We Need A PS5 Lite

thegamer.com:

Before we go any deeper into this PlayStation-focused feature, there’s something that has to be said about its great American rival: the Xbox Series S really is a marvel.

Consider its attributes: you gain entry into current-gen gaming in an elegant, compact package, with Game Pass access to triple-A first-party titles and an abundance of third-party games. All for the quite reasonable price of $299.99/£249, not including Game Pass, and in this economy (gestures to inflation, cost of living) that is not at all to be sniffed at.

Related: The PS5 Awaits Its First Truly Hype Moment

Now let’s consider Sony’s cheaper current gen option. The digital PS5 retails for $399.99/£359.99. This is a hundred dollars more than the XSS, which is not insignificant, but you do gain a 4K advantage and more computing grunt in exchange for the extra pennies. More importantly, however, even if most consumers preferred the digital version of the PS5 over the more expensive disc model, they are still having trouble purchasing any PlayStation 5 right now due to widespread shortages.

For Sony, it would’ve been better – for both the company and consumers – had it come out with a PS5 Lite.

From all reports the Xbox Series S has been a success for Microsoft, helping it win over new GP subscribers and new Xbox players in traditionally tough markets such as Japan, where it’s even outsold the PS5 on occasion – an unthinkable occurrence before now. The reason why it exists is also pretty extraordinary.

According to a 2020 interview with Digital Foundry, Xbox’s chief architect Andrew Goossen explained that the cost reductions in previous generations no longer seem viable. In yesteryear, the costs involved in manufacturing a PS2, say, would reduce over