What We Didn't Learn
Despite the wealth of information that Sony and their partners provided about the new system over the course of two hours, there were some key information missing from their assorted speeches. Firstly, nothing was said about the price of the system. Much speculation has occurred this week over how much the PS4 will cost, with many media outlets suggesting that it could be as little as £300, which seems somewhat unrealistic given the technology involved, particularly as the PS3 was £425 upon its initial release six years ago, and Sony made a loss on each console sold. The high price harmed Sony's market share, however, with many criticising the price despite the inclusion of a then-revolutionary Blu-Ray player, so they may price the PS4 low in an attempt to penetrate the market quickly, recouping their losses with the sale of hardware and games. Finally, on the topic of games, nothing was mentioned about the second-hand market, which Sony and their competitors are known to hate due to the fact that they may no money on the sale of pre-owned goods. Microsoft has already announced that games will be locked to one console on the new Xbox, so Sony could've scored a major coup by announcing that they would not do the same thing with the PS4, but their silence on the matter would suggest otherwise. Sadly, such greed may adversely affect the market, as many people cannot afford new games in the £40-£60 price range in the current economic climate, and retailers such as Game (already in huge trouble after the events of last year), rely on selling pre-owned games to survive. This ends things on a somewhat sour note, but there you have it - two hours of press conference brought to you in four pages of text as we prepare to enter an exciting new era of gaming. Feel free to discuss all developments in the comments section below.