After several weeks of rumors and speculation, Sony confirms a PlayStation 4 price cut in mainland Europe, the UK, Australia and the United Arab Emirates.
Since launch, the PlayStation 4 has been a runaway success with seemingly nothing being able to stop it. While that’s true in North America, where the Sony machine has spent months at the top of the console sales list (a title it held again in September), the PS4 is doing especially well in Europe, where it has 70-90 percent of the console sales market (according to Sony). It may seem unusual for the console to get a European price drop then but that’s exactly what Sony has just announced.
Called the “best ever value” by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe boss Jim Ryan, in mainland Europe, the 500GB memory PS4 will now be offered at €349.99, while in the UK the console is available at a recommended retail price (RRP) of £299.99. Europe isn’t the only continent to get a PS4 price cut, though, as the United Arab Emirates and Australia (which both fall under the same ‘PAL’ territory domain as European countries) have also had their PS4 prices slashed: UAE gamers can now get it for AED1399 while those down under can get it for AUD$480.
While many may question why Sony has cut the PS4’s price in PAL regions and in North America and Japan, which have just gotten price drops too, others have called this a smart business move from the company. In the next few weeks and months the competition is going to heat up as the PS4’s closest rival, the Xbox One, releases two huge exclusives in the form of Halo 5: Guardians and Rise of the Tomb Raider. The PS4’s holiday release slate looks paltry in comparison as although Sony’s Star Wars Battlefront bundles should shift some units, blockbuster adventure Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End has been delayed until 2016 and other highly anticipated PS4 games, such as Horizon: Zero Dawn and The Last Guardian, won’t be out until next year either.
So, although new PS4 owners have a bit of waiting to do for those big budget title, these price cuts, along with whatever discounts Black Friday (which takes place in the UK now too) coughs up, give people more of an incentive to buy a PS4 over its rival. Sony will be hoping that this is enough to hold onto its lead (if not extend it) until those big name games are released.
What do you think about the price cuts? Are you ready to buy a current-gen console? Let us know in the comments.
