When Microsoft and Sony went head-to-head promoting their new consoles at last year's E3 gaming conference, there was rampant speculation as to how much Xbox One and PlayStation 4 would cost. Microsoft ended up pricing its console at $499, while Sony came in at $399 – a fact the latter company's executives were extremely excited about.
In a new article, ArsTechnica reveals that Sony executives were celebrating the price difference at last year's E3 when preparing for their own press conference. Microsoft, which held its press conference before Sony's, had announced its $499 price at the end of its show, much to the delight of the PlayStation company's executives. At this year's E3, Scott Rohde, software product development head at Sony Worldwide Studios America, told ArsTechnica just how excited his company was for Microsoft's announcement, saying he remembers "exactly where I was."
"We had a feeling they were going to come in at $499, but we weren't sure," he said. "So yeah, we were dancing in the aisles and high-fiving. It was great. Anyone that came in on an interview, it didn't matter what the question was, I could always just answer it with $399. It was the answer to every question."
The price difference paid off for Sony, as the PlayStation 4 has taken a significant lead over the Xbox One in both U.S. and worldwide sales despite similar review scores for the two consoles.
Microsoft's recent difficulties competing against the PlayStation 4 may change soon, however, as the company just began selling a version of the Xbox One for $399 without the previously bundled Kinect sensor. Its decision to bundle Kinect led to complaints that the sensor wasn't worth the addition cost, especially since Microsoft failed to release any first-party games that made significant use of it at the console's launch.
Regarding Microsoft's decision to sell the new bundle without Kinect, Rohde told ArsTechnica that Sony figured it was only a matter of time before that happened.
"I think that, to be truthful, we always assumed that eventually they'd have to release a SKU without a camera," he said. "So we were waiting for it to a degree, and we were ready for it."
Source: ArsTechnica | Images via Microsoft and Sony
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