Sony showed a lot of things at their big PS4 reveal Wednesday, but the company failed to touch on the issue of cost. As a result, retailers are making their own guesses.
GameStop's EB Games Australia has started taking pre-orders for the console, with a staggering $899 placeholder price. That's a significantly higher figure than the rumored $400, but it's not as crazy as you might think: Australian prices tend to be considerably higher than other regions.
The 60GB PS3 went for $999 in Australia when it debuted, as opposed to its $599 price tag in North America. Though the figure seems high, it's still a lower figure than when the PS3 hit shelves, which fits with rumors.
Even more surprising, the website prices PS4 games between $118 and $120 each. Retailers are wont to put up products with placeholder detailers for the sake of exposure: Most of the time, they simply fudge a game's release date. In this case, they're making the next-gen console seem astronomically expensive. Comforting though it may be to know you should start saving your pennies to ensure the new console will be within your grasp, don't draw up a pie chart for your budget just yet. It's always best to wait for confirmation.
However, there's no indication yet of when Sony will give fans the magic number, or what it might be. The latest development in regards to cost was SCEA CEO Jack Tretton telling CNBC that the cost of the console is "designed with the game developer in mind and the consumer in mind." Tretton said game prices would run the gammut, ranging from $0.99 to the more traditional $60 range.
Tretton reminded viewers that "several key events between now and the launch date" are planned, and it's during these events that we stand our best chance at getting more information about the PS4.
