When the PlayStation 4 was announced in February, the only hardware that Sony revealed was the brand-new DualShock 4 and the PlayStation 4 Eye camera. Since then, the controller has seen much more focus, including the introductory video above, while we’ve been left to wonder just how the new Eye will be packaged, whether it will be included as part of the whole PS4 console or sold separately as the Eye Toy and PlayStation Eye were for the PS2 and PS3 respectively.

Well, leave it to the eagle-eyed posters on NeoGAF to give us our first hints at how we’ll be getting ahold of this brand new motion sensing camera. NeoGAF poster Tieman was watching the same video and spotted this:

According to PlayStation’s official DualShock 4 YouTube video, the PlayStation 4 Eye camera “may be required and is sold separately.” The DualShock 4 features an LED light bar on the front of the controller that can be detected by the new PlayStation Eye to function in some ways like the PlayStation Move, in addition to registering where players are during multiplayer games. Based on talk at the PlayStation 4 event in New York, many believed that the accessory would be a mandatory inclusion for the PS4 system, as much of the DualShock 4’s functionality seemed to be tied to the stereoscopic camera.

Perhaps keeping the Eye sold separately will help keep prices down for a console that is already packed with features? Will Sony offer a PS4 bundled with the new Eye anyway? With Microsoft making the new Kinect a required component of the Xbox One, Sony might be able to come in at a competitive price point for the PS4 while simultaneously alleviating the privacy concerns that some have voiced over Kinect 2.0’s always-watching, always-listening functionality. There are just eight days until E3 and Sony’s press conference, so only time will tell.

Thanks to Peter Skerritt for the tip.

Discuss:

Should the PlayStation 4 Eye be sold separately?

[Via NeoGAF]