Pricing is a big factor when it comes to fans making a generational leap between console generations. We found out how big of a factor it is when the creator of Mortal Kombat, Ed Boon conducted a survey on Twitter. Looks like most of the fans want the next-gen console prices to be affordable.
There is no consensus on the biggest factor that affects buyers to lean towards a certain console. The founder of the Mortal Kombat series took to his Twitter account and conducted a survey to find that out. Ed Boon’s followers that are obviously Mortal Kombat fans made up the sample size of this survey.
The survey asked ” Next Gen consoles… What’s the most important thing for you?”. The options that were provided by Ed Boon included ‘Affordable-price’, ‘Better graphics’, ‘Exclusive games’ and ‘Plays last-gen games’ (backwards compatibility). The results showed that fans certainly have varying preferences when it comes to the appeal of a new console. The majority of the people voted in favor of affordable price.
37.5% of the people thought that the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X need to have affordable prices. 30% of Ed Boons followers considered backwards compatibility, a necessary part of a new console. 19.2% of respondents voted in favor of better graphics while a measly 13.2% thought that exclusive games are a big draw towards next-gen consoles.
The fact that, between 50,000+ people, the majority of them consider pricing when buying a new gaming machine does make sense. Now if we look at the rumors and leaks at our disposal, the next-gen console prices seem to be anything but affordable.
The prices of the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X are expected to be around $500. Looks like fans may have to save up or wait a while before they can get their hands on a next-gen machine.
What’s more interesting is that backwards compatibility seems to be a lot more valued than exclusive games. Microsoft is definitely ahead in this department as they have incorporated backwards compatibility in their current and next-gen console. The PlayStation platform that is known for its engaging exclusives may not have as big of an advantage as we thought.
With all things considered, we shouldn’t take this survey as the end all be all result but it definitely gives us a peek into what really affects console purchases.
