Sony has invited select users to pre-order PS5
But pricing and release details are still unannounced
Sony Interactive Entertainment has invited a select number of users to pre-order a PlayStation 5 console direct from the company.
The platform holder distributed invites overnight to a selection of users based on “previous interests and PlayStation activities.”
“There will be a limited quantity of PS5 consoles available for pre-order, so we will be inviting some of our existing consumers to be one of the first to pre-order one from PlayStation,” it said.
“Pre-order reservations will be taken on a first-come-first-serve basis, so once you get an invite via email, we encourage you to follow instructions and act fast.”
The pre-order program is currently only available to US residents and does not guarantee a console, Sony said. The company has still not revealed PS5 pricing or release details.
Users who have not been invited can register for consideration on the PlayStation website.
During Sony’s first quarter earnings call this month, the company said PS5 production was progressing smoothly.
Two PS5 models are scheduled to launch during the 2020 holiday season. While one will have an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive, the other will sacrifice the feature, likely for a lower price point. According to recent analysis, the PS5 Digital Edition could cost $50 less than the disc version.
Macquarie Capital analyst Damian Thong told Bloomberg he expects the standard PS5 console to cost around $500 and the digital version around $400. Altogether, he forecasts Sony will sell over six million units by the end of March 2020.
Another recent DigiTimes report claimed the PS5 life cycle could be shorter than previous console generations at five years. During that period, supply sources estimate shipments of the console will reach at least 120 million units—approximately double those of Microsoft‘s rival next-gen system, Xbox Series X, which also launches later this year—and perhaps as high as 170 million.
Last week PlayStation’s marketing boss, Eric Lempel, called PS5’s upcoming games roster “the best line-up that we’ve ever seen in the history of PlayStation.”
And in mid-July, he shot down rumours that Sony was about to open PS5 pre-orders, telling players that the platform holder will provide advance notice when it plans to do so.