Sony will roll out a new PlayStation 4 standard model and a high-end model in September in order to stimulate the demand for the best-selling video game console.
Insiders familiar with the matter pointed out that Sony targets both hard-core fans and casual users of its video game platform. Sony already took steps to create a community of users that could bring a constant stream of revenue via software downloads and subscriptions.
Another way in which Sony tries to convince customers to stay loyal to its platform is the introduction of non-game content, such as the cloud-based TV streaming service, PlayStation Vue.
On Sept. 7, Sony will hold a conference at the PlayStation Theater in New York.
Rumors have been circulating for a while about a premium variant of PlayStation 4, packed with superior graphics capabilities (read: 4K-ready). The company did not say whether this will imply a revamping of the standard model, but recent additional rumors seem to indicate it.
Damian Thong, an analyst with Macquarie Securities, notes that in his opinion the new standard model will bring a slimmer case and a more affordable price compared to the existing $350 device. He goes on to add that this proves Sony's strategy is updating, as the company's tradition used to be to release one console at a time.
Sony is not the only gaming company that looks to redesign its gaming platform. In June, Microsoft also made public that it is planning to deliver a smaller variant of its Xbox One flagship console. The company said that the new console will be called the Xbox One S.
Sony fans saw the PlayStation 4 console for the first time in 2013, and the OEM reports that north of 40 million units were sold globally. In comparison, Microsoft only shipped 20 million Xbox Ones since its debut in 2013. The Wii U from Nintendo ranks third in worldwide sales, with only 13 million devices sold since it rolled out in 2012.
Sony said earlier this year that it aims to sell 20 million additional PlayStation 4 units until March 2017.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the company reduced PlayStation 4 production in the wake of the September news conference. This caused a few important e-vendors in Japan, including Sony's official e-store, to report the PlayStation 4 as being out of stock.
It should be mentioned that the PlayStation 4 sold better in the United States than in its home country. In recent weeks, the console's success in Japan decelerated rapidly. Regardless, there is a big chance that the remaining stocks will be depleted soon to make room for the new variant of the PS4.
A major electronics store in Tokyo reports that both the white and the black PlayStation 4 models have been sold out, and adds that the store will not be getting a fresh supply as the item is out of the distribution channels.
An analyst at Ace Research Institute, Hideki Yasuda, affirms that the upcoming PlayStation 4 consoles are part of a larger scheme meant to smooth the way for the October introduction of the PlayStation VR, the company's proprietary virtual reality headset.
Are you excited about the prospect of having a much better PlayStation 4 in your living room? Let us know in the comments section below.
