PlayStation 4 ready for takeoff
Sale date is Nov. 15, and orders already top one million,
TOKYO Sony Corp. will start selling the PlayStation 4 in North America on Nov. 15, moving to obtain an early advantage in the largest videogame market against Microsoft Corp.
The $399 US player, Sony’s first new console in seven years, will be available in Europe on Nov. 29 and in 32 countries for the Christmas holiday season.
Sony Computer Entertainment chief executive officer Andrew House made the announcement on Tuesday in Cologne, Germany, ahead of the annual Gamescom, Europe’s biggest game conference. Orders already top one million, he said.
The console will feature Twitch, the popular videogame footage-streaming service. By tapping the new “share” button on the PlayStation 4 controller, users will be able to broadcast gameplay directly to Twitch.
Microsoft announced similar Twitch integration earlier this year for its upcoming Xbox One.
Currently, more than 600,000 Twitch broadcasters are watched by more than 38 million viewers a month.
Sony’s plans put the PlayStation 4 in more than double the markets of Microsoft’s $499 Xbox One as the two companies begin a multi-year battle for dominance. Microsoft, which initially targeted 21 countries for its debut, last week cut the number to 13 to ensure larger markets have sufficient supplies.
“Sony’s pricing is aggressive,” said Koki Shiraishi, a Tokyo-based analyst at SMBC Nikko Securities. “Sony has a better chance against its rival because it’s setting the console price lower.”
Sony gained 0.5 per cent to 1,937 yen in Tokyo trading Wednesday and has doubled so far this year.
The new consoles from Sony and Microsoft enter a marketplace that has shifted since the last influx toward mobile games played on tablets and smartphones like Apple Inc.’s iPhone.
Console makers are betting faster machines with new features, from motion capture to immersive graphics, will entice consumers to spend on hardware as well as games.
The introduction of new consoles is likely to spark consumer appetite and set the video-game market up for a new growth cycle, according to a note from Richard Beaudoux, a Paris-based analyst at Natixis Securities.
“Sony’s set is cheaper than Xbox, so it will be easier to purchase,” said Junya Ayada, an analyst at Daiwa Securities Co. in Tokyo. “The PS4 is said to have gathered over one million pre-orders, but the key question is, how much will it sell after the launch?”
Sony will discuss its Japan release plans at a Sept. 9 news conference.
The company unveiled the PlayStation 4 in June at E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo. To counter the mobile threat, Tokyo-based Sony is tying the console to its Vita hand-held player.
Executives Tuesday showed off games for 90 minutes to highlight the robust lineup of available titles, demonstrated how users will be able to use Wi-Fi within the home to play games streamed from the PlayStation 4 and announced a price cut for the Vita.
The Vita’s price was lowered to $199 US from $250 US, Jim Ryan, CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, said at the event. In Europe, the new price is 199 euros ($267 US).
Ryan also said the company has forged partnerships in Europe with Deutsche Telekom AG, Orange SA, Virgin Media and Ono to sell fast Internet service with graphics power tailored for videogame players.