Sony's outdoing of Microsoft came ahead of its release as sources say the PlayStation 4 (PS4) had dropped its camera, once called the PlayStation Eye, to price its latest console cheaper than the Microsoft Xbox One by $100, USA Today reports.
According to the report, Sony opted out of including the PS4 Eye into the package to reduce its pricing by $100 from its original price of $499 -- the same price tag the Xbox One has in stores. Sony sneakily told its competitor of the removal of the feature without announcing that it had also significantly lowered the price by doing so.
But this move by Sony may backfire, here are a number of reasons why:
1. The PS4 Eye's exclusion from the console package reduces the camera device's necessity into being obsolete even before it is released into the market. With buyers of the PS4 no longer becoming captive consumers of the PS4 Eye, there is a chance they will no longer feel compelled to be buyers of the accessory.
2. USA Today also notes that the exclusion leads to the reduction of the PS4's supposed innovation of the DualShock 4 controller, which requires the Eye to work its LED Move tracker much like the built-in Kinect on the Xbox One.
3. This recent development has also given the Xbox One a fighting chance against the PS4 by assuring all its players an already-included built-in camera with its Kinect despite the huge price difference.
4. From a developer's point of view, the Kinect integration will be seen as a bonus than a hassle for them, as all users will be sure owners of the motion-detecting and voice-sensing hardware, which developers can integrate into the game designs.
The review sees the PS4 as a possible 10-year console, which is not bad for a console series that has survived decades, even existing beyond the early incarnations of the Xbox. As USA Today writes, "The device was little more than a footnote at the console's debut in February and of the more than 40 demos Sony showcased at E3, Drive Club and a tech demo Playroom were the only PlayStation 4 titles that were camera-enabled."
However, PS4 is doing very well so far in terms of sales. With the dropping of the camera, it has assured its own lead on shelves. The longer-term effects of owning a PS4 has yet to be known.