It"s widely expected that on February 20th, Sony will unveil their next-generation console and either confirm or deny the many rumors surrounding it. While we"ve heard a lot about the supposed hardware of the "PlayStation 4", not much has been said over the pricing of the console outside of analyst speculation, until today that is. A report from the major Japanese newspaper The Asahi Shimbun claims the PS4 will cost around ¥40,000 (US$428), meaning the console will likely retail for $399 (or higher) in the States.
If this report is indeed true, it would mean the PlayStation 4 would be initially retailing for a price cheaper than the PlayStation 3 at launch, which cost $499 for the base model. It would also make the system $100 more expensive than the entry-level Wii U, suggesting Sony isn"t keen on aggressive pricing or selling the console at a loss, the latter of which caused issues for the PS3.
Apart from the rumors relating to the PlayStation 4"s price, The Asahi Shimbun also says the controller of the unit will be roughly the same shape as the existing DualShock controller, but will integrate some sort of touch pad. A separate report from the Nikkei says that Sony will incorporate Gaikai"s game streaming/cloud technology into the PlayStation 4, while both reports confirm February 20th as the big reveal day.
Source: The Asahi Shimbun | Nikkei via: The Verge