In today’s Sun newspaper, Sony President Andrew House is reportedly quoted as saying the PlayStation 4 will be released in October. The story, picked up online by CramGaming
Whilst Sony hasn’t even revealed what the PS4 looks like, it seems there’s much speculation as to when the console will go on sale and how much it will cost. Obviously, E3 this year will likely be telling as Sony brings out its Playstation tour de force, but until then there’s nothing but rumors and speculation to go by. However, UK national newspaper, The Sun has today presented an article (April 3rd edition page 36) about the appeal of the PS4 to women gamers, and suggests that the console will launch in October 2013 at a cost of £300.
“Brit Mr House (Andrew House) says the games console, due out in October, will feature a raft of new features to broaden its appeal beyond younger male gamers”.
Speaking to The Sun, House went on to say:
“We’re not going down the route of making the console pink of course…
“I think the key is to have people – and increasingly women – with different sensibilities creating different games. It is not all about shoot em up games.”
Normally, news from this source is taken with a grain of salt, yet unlike news from its weekend games section, this information comes from its business pages with direct quotes from Sony’s Andrew House which lends the comments a little more credibility. What’s more, the October release window has already been suggested by other sources, so it could actually be true. The only thing that dampens the date is whether gamers in Europe will see the PS4 in October, or is the window exclusively reserved for North American and Japanese markets.
Update: It has been suggested that Andrew House has not revealed the PS4 release month to The Sun newspaper, and their comment was added by the author of the piece (Daniel Jones) not as a direct quote from Andrew House.
and lots of others since, isn’t accurate in the way that some are reporting it.
According to the site, the newspaper (in its business section, no less) says that “Brit Mr House (Andrew House) says the games console, due out in October, will feature a raft of new features to broaden its appeal beyond younger male gamers”.
In case it’s not immediately clear, it’s not Andrew House saying the console is due in October – that’s the Sun journalist’s own claim. The article is online
Brit Mr House says the games console will feature a raft of new features to broaden its appeal beyond young male gamers.
, and the phrasing does not point to the words being those of the Sony President.
The PS4, believed to be coming out in October, is the Japanese giant’s first major console release in seven years and is seen as key to the future of the company.
Mr House told Sun City: “We are not going down the route of making the console pink of course.
“I think the key is to have people — and increasingly women — with different sensibilities creating different games. It is not all about shoot ’em up games.” Mr House, president and chief executive of Sony Computer Entertainment, also wants the PS4 to appeal more to families in general.
He reckons innovations on the console such as a new touchpad on the controller will help Sony tap into the market for worldwide hits such as Angry Birds.
This became a huge winner on smartphones and tablets largely because of its appeal to women.
He added: “The key is getting games developers — who are going to make the next Angry Birds — excited about the PS4. And they are.”
Mr House’s comments follow criticism that Sony was vague on many details of the new console when it was announced to the world in New York five weeks ago.
There was not even any hint to what it would look like or cost — although experts believe it could retail for about £300.
One area the new platform is believed to be hot on is online.
As well as catering better for multi-player gamers, the PS4 will contain features such as the one predicting which game you want to buy or rent next.
And PS4 games can be beamed to the display on Sony’s new handheld Vita device — and will be made compatible with future Sony smartphones and tablets.
Sony says there is plenty to keep traditional male gamers happy — and investors too — with the share price rising on news of the new console.
, and the phrasing does not point to the words being those of the Sony President.
We’re awaiting an official response from SCEE.
The Sun does quote House as saying that the company isn’t “going down the route of making the console pink of course” with reference to appealing to a wider audience.
“I think the key is to have people – and increasingly women – with different sensibilities creating different games. It is not all about shoot em up games… The key is getting games developers – who are going to make the next Angry Birds – excited about the PS4. And they are,” House said.
The only date currently supplied by Sony for the launch is “Holiday 2013″.
