The price of the next PlayStation may be set at $400, based on a rumored price reported by Japanese news service Asahi.
With Sony's presumed unveiling of the PS4 less than two weeks away, rumors regarding every aspect of the next-gen console have been running rampant. Asahi is reporting that the PS4 simultaineously in Japan and North America and will cost ¥40,000, or approximately $425 USD. As Kotaku points out, the prices of games and gaming hardware in Japan and North America are rarely an exact match. Assuming Asahi's information is correct, the PS4 will likely cost $400 in the US.
The report matches past rumors suggesting that the PS4 will launch in North America and Japan in late 2013, followed by a European launch in early 2014.
Sony's aggressive pricing of the PS3 is widely considered to be one the primary reasons for the console's early sales struggle. When the PS3 first hit stores in 2006, the two models were priced at $500 and $600 respectively. In today's greater electronics market, pricing a gaming console to compete with tablets like the iPad would make such a high price even less palatable then it was for Sony's last home console.
Will Sony reveal the price of the "PS4" at their mysterious New York press conference this month? Tell us what you think in the comments!