We’ve just gotten our hands on some juicy information directly from within Sony which outlines the massive changes that have come to PlayStation since 2014 and where Sony hopes to take the brand. Despite the PS4 being well ahead of the Xbox One, Sony isn’t planning on slowing down and instead has highlighted four ways the company plans to accelerate PS4 sales in the next year, including the arrival of Morpheus. Those details after the jump.
Going forward, Sony sees the following as their key to further growth
- Strong support for 3rd party publishers and developers
- Continuous hardware cost reduction
- Additional features through system software updates
- Creation of innovative game experience via Project Morpheus (to be launched in CY2016.1st half)
We’ve already seen Sony partner heavily with 3rd party publishers with games like Destiny and Batman: Arkham Knight both receiving exclusive content on PS4. With Uncharted 4 slipping to early 2016 and leaving a gap in Sony’s holiday release, expect for partnerships and exclusive content on PS4. Over the nearly two years that PS4 has been released, Sony has steadily released new features via software update. Expect this trend to continue which is a no brainer. I just hope that Sony picks up the pace on this.
The biggest detail from all of this is the confirmation that PS4 will receive a price cut this year. While there’s been plenty of talk about a price cut coming to PS4, it’s been just that – talk. This is the first time we’ve been able to point to a price cut from Sony’s own internal documents. With Sony being able to reduce costs on PS4 hardware, they’ll be able to reduce the console’s price without taking a direct hit. You could make the argument that with reduced hardware costs, Sony could sit at their current price point and enjoy a greater profit margin on each unit sold, but the next item on the list will likely require the price cut. With that, if I were a betting man, I’d say with E3 right around a corner, we could see the PS4 officially drop to $349.
Finally, it seems like Morpheus, the VR headset from PlayStation, will make its debut sometime in the first half of 2016. It’s unclear how much Morpheus will cost, but chances are that it won’t be cheap. I’d be surprised if it sells for anything less than $300. Even if Sony could drop the price to $200, Morpheus still requires the PS4 in order to be operated. With the PS4 receiving a price cut this year, Sony will be able to expand the base of those who could use Morpheus bt lowering the total price of ownership for the entire experience.
Discuss:
Do you think PS4 will receive a price cut at E3 or closer towards the holiday season?
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