The PS4 launch price is a statement of intent on how focused Sony has become, the CEO of Professor Layton studio Level-5 has said.

Akihiro Hino told Japanese magazine Famitsu that the PS4 RRP was "the number-one surprise of E3".

"I think anyone can look at that and think this is cheap! Putting cutting-edge PC specs into a game machine that costs just a few hundred dollars really brings across how serious SCE is about this generation," he said (via Polygon).

During its E3 press conference in June, Sony confirmed a Christmas PS4 release date in Europe and the US and a PS4 price of £349 / €399 / $399, undercutting the Xbox One price by $100. The PS4 price is also some $200 cheaper than the original PS3 RRP.

Hino, whose studio is working on an unannounced, 'network-focused' PS4 title (which some speculate is Ni no Kuni 2), also complimented Microsoft for its Xbox One price.

"I think the Xbox One is pretty cheap considering what you get with it as well, but with this PS4 price point, they'll have to do something to oppose that."

In June, Microsoft's former chief executive Don Mattrick defended the Xbox One price by claiming the corporation is "over-delivering value against other choices".

The Xbox One will launch at £429 in the UK and $499 in the US, and comes bundled with the next-generation Kinect sensor. Sony, meanwhile, is believed to have removed the PS4 camera from its release day bundle to keep the PS4 RRP far below Microsoft's.

Meanwhile, Capcom producer Motohide Eshiro also spoke with Famitsu about E3 and the state of the industry. Though he said new consoles were exciting to witness, he remarked that western developers "showed off a lot of FPSes and third-person shooters that pursued photorealism and endless detail".

"As for the gameplay, I felt there wasn't much innovative," he added.

Posted: Jul 18, 2013 5:27 am
Related Forum: PlayStation Forum

Source: http://www.computerandvideogames.com/419570/ps4-price-shows-sony-is-serious-says-level-5-boss/