PlayStation 5 Price And Release Date Revealed

When Sony announced today's PlayStation 5 Showcase, many of us were hopeful that we'd finally get some confirmation about the console's pricing and release date. After all, Microsoft revealed the release date and pricing information for both the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S earlier this month, putting the ball firmly in Sony's court. As expected, Sony delivered, today telling us how much the PlayStation 5 will cost and when we'll be able to buy one.

While recent rumors have suggested that Sony was waiting for Microsoft to make the first move so it could potentially undercut the Xbox Series X on pricing, it turns out that the standard PlayStation 5 will cost the exact same amount as Microsoft's flagship: $499.99. The PlayStation 5 Digital Edition, meanwhile, will run $399.99, so you'll save $100 by dropping the disc drive. You can check out PlayStation 5 pricing for multiple currencies in the image below.

We also learned that the PlayStation 5 will be launching on November 12th in the US, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea, before launching in remaining regions on November 19th. In the US at least, that means the PlayStation 5 will be launching a mere two days after the Xbox Series X, so we'll definitely get to see these two consoles duking it out for market share from the get-go.

Sony's decision to price the PlayStation 5 at the same $500 price point as the Xbox Series X and launch just two days after Microsoft will definitely make for an interesting holiday season. Neither console will have much of an advantage when it comes to launch timing or pricing, meaning that outside of platform loyalty from previous generations, many early adopters might be making their purchasing decisions based on launch games.

One wild card in the next generation could turn out to be the Xbox Series S, which is priced at $299.99 – $100 cheaper than the less expensive PlayStation 5 Digital Edition. Assuming that the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition doesn't make any hardware changes besides ditching the disc drive, then the Xbox Series S will be less powerful than it, but many customers might decide that 1440p gaming is enough given the price. Outside of that, though, the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X will be launching on a surprisingly even playing field come November.