When should we expect launch prices and dates for 2020’s new consoles?

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  Fig. 1: The available lead time for launch details on the PS5 and Xbox Series X is already way below average.

As August transitions into September, both Sony and Microsoft continue their marketing push for new high-end game consoles promised by the end of the year. But with just 90 days to go until Thanksgiving, the public at large is still waiting on both companies to reveal important details about the price and specific launch dates for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.

While this situation isn't unprecedented in recent history, it is unusual. And if we don't get public price and launch date announcements by the end of September, we'd be in largely uncharted territory for modern console releases.

An above-average wait

As shown in the figures above and the chart below, console makers have usually given the public more warning of their launch plans than they're set to this year. In the 12 console launches since 2000, the all-important price and release date announcements have come an average of 128 days before the actual console launch, or a median of about 153 days (for the North American launch).

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