After more than two months of delay, the PS4 is finally launching in China on March 20. The announcement came from microblogging site PlayStation China.
It should be noted that Sony originally planned for a Jan. 11 launch of the PS4 in China. However, the company abruptly retracted its statement just three days prior to the scheduled launch without providing any reason behind the decision.
As previously reported by TechTimes, Sony said, "The official launch of PlayStation 4 will be delayed due to various reasons. The specific product launch date will be given in a separate notice."
Towards the end of February, the PS4 had a recorded sale of 20.2 million units worldwide. The console has so far been Sony's pillar of strength, helping the company overcome its struggle against unfruitful inventions like PlayStation Mobile.
The Microsoft Xbox One, the sole rival of the PS4 in China, landed on the mainland since last September, giving it a 6-month headstart to position itself in the market. As of November, the company has sold 10 million Xbox One units.
However, the rivalry between the two huge names in the gaming console industry may prove to be a little tricky on the eastern side of the competition. For one thing, both consoles will be under non-competing distributors. This means there will be less pressure on the retailing of both units.
According to Lisa Hanson, an analyst with Niko Partners, China-sold consoles such as the PS4 and Xbox One "are ultimately distributed by the same company, Shanghai Media Group (SMG), which is 50 percent owned by the government."
Sony has partnered with the Shanghai Oriental Pearl Group, a company owned by SMG, which will handle the distribution of the PS4 in China. Another SMG subsidiary, BesTV New Media, is said to be the distributor of the Xbox One.
It remains to be seen whether Sony will hold onto its original pricing scheme now that its console is finally launching in China. It was reported that Sony will retail the PlayStation 4 at the price of $468. The PlayStation Vita will then be sold at around $200.
Sony has also announced that there are six titles that will be initially available for the PS4 in China. One of the included games is Dynasty Warriors 8.
"The games lineup at launch appears thin and not particularly compelling," said analyst Lewis Ward of IDC. "Some of the games are already available on other platforms and the price of PS4 game discs is high given the standard of living in China."
There may be other issues along the way, but at least the PS4 is finally landing in China on March 20. There could be "surprise" announcements as the date nears, such as added titles, new pricing and more.
Photo: Ninac26 | Flickr
