A lot of rumors have been swirling around lately regarding Sony’s next console. The most recent one that has been going around over the last day or so is that a new patent could result in the PlayStation 4 blocking used games. Depending on who you are this could be terrible news, but for many there are other rumors that should probably draw more concern.
The main one is the rumor that the PlayStation 4 could clock in at $500 (or more) when it first releases at retail. If this ends up being true, and Microsoft can manage to have the Xbox 720 retail for noticeably cheaper, Sony may find itself in a similar position as it was during this console generation. Gamers are still fairly price conscious, and it remains to be seen if a $500 console will be viable in the current market.
When it is all said and done, the average gamer would likely need to spend over $600 just to feel like they could go home and experience the console properly if it is to be assumed that the console will not be bundled with a game or more than one controller (here’s to hoping for controller backward compatibility?). That is a lot of money, and some may not even feel that is enough and have to spend more.
What Sony does have going for it though that it didn’t at the beginning of this generation is its vastly improved first-party title catalog. Strong new franchises like "Uncharted" and "inFAMOUS" that were unproven when the PlayStation 3 launched can now be system sellers when it comes to the PlayStation 4. Even so, that will only take Sony so far. Sure diehard fans will likely eat the console up, but what about those on the fence?
This is all conjecture at this point as a lot remains to be seen, and until the hard facts come out about both consoles the Xbox 720 could end up retailing for even more than the PlayStation 4 for all anyone knows, but Sony can’t afford to offer a similar experience for more money, much less one that is worse (for those that are big on used games if that rumor ends up being true). Sony has to have a significantly more enticing console than its competitors if it wants to justify what could be a high price tag.
With only a few months to go before what is likely to be the PlayStation 4’s reveal things will begin to clear up soon, and hopefully the details on the Xbox 720 will follow close behind, but for now feel free to weigh in. Does the potential price tag concern you, or are you more concerned about used games potentially being blocked? Do you not care about either? Are you just impatiently waiting for the PlayStation 4 to release so you can immediately go buy it? Let me know.
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