Analyst prices Xbox One at US$399, PS4 US$349

What Sony and Microsoft didn’t or couldn’t deliver during their console launches were prices and Forbes now reports that a trusted securities analyst has cracked the pricing code: US$399 for Xbox One and US$349 for PS4.

Michael Pachter is a Wedbush Securities analyst who’s predictions have been right on more than one occasion and according to the report, “The assumptions he makes are pretty basic”. It doesn’t stop it from being exciting though.

Pachter noted to investors that the raw materials needed to build the PS4 would cost Sony US$275. Microsoft will spend US$325 on each Xbox One. He further points out that Microsoft is getting “pretty cosy” with cable companies as it attempts to unify the world of TV and tech into one with its upcoming next-gen console. With the backing of Fortune 500 companies such as the NFL, Microsoft is going to have a lot of money to throw around. Combine this with a more expensive console than Sony’s and the PS4 starts to look like the quiet kid who sits in the back of the class taking notes while everyone else is getting high on grape juice. That’s the kid who graduated with honors and married the cheerleader though. Can Sony’s quiet defiance win this generations console war?

The difference in price is down to Kinect. The new Kinect is going to be bundled with the Xbox One by default and this in turn drives up the price of the pitch-black console. A price difference of US$50 is going to be a major purchasing decision for the console fan who hasn’t yet made up their mind. And with Microsoft seemingly pushing games to one side to make room for TV, Sony now has the cheaper, game-focused console and that makes a world of a difference.