Sony has cut the price of the PlayStation 4 video game console to $350.
The $50 price cut was anticipated as Microsoft is also positioning for a price cut this fall on its competing Xbox One console.
Sony had priced its PS4 at $400 since the system’s launch in November 2013 in the U.S., going out at a price that was much cheaper than Microsoft’s competing $500 system. That enabled Sony to grab the No. 1 market share in this generation of video game consoles.
The price cut is effective in the U.S. on October 9 while the price in Canada will be reduced from 450 Canadian dollars to 430.
“Our goal at PlayStation has always been to offer the best place to play at a compelling value to gamers,” said Shawn Layden, the president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America, in an interview. “We’re continuing to deliver on that commitment with this new price for PS4, making the console even more accessible to a broader audience this holiday. With highly anticipated games like Call of Duty: Black Ops III and Star Wars Battlefront launching soon and blockbuster exclusives like Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End on the horizon, there has never been a better time to join the PS4 community.”
While Microsoft’s Kinect version of the Xbox One debuted in 2013 at $500, Microsoft offered a version without Kinect for $400 in June 2014, and then it cut the price to $350 for a temporary holiday deal in 2014. Then, in June 2015, Microsoft restored the $350 price on a permanent basis.
Sony also released the latest prices for its PS4 bundles as follows:
Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection PS4 Bundle (500GB HDD) – $349.99 USD / $429.99 CAD (MSRP); October 9, 2015
Limited Edition Call of Duty: Black Ops III PS4 Bundle (1TB HDD) – $429.99 USD / $499.99 CAD (MSRP); November 6, 2015
Limited Edition Disney Infinity 3.0: Star Wars PS4 Bundle (500GB HDD) – $399.99 USD / $469.99 CAD (MSRP); November 13, 2015
Limited Edition Star Wars Battlefront PS4 Bundle (500GB HDD) – $399.99 USD / $469.99 CAD (MSRP); November 17, 2015
Star Wars™ Battlefront PS4 Bundle (500GB HDD) – $349.99 USD / $429.99 CAD (MSRP); November 17, 2015
NHL 16 PS4 Bundle (500GB HDD) – $429.99 CAD (MSRP); Available now in Canada only