking to leverage these bundles to get people on board with the PlayStation ecosystem. Don’t be surprised to see some price wars on core bundles offered by both companies on games released in Q4.
