"Correlation does not imply causation," goes the old saying, and fans of the PS5 and Xbox Series X would do well to remember this. Recently, rumors began circulating that each console would start at $500 due to financing options posted on Best Buy's website. While it is true that Best Buy is running a financing campaign for $500 or more, and Best Buy's PS5 and Xbox Series X websites also list that campaign, there may not be a direct relationship between the two facts.

Publications like DualShockers point to Best Buy's PS5 and Xbox Series X information page, noting in particular a small ad at the bottom of the page: "Limited time only: 18 months financing with in-store purchase of $499 or more." Then click the link to see the details.

This financing option is very common in retail stores. If you have a Best Buy credit card and pay off the merchandise within 18 months, no interest is charged. Otherwise, interest rates will depend on the items purchased and how quickly you pay them off. You can also earn additional Best Buy Rewards. If you've used retail financing options before, there are no surprises.

Theoretically, both new consoles would cost at least $500, since this financing ad is listed at the bottom of the PS5 and Xbox Series X pages. However, this reasoning overlooks two critical facts: first, the 18-month financing is a site-wide promotion and can be found on almost every page. Second, Best Buy offers financing options on all game consoles, regardless of price, and there is no reason why products under $500 should be excluded.

The first point is perhaps the most salient. The Best Buy website, like all retail websites, is intended to sell products to customers. As such, every part of Best Buy's website is an advertisement for other parts of Best Buy's website; the 18-month financing option is not limited to next-generation game consoles; in fact, it can be found on everything from TVs to dishwashers. Of course, I've never seen it advertised alongside inexpensive products like video games or Blu-rays. But I will admit that promoting a $500 financing plan to a customer who came in to buy a $20 movie is a foolish strategy.

The second point is also worth considering: $500 is not some kind of financing threshold; on Best Buy's site, you can get financing for any console, whether it's a $300 Switch or a $400 PS4 Pro. The financing campaign may simply be using the $500 number as a placeholder to remind customers that financing is an option. In any case, the PS5 and Xbox Series X are not yet available for pre-order, so this promotion would not need to be tied to a specific product.

It is worth noting, however, that when you click on the Nintendos promotion, you will see a financing option "for purchases over $299" instead of the $499 shown on the PS5 and Xbox Series X pages. This adds a little weight to the rumor, but it is still likely to be a placeholder price.

It is true that Best Buy is running a $500 financing promotion, and it is also true that the ad appears on Best Buy's PS5 and Xbox Series X pages. However, it is specious to try to price the consoles based on these two facts; it is very possible that the PS5 and Xbox Series X will cost more than $500, but this seems like business as usual, a store trying to sell things.