PS4 to launch with 3 models, most expensive at $599 [rumor]
UPDATE: Sony has confirmed the price of the PlayStation will be $399 in the US and £349 in the UK.
Microsoft today announced a hefty price tag for its Xbox One console launching this November: $499. Sony, however, may be going higher than that, as GamesIndustry International has learned from a source close to the company that PS4 may launch with three versions, the highest being priced at $599.
The details are expected to be clarified at Sony's own E3 press conference this evening; it's currently unclear what the main differences will be among the PS4 SKUs, but our source said that Sony's looking to push 4K resolution technology as a "stepping stone" to glasses free 3D.
While cheaper versions of the PS4 (possibly as low as $399) will make a purchase much more palatable to the average consumer this holiday season, it's somewhat surprising that Microsoft and Sony are pushing hardware at such high price points. The PS3's launch at $599 back in 2006 was a very sore spot for the company, and console manufacturers are facing increasing pressure from other platforms, including tablets, smartphones and the PC itself with services like Steam. $499 and $599 will be hard to swallow for many.
Roman - also, exactly what I was thinking... and it HAS to support SOME form of offline play or else there's going to be a drop in Sony's base and way too much anger to deal with from PS3 users who aren't connected...
http://youtu.be/kWSIFh8ICaA
But, yeah - their PR needs to be on point and not cloaking and trying to roll with deflector screens up like Microsoft has been doing since that first reveal press conference...
The Gen-8 console battle seems to be more a battle for supremacy on the deck of the Titanic!
To see the most impressive console demonstration running on a PC tells us more about the state of the sector, than who at MS tried to leak a false news story about the $500 PS4!