Sony delays PS4 in China
Sony put the brakes on the PlayStation 4's date with China, after delaying sales of the system just days ahead of its scheduled January 11 launch. In a statement provided to Reuters, the company said it was holding the PS4 back due to "various factors," and that a new date was yet to be decided. Additionally, Sony Computer Entertainment spokeswoman Kaede Bun told Bloomberg, "The [Chinese] government asked us for final adjustments, which will take some time, so we decided to delay the launch date."
The PS4 was due to finally launch in China this week, after the country lifted its 14-year ban on consoles just over a year to the day. It's unclear from this morning's reports if the Vita, which was also due to launch on January 11, is to receive a similar delay.
Sony announced the PS4 and Vita's launch dates last month, with the console retailing at 2,899 RMB (around $467) and the handheld's "Slim" PCH-2000 model at 1,299 RMB ($209). The company's filings had indicated plans to ship 200,000 PS4s to China's store shelves.
Sony may take some encouragement from Microsoft's Chinese travails. The Xbox One encountered an ominous-sounding delay in September 2014, again just three days ahead of the intended launch. At the time of the delay, Microsoft said its new launch window was "by the end" of the year. Then some nine days later, the Xbox One successfully hit retail with a reported 100,000 sales across its first week.
Today's news arrives hot on the heels of Sony's latest sales figures for the PS4. According to the company's estimates, the system surpassed 18.5 million sales worldwide, with a sizable 4.1 million of those occurring during the holiday season.
