PS4 News: Japan Release Date Set for 2014, What Does it Mean for US Gamers?

The PlayStation 4 will be released out on Nov. 15 for gamers in North America, but in Japan, Sony's home country, gamers will have to wait until next year to get their hands on the next-gen console. The news comes from a report by IGN, which confirmed that the PlayStation 4 will launch on Feb. 22, 2014, and will cost 39,980 Yen, or about $401 as a basic model. A deluxe edition will come bundled with the PlayStation camera for 43,980 Yen or about $441, IGN added. A First Limited Pack with a hardware guarantee and a download code for Knack will also be available for users.

While Sony had revealed the release date of the Playstation 4 for North America and Europe during Gamescom in Germany in August, the company had yet to announce details about the console's launch in Japan, leading some gamers to grow concerned the console would be delayed in the country. That now appears to be the case, and Sony is citing the "The availability of content" as the reason the console will be delayed. This pretty much confirms that Sony is focusing more on Western markets initially and could be an indication of the overall health of the Japanese video game market. It should also be noted that the Xbox One will also have a delayed launch in Japan, though that is far less surprising considering the struggles each Microsoft console has had breaking into the Japanese market.

Sony looks to be trying to ensure that the PlayStation 4 has enough of a software library in Japan when the game is launched so that the console is able to succeed out of the gate. This may be due to the PlayStation 3's initial struggles in North America. U.S. Gamers apparently felt like there weren't enough games initially on the console to warrant purchase, and the PlayStation 3 had to overcome the stigma. With the PlayStation 4, Sony is looking to avoid these mistakes by including some big titles at launch on Nov. 15. With Western titles farther along than the games slated for Japan, this strategy makes sense.

While this news may disappoint Japanese gamers, this should not affect in America who preordered the console. The console will have over 50 games shown off at the Tokyo Game Show taking place from Sept. 19 to 22, so gamers will have a pretty good idea what to expect from the console's software launch window.