PS4 vs Xbox One: Sony Cut Their Camera to Beat Microsoft's Price

Sony already had the edge going into E3, but what really sealed the deal for them was the announcement of a $399 launch price. A full $100 less than the Xbox One, the PlayStation 4 received a near-standing ovation during Sony's E3 press conference. New info has recently come to light though that this price tag wasn't always the plan.

According to multiple sources, Sony maneuvered to undercut the Xbox One's E3 showing in the months leading up to E3. Apparently the original price of the PS4 was set at $499, but once Sony found out about Microsoft's plan, it looked for ways to beat that price. To make that $399 figure, Sony ended up unbundling the camera add-on from their console, allowing them to trim $100 off of the launch price.

The reason we didn't hear about this prior to E3 is that Sony made every effort to keep this a secret from Microsoft. It informed its retail partners of the camera decision, but did not disclose the fact that they were cutting the price of the overall package.

This made for a very exciting announcement at E3, but unfortunately all of this corporate warfare has its downsides. By requiring the inclusion of the Kinect with every Xbox One, Microsoft is guaranteeing that players will have access to one. It's an easy idea to scoff at, but it means that developers can count on that feature, and thus, will be exponentially more likely to develop functionality for it in a creative and organic way.

Sony on the other hand has basically doomed the PlayStation camera to exist as a novelty peripheral. Developers will now be much more wary about including camera features for PlayStation 4 games, knowing full well that they'll only be seen by a small subsection of the consumer base. It's interesting to note that out of the 40+ PlayStation games showcased at E3, not a single one of the PS4 titles used the console's camera.

It's a trade-off that Sony willingly took. The big question though is if the pre-order sales boost the company has seen will be worth it in the long run, or if Microsoft's far-reaching strategy will prove to be the winner in the end.