When the PlayStation 4 hits the market later this year, customers shouldn’t expect to take out a second job to afford the console, Sony Worldwide Studios VP Michael Denny tells Edge. No, Ken Kutaragi’s infamous comment, which referred to the PS3’s $599 initial 2006 launch price, won’t apply to Sony’s newest console.
“We want a system that can reach as broad a gaming audience as possible but whilst being a system that’s deep, connected, rich and immersive and is going to give a very focused and differentiated experience than anything else that’s out there,” Denny says.
In other words – Sony wants a system the average gamer will actually be able to afford. Denny also noted that Sony takes lessons from each console they launch, which includes the PS3: “we have to be informed by what the strengths of our [PS3] system have been, but also the challenges of that,” he said.
So far, Sony’s presentation of the PS4 – which has been limited, granted – seems to bear that out. Aside from pricing, the PS3 was also criticized for being tough to develop for, especially for cross-platform titles; in Sony’s initial PS4 presser, the company stressed that the system’s PC-like architecture makes it much easier to develop for than the PS3. “Learning from past mistakes” seems to be the name of the game this time around.
Still, Denny was coy with specifics, despite his comments. He notes that there’s plenty of time to reveal specific pricing down the line and that this announcement phase is “just to explain the vision to everybody.” That vision is for the PS4 to “absolutely focus” on gamers – “and we want that to be gamers in the broadest sense as well,” Denny says. “I think to some extent you can draw your own conclusions.”
When Sony will announce the actual pricing for the PS4 is up for debate, but smart money suggests E3 in mid-June.
How do Denny’s comments sit with you? Are you leaning toward picking up a PS4 when it hits this year? Let us know in the comments.