Rumour Report Suggests PlayStation 4 Launch price Over US$400, But Seems Premature

Post by Dan @ 12:16pm 07/02/13 | 16 Comments

Major Japanese daily paper The Asahi Shimbum has reportedly suggested that Sony's new upcoming PlayStation console will launch this year, at a price point above JPY¥40,000 (over US$400), (via Gematsu):

“Yesterday (on February 6), it became clear that Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) will reveal it’s new game system, PlayStation 4, which will release within the year,” reads the paper. “This is the first new model since PS3 was released in 2006, and it’s expected that there will be a rush to meet year-end sales demands between Japan and America. The price is expected to exceed 40,000 yen.”

To iron out the yen to USD conversion: PlayStation 3′s cheapest model, the 20 gigabyte SKU, launched at $500 in North America. In Japan, it cost 49,980 yen, which converts to about $535. 40,000 yen converts to about $428. If we’re following PlayStation 3 launch pricing, it’s safe to say that by ‘greater than 40,000 yen,’ Asahi is saying ‘greater than $400′ for the overseas market.

Based on the console's rumoured specifications, it is reasonably presumable to speculate at such a price point (and probably tack on another AU$100 or so Australia Tax for a local release whenever that might end up being), but we suggest taking it with a grain of salt, as it does seem unlikely that the publication would have received this information from insider sources.

Sony is widely expected to unveil the console at New York event on February 20th, but we highly doubt any pricing will be on offer then --as any internal price targets the company has at present would most likely still be subject to change, dependant on what market conditions (including both the YEN exchange rate, and competitor movements) are like closer to the anticipated holiday 2013 launch.

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IVY_MiKe
Posted 12:09am 08/2/13

This seems a laughable assumption given that both the PS2 and 3 launched at the $1k mark.

The better question would be, "What is the future of Sony (and the Playstation) if they don't make an announcement by the 20th?"

Looking back over the previous (current) generation of consoles, I can't get excited about what is coming next from the established players.

Bring on the Ouya with a digital distribution only type setup.
I'm sure your average 2.5 person family in Australia isn't ready or prepared (or maybe willing?) to switch to digital only, but I don't see 'next, next generation graphics and truly ridiculous development and publishing lead times' selling it really.

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Khel
Posted 02:04am 08/2/13

I couldn't be less interested in the Ouya, even way back when it first hit kickstarter I couldn't understand why everyone was getting so excited, just doesn't seem very interesting at all to me. Now I can play angry birds and words with friends on my tv instead of my phone I guess?

Sony and Microsoft would have to be asleep at the wheel to not have included a proper digital distribution pipeline into this next generation of consoles anyway. Apart from the fact its more money straight into their pocket, its also something they really need to do to stay competitive with things like Steam.

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Tollaz0r!
Posted 08:50am 08/2/13

Khel, part of the charm of the Ouya is that is also an incredibly capable Media device. A PC type media center for only $99, o yeah. I've also got my eye on it for easy access to what I hope to have some quality kids games.

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Spook
Posted 09:07am 08/2/13

This seems a laughable assumption given that both the PS2 and 3 launched at the $1k mark.

nintendo showed you dont need to make money on the console to make money.

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Scooter
Posted 09:09am 08/2/13

So that would put it just over $1k in AUD, right?

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Thundercracker
Posted 01:30pm 08/2/13

Actually spook ninty are a crafty bunch and even at release they make money off their consoles. They also do well off all their peripherals. It's just that their hardware is very cheap to manufacture.

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ravn0s
Posted 01:43pm 08/2/13

Actually spook ninty are a crafty bunch and even at release they make money off their consoles.

last i heard is that the wii u isn't doing too well sales wise.

i'll probably buy a ps4 if it's below $600 and has some decent games.

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Hogfather
Posted 01:53pm 08/2/13

last i heard is that the wii u isn't doing too well sales wise.

Its doing OK, depending on who you listen to. Its not getting quite the takeup that the Wii did, but its selling enough units to not be a failure. http://au.ign.com/articles/2013/01/08/wii-u-sales-actually-look-pretty-good .

Overall, it looks like the Wii U sales figures worldwide are actually pretty good, though not quite as good as Nintendo was hoping for (and still slightly behind the Wii at this point in the console's life cycle). If you ask me, taking European figures into account and estimating the console's likely December sales, the total figure might be nudging towards 3 million - but that's just a guess.

There's a number of platform-specific AAA titles coming through this year that should spur adoption, a few people on this forum for example are waiting for FavouriteGameX before committing.

The Wii U is also profitable after one game sale, the console itself very slightly loses money.

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paveway
Posted 01:57pm 08/2/13

Now I can play angry birds and words with friends on my tv instead of my phone I guess?

is it going to play any other games or will it literally be s***** mobile games on a tv?

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Hogfather
Posted 02:10pm 08/2/13

is it going to play any other games or will it literally be s***** mobile games on a tv?

This is not the thread you're looking for.

Edit: Actually Khel said that, c*** is cross-pollinating threads. What a jerk. h8 Khel.

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maRtz
Posted 02:29pm 08/2/13

I remember when the PS1 first came out it was selling for around $800, then literally 2 weeks later the price plummeted to something like $400. Anyone remember that?

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Bah
Posted 06:31pm 08/2/13

Bring on the Ouya with a digital distribution only type setup.

I reckon xbox arcade or PSN would have sihtloads better games on their digital distribution networks.

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Khel
Posted 08:36pm 08/2/13

Edit: Actually Khel said that, c*** is cross-pollinating threads. What a jerk. h8 Khel.

To be fair I actually said it last night before the Ouya thread existed :P

Khel, part of the charm of the Ouya is that is also an incredibly capable Media device. A PC type media center for only $99, o yeah.

Yeah, good point, thats a factor I hadn't considered

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Eorl
Posted 09:49pm 08/2/13

I remember when the PS1 first came out it was selling for around $800, then literally 2 weeks later the price plummeted to something like $400. Anyone remember that?

I remember buying the PlayStation 2 in New Zealand in grade 8 I think it was. Bought it over there due to duty free tax, made it something like $600 instead of $800 in Australia.

I really don't see the PlayStation being priced any higher then $400 in America (meaning $500 or so here) as that kind of price point just doesn't work in today's gimme gimme age. However with a lower price tag comes the obvious lower technology inside the machine, though this would easily be offset by the amount of consoles sold. People are kidding themselves though if they think the PlayStation 4/Xbox 720 is going to be holding 8 cores and come at a cheap price, especially with the rumoured touchpad controller.

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fpot
Posted 08:56pm 08/2/13

The original Xbox had a massive price drop shortly after launch as well.

I'd happily play $800+ for a new console if it was a serious piece of hardware. I'm not even going to bother if it's $500ish and still running games in 720p mode at sub-60fps.

Well, maybe I'll get an Xbox 2 for next-gen Forza.

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ravn0s
Posted 09:09pm 08/2/13

i remember going to myer with my mum when i was 8 and they had a ps1 on display with crash bandicoot. i played it for what felt like forever. my parents bought me one for christmas a month later. it was the best christmas ever.

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