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 7^th – 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.