Sony already has a clear advantage over Microsoft when it comes to the price of its next gen console. But details of a new
PS4bundle demosntrates Sony is set to really push up the value on offer if you choose to spend a bit more.
We already know PS4 bundles are coming, with
Amazon listing several game + PS Plus bundles on its US site without a price attached yet. But it’s
Amazon France that has revealed the best PS4 bundle so far. It includes the standard PS4 console with DualShock 4 controller, but adds a copy of
Killzone: Shadow Fall, an extra DualShock 4, and the PlayStation Camera. The price is set at 499.99 euros, which would probably equate to a $499.99 price tag in the US.
I predict it would be on a par with the
Xbox One launch price in the US because Microsoft’s console actually costs 499.99 euros in France. If it matches in Europe it’s going to match in the US, too.
As a value proposition it leaves Microsoft stumbling. Sony is offering a full game, camera, and extra controller for the same price as the Xbox One base console costs. How do you compete with that in marketing terms? How do you respond to questions about it? Microsoft could talk about the value of
Kinect in the box, but Sony is including the camera in this PS4 bundle which negates that argument somewhat.
Killer Instinct is a
generous demoinclusion, and
FIFA 14 is
only for Europe and only if you pre-order.
I genuinely think this poses a serious problem for Microsoft, and there’s every chance this isn’t the only launch day bundle Sony has planned, for example, a
similar Knack bundle has already been spotted. Even if it is, retailers may match it by applying a large discount if you decide to buy an extra controller, game, and the camera on launch day.
There’s also the question of when Microsoft will launch. It
won’t be before November 8, and could happen the same week as the PS4 launch. Whatever day it ends up being, come November 15 expect Sony’s in store presence to be full of bundle promotions that match or come in below the base price of the Xbox One.
