Sony’s finally revealed a release date for its Playstation 4 in Japan, and it’s surprisingly late. The PS4 will release in Japan on February 22, 2014. It releases in North America on November 15th and November 29th in Europe, so the Japanese will be getting Sony‘s new console 3 months after the West. This is a surprising move that shows just how much the console landscape has shifted.
The console will come with some exclusive bundle options. One bundle will include the Playstation Camera for ¥43,980 (about $440), another bundle will come with a free downloadable copy of The Knack and a one year warranty extension if you pre-order.
While the norm recently is for consoles to release around the same time in Japan and Western countries, many of us can remember waiting for the latest systems and games to finally make their way across the Pacific. It’s kind of amazing how much things have changed, when a Japanese company like Sony releases its new console in the US first. But focusing on the larger markets of the US and Europe makes some financial sense. What’s most surprising is just how long the delay is. Sony will definitely lose some goodwill in its native country over this.
If I lived in Japan, I’d be pissed.
Sony announced the release date at the Tokyo Game Show, along with a redesigned PS Vita and some other cool stuff. The TGS is sort of like Japan’s E3 and there was a lot of anticipation for Sony’s announcements. The PS4 release date announcement was expected, but several predictions proved to be off the money – in particular the rumored VR headset for the PS4.