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The PS4 £349 ($399) price point has quelled any notion that the console market is on its way out in favour of smartphones and tablets, says Sony’s Jack Tretton.
Speaking to AllThingsD, the SCEA CEO said that while people outside of gaming believed mobile was set to take over consoles, he felt Sony had now challenged that perception by coming in at a more affordable and competitive price point.
“The one thing I think our announcement did was quell any notion that the console was on its way out, which is what people who aren’t really into gaming think is happening,” said Tretton.
“Turn to anyone, any of the gamers here in this crowd [at E3] and ask them if they’re turning to smartphones and tablets over consoles. And then run.”
On undercutting its Microsoft’s Xbox One console, which will cost £430 ($500), Tretton said the electronics giant would have gone in at that price regardless of Microsoft’s strategy.
He went on to say that being at a price premium was a challenge for any company, and that Sony hadn’t enjoyed being at the higher end of it. He added that being at a lower price point also doesn’t mean the PS4 won’t be discounted in future.
“I think if you look at every generation of hardware back to Pong, as the install base grows and the manufacturing price comes down, the price comes down,” said Tretton.
“And so, while I can’t guarantee that’s going to happen down the road, if it didn’t, that would be the first time that’s happened. And at the same time, the machines progress. They actually get better than they are at day one.”
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