PlayStation 4 undercuts the Xbox One price and uppercuts Microsoft with used games.
by CJ Wheeler
Sony’s keynote at E3 finally sweeped the curtain off of next-gen PlayStation, giving the world its first look at the PS4 console.
PlayStation 4 itself turned out to be a surprisingly angular, rhomboid design that’s far more discrete and appealing than most of the speculative concept art flooding the Internet in recent months. PS4 maintains the dark design heritage the brand has sported since PlayStation 2. The console can lay horizontal or stand up on a base, and has a 500GB hard drive that can be upgraded.
Microsoft confirmed pricing for Xbox One will be £429/$499/€499 during its E3 keynote. PS4 undercuts the next-gen Xbox at £349/$399/€399, presumably because its camera will be sold separately. Both consoles are due to go on sale at the end of the year.
Sony got a positive reaction from the keynote audience for its decision to permit uninhibited second-hand games trading and sales. This could be a blow to Xbox One, as Microsoft will let games publishers set trade-in prices. PS4 also has no inbuilt daily Internet check-in, unlike Xbox One, although PlayStation Plus membership is required for online play.
Sony’s Gaikai cloud-streaming games service will launch after the console, in 2014. Also announced in the keynote were Final Fantasy XV — retitled from Final Fantasy Versus XIII — and Kingdom Hearts III.
Watch the video below for Sony’s reveal of the PS4 hardware at E3.
Has Sony tempted you with a lower price and no used games restrictions? Comment below, on Wintriguing’s Facebook page or tweet us with your next-gen thoughts.
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