It was Sony’s time to show why gamers had to purchase their upcoming PlayStation 5. They put on a really good show last week with their entire PlayStation 5 Showcase to make their case. I saw the show live (which was about 4 am in my area, thank you very much) and I did walk away rather impressed. I wasn’t alone as there were so many positive reactions online. Sony had a good selection of actual gameplay from Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition and the Demon Souls Remastered running on PlayStation 5 hardware. Oh, and the trailer for the (timed) exclusive Final Fantasy XVI didn’t hurt at all!

The PlayStation 5 Showcase also revealed what gamers really wanted to know about Sony’s upcoming console: the price and when it was going out. We did get confirmation that the PlayStation 5 with the Blu-Ray drive will run you at around $500 US and the digital only system will be a hundred dollars cheaper at $400. Those are very competitive price points, especially when you compare it to the PlayStation 5’s greatest rival, the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. The official date was also shows and Sony’s system will be launched on November 12 of this year. This is very close to Microsoft’s launch window for their new systems as well.

Time will tell which system will become the people’s choice. For me, I decided long ago that I’ll be getting a PS5 with a Blu-Ray drive. But that doesn’t mean I’ll be getting Sony’s new system on November 12 or whenever it’s released in the Philippines. No, I’m going to wait maybe a year or so. This has always been my practice for new systems but, with the PlayStation 5, as good as Sony made it look during the PlayStation 5 Showcase, I’m really going to wait a while before getting one.

No, I’m not sour graping at the fact that Sony themselves bungled the entire preordering process. You would think a company as big as Sony would have it all figured out, especially since the PlayStation brand is helping keep the entire company afloat. I understand the frustration a lot of fans are feeling when they were blindsided by retailers opening up preorders a day earlier than anticipated. It’s a huge mess and a lot of the blame lays on Sony for not communicating the process clearly as well as only giving people a heads up in a tweet. I mean, they had an entire PlaySattion 5 Showcase! Why didn’t they put the details on the video to make sure everyone got the message? This eventually led to a lot of scalpers selling the systems at exorbitant prices, way higher than the $400 or $500 suggested price.

I might not have wanted to preorder the system but it does lead me to one of the reasons why I didn’t want to get one on Day 1: price gouging. I’m just not willing to spend too much money on one system, even if it is as cool looking as the PlayStation 5. Of course, there are always going to be gamers who just can’t resist it and they are willing to pay through the nose to get one, leading to raised prices. With the way things are going, the price for a PlayStation 5 during the holiday season is going to be much higher than what Sony is promoting, thanks to the entire supply and demand thing. There’s just no way I’m going to spend that amount of cash!

Another thing that didn’t lead me rushing to any preorder sites was the fact that the PS5’s launch game lineup isn’t exactly all that’s cracked up to be. That’s doubly so if you’re like me and you already have a PlayStation 4. I already mentioned Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition and they’ve been confirmed to be available when at the PlayStation 5 launch. The thing is, both of these games are also going to be available on the PlayStation 4! I get the next-generation system is going to have beefier specs so those games will look at least a little better than they do on current systems. But if I can play them on a system I already own, why rush out to get an upgraded system with slightly better graphics? This is especially true for Spider-Man: Miles Morales since owners of the PlayStation 4 can upgrade to the PlayStation 5 version if and when they get Sony’s new system.

I haven’t even talked about Sony’s big push for the PlayStation Plus Collection that was shown during the PlayStation 5 Showcase. Basically, if you have a PlayStation 5 and subscribe for a PlayStation Plus account, you’ll be able to play some great games that were available on the PlayStation 4. This includes heavy hitters like God of War, Bloodborne, Monster Hunter World, Final Fantasy XV, Detroit: Become Human, Persona 5 and many more. That seems like a sweet deal and instantly fattens up the PlayStation 5’s game library. The thing is, I’ve already played most of these games on the PlayStation 4! It’s a little too early for me to go back and play them for nostalgic reasons! I guess that’s going to be great after a couple of years but, on Day 1, it’s just not for me.

Also, even if I’m not getting a new PS5, that doesn’t mean I’m going to be left out playing really new games like Godfall. Like I said, I’m still going to get it but after a year or so. That just means I’m delaying my gratification on playing some of the great titles the system is going to get. Oh, and they’ll be a good chance that, by the time I do get one, a lot of those big games will be up on sale or even include all the DLC content! That will just make all that waiting all the more worthwhile.

Now, this isn’t to disparage anyone from getting or, thanks to the preorder debacle, try to get a PlayStation 5 when November rolls around. You do you and, if it’s something you can’t wait for, I totally understand. But, for me, there isn’t a big enough reason for me to upgrade from my current Sony system to the new one. I’m just going to wait a while or until Sony gives me a good enough reason to get a PS5. How long will that take? Well, that’s up to Sony now, isn’t it

Will you be getting a PlayStation 5 on Day 1? Why or why not? Let me know in the comments section below!