Update: Sony is delaying the launch of the PS4 in China, according to Reuters. The launch was scheduled for January 11th. A new launch date has yet to be determined.
Sony will begin authorized sales of the PlayStation 4 video game console in China on January 11th, 2015.
This follows a 14 year ban of video game systems in the country.
The PS4 will go on sale for RMB 2,899 or about $468.
That's, once again, $100 less than Microsoft's Xbox One, which went on sale in September 2014 for RMB 3,699 or $568.
It's an interesting parallel to the domestic launch of both systems. The Xbox One originally retailed for $499, $100 more than the $399 PS4.
This time Microsoft has a few months head-start over the competition, but Sony has the crucial price edge. Both systems face stiff competition from the already-established PC gaming market and the popular free-to-play business model in China, as well as challenges from rampant piracy.
My take: Microsoft will be forced, yet again, to lower prices in the face of competition. But both consoles will face an uphill battle in China. Revenue model challenges, however, may provide insight for both console manufacturers and game makers to experiment even more with F2P models, for better or worse.
This is also a great opportunity for Nintendo to release something undercutting the competition and promote its iconic first-party line of games in China, though both Nintendo and Sony face cultural barriers here, where decades-old resentments still linger.
The Chinese-only version of the PS4 looks awesome, by the way. I want one almost as bad as I wanted the 20th anniversary edition of the console.
