The Real Reason the PlayStation 4 Price Undercuts Xbox One: PlayStation Eye
From the looks of it, fans seem more interested in Sony’s PlayStation 4 than the Xbox One. Aside from a bad start for Microsoft, which the company is now working frantically to fix, the Xbox One will retail for $499. That’s $100 more than the $399 PlayStation 4. Why? Again, Sony decided to play it smart.
Microsoft decided that the new Kinect motion-sensing camera peripheral would be a pack-in with every Xbox One. In fact, it’s a requirement for anyone who wants to play. The camera will be a major part of gameplay, and much of the UI navigation will happen through the motion sensors. That’s somewhat like Kinect does with the current Xbox 360, but it will be mandatory rather than an option; at least, that’s the message we’re getting from Microsoft.
Sony, according to reports, was set to bundle its PlayStation Eye, a similar camera peripheral, with the PlayStation 4. However, reports are now claiming that Sony decided to undercut Microsoft by dropping the camera. The PS4 was originally set to launch at $499. In the months leading up to the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) videogame trade show in Los Angeles, Sony realized it would be competing with Microsoft on a level playing field and ditched the peripheral as an add-in. The reports say that Sony began by informing retail partners that it would no longer include the Eye as originally planned but didn’t announce the price adjustment until E3 so as not to give Microsoft a heads-up.
The Eye will retail for $59.99, says a report by Ars Technica, which makes it strange to think that the PS4 may have cost $499 otherwise.
Our recent Ask the Readers: Xbox One or PlayStation 4? also shows that the initial reaction to the Xbox One has been far less favorable than that of the PlayStation 4.
