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.

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Latest comments (13)

Marty Greenwell Senior Software Developer 8 years ago

That's possibly too cheap :/

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Paul Jace Merchandiser 8 years ago

I don't believe Sony is that stupid to make the same mistake again with a $599 price point. They probably will have multiple skus but the highest would most likely be $499. Guess we'll find out in a few hours.

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Klaus Preisinger Freelance Writing 8 years ago

Think Apple. Ridiculously overprice one SKU to make the other ones look better.

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Show all comments (13)

Greg Wilcox Creator, Destroy All Fanboys! 8 years ago

Well, it depends on where those price points head. Low-priced offline model with access later for those who aren't always connected? Good deal (and one MS can't touch). Higher-end always online SKU? Fine... IF it has Vita functionality and PS Plus onboard. Anyway, four minutes 'til the real news and no more rumors, right?

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Roman Margold Rendering Software Engineer, Sucker Punch Productions8 years ago

It's the cheapest one that matters. The higher-end is always for the hard core fan base that doesn't mind to pay for the extras. Also, 600 may have been a lot in 2006 but, while the willingness to pay for this decreased, if anything, the inflation should be taken into account.

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Nicholas Pantazis Senior Editor, VGChartz Ltd8 years ago

If they bundle the $600 one with a Vita that would actually be a good idea.

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Greg Wilcox Creator, Destroy All Fanboys! 8 years ago

Nicholas... you took the thought from my brain... I hope that's happening or perhaps it's a redesigned Vita that acts like the Wii U GamePad but allows users w/o high speed connections to take it to a wifi spot, download content and transfer it to the console when they get home. THAT would make it a must-buy for those in crap connection areas worldwide, I bet...

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...

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Greg Wilcox Creator, Destroy All Fanboys! 8 years ago

"Rumor Control... here are the facts..." The Xbox boards over at MS are burning up and down, by the way...

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Dr. Chee Ming Wong , Opus Artz Ltd8 years ago

ANyways , it should be a relatively easy PR win for Sony if they handle it right

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Greg Wilcox Creator, Destroy All Fanboys! 8 years ago

Well, that "Used Games" video was pretty much all they needed:

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...

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Dr. Chee Ming Wong , Opus Artz Ltd8 years ago

Guess from now to nov-cember , they just need to apply constant pressure without making too many digs to the opposition to do a good game conversion

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Greg Wilcox Creator, Destroy All Fanboys! 8 years ago

Well, the Vita NEEDS more support, so they better be doing a "One More Thing..." on that sooner than later, as that was a missing puzzle piece on a few fronts...

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kevin williams , KWP Limited8 years ago

More money will be invested into a counter marketing battle between two console divisions... and Nintendo, up till Nov-cember; money that could have been better applied on addressing all the wholes in the consumer game console business. By the time we stand at CES 2014, we will be looking at disappointing figures on sales and utilization, and at least one major publishers removal from the market.

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!

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