For years, gamers have been asking for an easy way to know if a discount posted on PlayStation Store is really worth it. It’s now done: Sony has just added a feature that displays the lowest price reached by a game in the last 30 days. A first on consoles.
A new option on PS5 to follow the best promotions
It’s a discreet novelty, but one that could well change the way you buy digital games on PS5. Now, when a game is on sale, the PlayStation Store indicates its lowest price in last 30 days.
The new feature was spotted by a user on Reddit, GIThrow, who shared it on the r/PS5 forum. This change only applies to titles currently on sale : the option is not displayed when a game is displayed at full price.
Concretely, when a game benefits from a promotion, you will see an insert specifying whether the current price is the lowest observed in a monthor if it has already been cheaper recently. A feature designed to help players better evaluate the quality of offers without having to go through external tracking sites.
Why displaying the “lowest price” is debated
If the initiative is welcomed by certain players, others are already pointing out its technical and commercial limits.
“30 days is way too short a window since games typically go on sale every 8-12 weeks, meaning the lowest price in the last 30 days will almost always be the regular price, making this new feature nothing more than a manipulation,” criticized one user on Reddit.
Another offers a more realistic alternative: “Moving to 90 days would be a good idea, as it would allow you to compare the previous reduction with the current reduction without having to consult a third-party tracking site.”
Not everyone is so skeptical. A more enthusiastic player responds: “Great! I didn’t know about it and I’m waiting for sales on all the games I buy, so this will really help. Thanks for this post.”
Clearly, this novelty divides. On the one hand, an attempt by Sony to add more transparency to promotions. On the other, an analysis window that is too short which could mislead on the real value of a reduction.
What Sony could still improve (and what we expect)
Currently this function is only available on PS5 console. It has not yet been integrated into the PlayStation mobile application or the website. It is very likely that a wider deployment will be considered soon, especially if the feedback is positive.
Furthermore, many are already hoping to see:
- a 60 or 90 day window more relevant,
- A price history more detailed,
- even personalized alerts in the event of a return to a previously seen rate.
Sony seems to want to catch up on sites specializing in price tracking like PSPrices or DekuDeals. And even if this first brick can still be improved, it shows a welcome desire for openness.