With the November release of the PlayStation 4 on the horizon, Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Jack Tretton is confident the launch of the next-generation console will indeed be monumental.
Speaking with Fox Business in an interview, Tretton says the numbers for console pre-orders continue to increase, going as far to ensure inventory is well stocked to last through the Nov. 15 launch and the holidays in general.
“We’re holding back some inventory to make sure that people would have an opportunity to buy one,” Tretton says. “…We can pre-sell every unit we can manufacture, and the good news, production yields have been phenomenal, and so this will be, by a magnitude of a lot, the biggest launch we’ve ever had.”
Although Tretton seemingly dodged the question in regards to revealing a definite number for PlayStation 4 pre-orders, he said his company was unable to release a concrete figure, only because “there’s so much pent-up demand for it that you could sell every one that you could create.”
Rival Microsoft’s Xbox One will also be released in November (specifically Nov. 22 in 13 markets), with a suggested retail price of $499. The PlayStation 4 will retail for $100 less than the Xbox One; the PlayStation Camera will be sold separately for $59. But even with those two items combined, the Xbox One remains quite expensive, and Tretton sees that as an advantage, for three main reasons: a powerful machine, a less expensive price point, and “the biggest, most diverse exclusive lineup of any platform ever launched.”
November is already shaping up to be an important month, as far as the console wars is concerned. Both Sony and Microsoft will launch its consoles, each vying for platform dominance. The PlayStation 4 hits stores on Nov. 15 in North America, and on Nov. 29 in Europe.
