PlayStation 4: Is 12G Truly Necessary?
Technological advances in gaming show no signs of stopping. With that said, I understand the need for such things as RAM and storage space. In the case of the latter, if a video game console does not have enough of it, chances are that consumers are going to blow right past it. Seeing as how the upcoming PlayStation 4 will release later this year with an initial 500GB of storage, how compact is too compact?
While there have not been any announcements of this particular version reaching the States, Sony announced that it will release a 12GB version of the PS4 which will be sold at Future Shop, a retailer in Canada. In terms of price, it’s actually very attractive at a rate of $199.99, which should make parents happy come the holiday season. However, Mom’s attention is not going to be set on the storage so much as the spiffy price. Surprise, surprise: gamers want more space.
The idea of parents purchasing the console for their children is the only feasible one that I can think of. Why else would Sony release a version like this? If the company’s focus is on gamers, then it’s not going to matter much, if at all. The standard version of the PS4 is going to release at $399.99 but it won’t deter those who consider themselves hobbyists. You could even add a couple more hundreds to the price and they would probably still go for this as opposed to a model they will see as, in a word, barebones.
This story is actually very ironic from my perspective because it’s somewhat reminiscent of the Wii Mini. This version of the immensely popular Nintendo Wii was released last year on December 7th – except not only in Canada but Europe and the UK as well – and it had about only a fraction of the features the original had. Canadian customers could not use this system for backwards compatibility with Gamecube games, online play, or even reading off of SD cards. Then again, the Wii Mini sold 35,700 units during its first two months on the market, though whether or not this has anything to do with lack of consumer knowledge is anyone’s guess.
If Sony were to look into advertising this 12G PS4 to audiences outside of Canada, I don’t know how successful the attempts would be. The efforts of a reputation management company would dictate that the best deal attracts potential consumers. In comparison to the standard PS4, the 12G looks like it’s destined for clearance. You could make the argument that consumers can just as easily purchase inexpensive external hard drives online, clearing the space issue entirely. Seeing as how Sony has no plans on releasing this version elsewhere, an eye has to be kept on future sales charts in Canada.
I think you got the PS3 and PS4 mixed up. $199 is the price of the 12 GB Playstation 3 that Sony is releasing in some territories. There is no 12 GB Playstation 4 in the works. There is only one version of the PS4 coming out and that’s the 500GB version for $399.
One slight mistake in this article. Its not the ps4 thats getting a 12Gb version, but the ps3. Even the link you gave reports the ps3.
Are you sure? 12GB PS4? Not 12GB PS3? Coz Im pretty sure its PS3.
I think a 12Gb PS4 for $199.99 is truly magnificent, and here’s why:
The clueless will buy it (as you mentioned on the basis of price), those who are strapped for cash but still want a next-gen console will buy it (un/underemployed Millenials and the dying middle class), and true hobbyists, who are as smart with their cash as they are with computers will buy it, and just swap out the internal hard drive for a bigger one, or like you said, use an external.
If they had plans to release it in the States I would buy it so hard, but alas. However doing so, let’s say at launch even, it would dampen their profits, as only those who really want a big hard drive, with the extra cash, but who don’t have the know-how or desire to swap out a drive or use an external one, would buy the 500GB version.
However, I feel Sony is merely testing the waters with this bundle in certain markets; them doing it in Canada is a very good indication that they will probably release the 12GB option when the console is settled in and the 2nd wave of blows in the war comes. Microsoft is already poised to drop the price of the Xbone by selling the console by itself.
That having been said, either company firing that salvo at or even near launch would be doing so prematurely, and hurt each other over the next year, moreso Microsoft I think, since it reportedly costs just as much to make a Kinect as it does the console itself, so they are really pressed to make the console/Kinect combo a success. Sony on the other hand, would just see less returns on their investment, so it’d be wise for them to just release the console as is, let the technology grow for a year, then drop this bomb either next summer or around next holiday.
um you need to actually read the material your reporting on… its a 12GB version of the PS3 not the PS4