PS4 price: Sony reportedly considering £300

Sony is reportedly considering a UK PlayStation 4 price of about £300.

That’s according to Murad Ahmed, technology reporter for UK broadsheet The Times, who cites information supposedly originating from industry insiders and leaked Sony documents.

He writes: “When Sony unveils its new PlayStation device this week, it will be far cheaper than many experts had expected — a price tag that, it is hoped, will lure millions of customers into buying its latest video games console.

“Industry sources and leaked internal documents suggest that Sony is considering pricing the new device at about £300, more than £100 cheaper than the starting cost of its predecessor, the PlayStation 3.”

Following up on Twitter, Ahmed said he expects the £300 cost to be local UK pricing, not a yen conversion. “The price at point of sale all taxes included,” he added. “My guess is they'll take the tax hit to get it at a more reasonable price in Europe. But that's pure speculation on my part.”

Contrary to previous reports, Ahmed expects Sony to have learnt from “past mistakes” and deliver a worldwide launch before Christmas, in addition to the cheaper price tag. PS3 released in March 2007 in Europe, four months after it hit the U.S. and Japan, with a UK launch price of £425.

Japanese national newspaper Asahi Shimbun claimed earlier this month that Sony has internally set the PS4 price above 40,000 yen (£278 / $430 at current exchange rates).

According to Wall Street Journal sources supposedly familiar with Sony’s plans, the platform holder intends to offer backwards compatibility on PS4 by using cloud gaming platform Gaikai to stream PS3 games to the new console.

Sony is expected to reveal PS4 at an event taking place this Wednesday February 20, which the company has teased will let gamers ”see the future". Check out our PlayStation 4 rumor roundup for all the latest leaks and speculation.