New next-gen rumors suggest that PS5 and Xbox Series will be released in early- to mid-November with base price tags of $499.
This particular fire was lit by industry analyst Roberto Serrano, who claims that the "latest news (more than a rumor or speculation)" indicates Microsoft is prepping the Xbox Series S for release on November 5 for $299. The Xbox Series X, meanwhile, will reportedly follow on November 6 at $499. On the PlayStation side, Serrano claims that the PS5 and its all-digital edition will be released on November 13 for $499 and $399, respectively.
None of these dates or prices have been announced or confirmed, and we may not have official details to back them up for weeks or months. Serrano's claims also have more than a few outliers, but a pattern is emerging among next-gen rumors. Serrano's tweet comes just three days after an innocuous Fortnite bundle rekindled the release date rumor mill, with Epic saying its November 17 release date will put it "in time for the release of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X."
Microsoft has confirmed that the Xbox Series X will be released in November, which comes as no surprise, and this Fortnite bundle gives us a possible reference point for the month. For comparison, here's when the previous console generations began:
- Xbox 360 release day: Tuesday, November 22, 2005
- PS3 release day: Friday, November 17, 2006
- Xbox One release day: Friday, November 22, 2013
- PS4 release day: Saturday, November 15, 2014
This year, November 17 - the date implicated in that Fortnite bundle - falls on a Tuesday, so it's unlikely to be the release day for either next-gen console. However, Sony and Xbox have historically favored weekends in the middle of the month (the original Xbox came out on a Thursday, which is close enough for Microsoft's planning), so Epic's wording about this bundle releasing "in time" for the consoles does call attention to the weekend of Friday, November 20. That Friday and the following Saturday are both extremely plausible release dates, and it's worth mentioning that a hastily pulled Xbox page previously said the console will be released during the Thanksgiving season.
Obviously, this window clashes with Serrano's claims about the Xbox Series X launching in the first week of November. And while we're on the topic, it's also odd that Serrano's timeline predicts that the Xbox Series S, the smaller and cheaper next-gen entry point, will come out a full day before the flagship model. With this being the start of a new generation, Microsoft will likely want to put its best (and strongest) foot forward with the Series X, and then follow it up with an alternative.
Serrano also expects both next-gen consoles to launch at $499, which is strange not only because Xbox and PlayStation systems have historically had a price differential, but also because this is much lower than many predictions that have put the new boxes around $599 to compensate for their more advanced tech, particularly their M2 SSDs. That being said, a French retailer recently listed the PS5 and its Digital Edition for $499 and $399 respectively, which supports these new rumors. There's a rounding difference between British Pounds and US dollars, but the Euro prices line up.
Apart from pricing and release dates, we already know most of the big talking points about both next-gen consoles, so rumors are becoming increasingly scattershot. Serrano is an analyst but he isn't an oracle, so his claims shouldn't be taken as gospel. And as he says, even if we have somehow stumbled upon the correct date in all this speculating, it may change in the next few months due to distribution complications related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, or because Sony and Microsoft revise their plans in response to the others' announcements. With all that being said, coupled with past console launches, these figures offer a useful hypothetical for what to expect this November.
Stay tuned to our range of guides for more information on the PS5 price, Xbox Series X price and the upcoming PS5 pre-orders.
For more, check out 11 tech demos to make you excited for next-gen.
