14 DAY TRIAL // The better than expected sales of the PlayStation 4 home console are linked to the platform’s ability to attract more than the core gamer and deliver a range of entertainment experiences, according to the team at Sony in charge of the device.
Andre House, the chief executive officer and president of Sony Computer Entertainment, tells Eurogamer that “There's a primary reason to buy a PS4, which is great games. The second thing I definitely think has happened - it's certainly happening in Europe maybe more than elsewhere - is that much earlier in the platform's lifecycle, we are reaching a broader audience than just a core gamer.”
Both the Netflix and the Amazon video services are some of the most used applications on the new console, and Sony has plans to expand the range of television content that it is offering.
According to House, the entertainment content is more appealing to gamers in the United States and in Europe and is currently contributing to the less than stellar sales seen in Japan.
House adds, “If you look at the Japanese market, for a variety of reasons, you have not seen a dominant player in streaming services happen. You see an inherent conservatism around film and TV content holders that doesn't allow for the rise of these brand new services. I think that's another factor.”
The PlayStation 4 is at the moment selling for 399 dollars or Euro and is rumored to have delivered more than 9 million devices to fans all over the world.
At the same time, analysts are saying that the rival Xbox One is only just over the 6 million mark and Microsoft is seeking to boost its numbers by dropping the Kinect motion-tracking sensor from the core package and cutting its price by 100 dollars or Euro.
Sony has said that it is confident that its own device will be competitive in the long term, and rumors are suggesting that the company is getting ready to launch a number of solid bundles in time for the Christmas shopping season.
Meanwhile, the company is also experimenting with its Project Morpheus virtual reality headset and planning to unveil more exclusive PlayStation 4 titles.
Microsoft has countered by launching a range of television-like series on the Xbox One, and later in the year fans should get a first look at the Halo experience that’s being created by Steven Spielberg.