The Sony Playstation 4 was originally due to launch in January but was delayed due to unknown reasons (basically China govt tried to get Sony to region lock the console).
The official launch of the console today alongside PS Vita makes Sony the second foreign company in the Chinese market after Microsoft which launched its Xbox One in September. Gaming consoles brought into China’s mainland through unofficial channels were already widely available online and at the country’s many electronics markets. Please note that grey market sales for the PS4 are already higher than official sales and grey market sales for all video games consoles usually account for ~2m sales per year.
At a Sony store in downtown Shanghai, around 50 people queued to enter by small groups and buy consoles, games and the hand-held PlayStation Vita. First in line was Alex Liu, a 21-year-old college student who spent 4,900 yuan ($792) on the console, a game called Dynasty Warriors, and a handheld PlayStation Vita. Liu said he already spent more than 10,000 yuan on foreign versions of the console and games, including most of the six titles released in China. Still, he wanted the Chinese versions.
“I believe in the future of PS4 in China,” Liu said. “I came to support Sony so they can bring more games next year and the year after. Online games can never meet all of our needs.”
Cao Jiajun, who lined up at Sony’s store in Shanghai today to buy PS4 game titles said:
“The games have actually become affordable to everyone here, because our spending power has increased,” the 23-year-old engineer said. “I’d like to have some firsthand experience in stores near my home.”
The PS4 will sell for 2,899 yuan and the handheld PlayStation Vita will cost 1,299 yuan, Sony said. That compares with about 2,400 yuan per capita disposable income for an average urban resident, according to government data.
The Sony PS4 is not entirely region locked either: it can’t download foreign games or log into foreign PSN accounts, but it can play foreign PS4 game discs, connect to foreign servers, add friends from anywhere on the globe, and download patches for games from overseas. Similarly, the global version of the console will allow players to log in to Chinese PSN accounts, play Chinese PSN games on disc, and download patches from the Chinese PSN servers. This is great news for those who wish to buy on the grey market. Whilst the Chinese version is not fully unlocked it is better than the situation with Xbox One and will be seen by many as an edge over competitor consoles.
PlayStation Plus will be available with limitations in China, said Takehito Soeda, who oversees PlayStation’s strategy in the country. He declined to elaborate or provide a price.
“PlayStation is first a gaming device, and that’s what we are focusing on for the launch,” Soeda said. “We are also considering opportunities when it comes to social networks popular with Chinese users. Video services require a bit more study because that’s a tightly controlled area.” Sony have said they will be working with a number of local developers to bring online based games to PS4. One such game is King of Wushu.
Still, please bear in mind that console market in China is tiny compared to PC/Mobile.
The official launch of the console today alongside PS Vita makes Sony the second foreign company in the Chinese market after Microsoft which launched its Xbox One in September. Gaming consoles brought into China’s mainland through unofficial channels were already widely available online and at the country’s many electronics markets. Please note that grey market sales for the PS4 are already higher than official sales and grey market sales for all video games consoles usually account for ~2m sales per year.
At a Sony store in downtown Shanghai, around 50 people queued to enter by small groups and buy consoles, games and the hand-held PlayStation Vita. First in line was Alex Liu, a 21-year-old college student who spent 4,900 yuan ($792) on the console, a game called Dynasty Warriors, and a handheld PlayStation Vita. Liu said he already spent more than 10,000 yuan on foreign versions of the console and games, including most of the six titles released in China. Still, he wanted the Chinese versions.
“I believe in the future of PS4 in China,” Liu said. “I came to support Sony so they can bring more games next year and the year after. Online games can never meet all of our needs.”
Cao Jiajun, who lined up at Sony’s store in Shanghai today to buy PS4 game titles said:
“The games have actually become affordable to everyone here, because our spending power has increased,” the 23-year-old engineer said. “I’d like to have some firsthand experience in stores near my home.”
The PS4 will sell for 2,899 yuan and the handheld PlayStation Vita will cost 1,299 yuan, Sony said. That compares with about 2,400 yuan per capita disposable income for an average urban resident, according to government data.
The Sony PS4 is not entirely region locked either: it can’t download foreign games or log into foreign PSN accounts, but it can play foreign PS4 game discs, connect to foreign servers, add friends from anywhere on the globe, and download patches for games from overseas. Similarly, the global version of the console will allow players to log in to Chinese PSN accounts, play Chinese PSN games on disc, and download patches from the Chinese PSN servers. This is great news for those who wish to buy on the grey market. Whilst the Chinese version is not fully unlocked it is better than the situation with Xbox One and will be seen by many as an edge over competitor consoles.
PlayStation Plus will be available with limitations in China, said Takehito Soeda, who oversees PlayStation’s strategy in the country. He declined to elaborate or provide a price.
“PlayStation is first a gaming device, and that’s what we are focusing on for the launch,” Soeda said. “We are also considering opportunities when it comes to social networks popular with Chinese users. Video services require a bit more study because that’s a tightly controlled area.” Sony have said they will be working with a number of local developers to bring online based games to PS4. One such game is King of Wushu.
Still, please bear in mind that console market in China is tiny compared to PC/Mobile.
