An online spy who goes by the name of "Robert" has picked up a leaked Sony document revealing a great discount for the PlayStation 4, worth $50, and another discount for PS Vita, worth $110, according to the website WholesomeGamer.
The leaked documents claim that Sony is running a promotional event from May 14 to June 10 titled the "Olli Olli Boosted Board Sweepstakes" at the Sony Retail Loyalty website. The event runs every Wednesday, and Sony is granting a PS Vita, a PlayStation 4 and two additional prizes.
Robert noticed that the doc, apart from enumerating the prizes, lists the approximate retail value (ARV) of the items. The ARV is usually the regular price that official retail stores or online resellers use for selling the items. United States law obliges sponsors of promotions to release certain information about the sweepstakes, such as prizes awarded, odds of winning, and ARV of each prize.
The suggested retail price of a PlayStation 4 console without any bundled game is $399 but, based on the document, the ARV is only $349 per unit. The handheld PS Vita retails for $199 at Best Buy, but it only costs $89, according to the leaked document.
Fry's Electronics apparently is making one of the rumored prices true as it is now seen selling its PS4 gaming unit, which includes the system and one controller, for a very near $349.99 with a note of "while supplies last."
However, the PS Vita pricing on Fry's does not match the reported list. While the system is on sale for a discounted price of $169.99, the 15 percent savings is still far from the leaked gaming console price.
The Sony Retail Loyalty website is a union of certified distributors of Sony products in North America. While Sony has not yet made any direct announcements of the discounted prices, retailers are usually reliable when it comes to the veracity of leaked information. The company would likely confirm the official price cut during Sony's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) on June 16 to 18 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in California.
Meanwhile, the Japan-based company is busy assembling Project Morpheus, the virtual reality platform for PlayStation. Sony has posted a job advertisement on its PS web page hunting for various skilled employees, including game designers and character animators, to operate under the Sony's exclusive virtual reality studio.
Sony will be opening an innovative studio in Manchester, England, according to reports. The building will focus on the company's virtual reality platform to counter Facebook's upcoming Oculus Rift.
Photo: Sergey Galyonkin | Flickr
