Sony on Wednesday said the latest version of its much-awaited game console – PlayStation4 (PS4), will be available for sale in the Indian market January 6 onwards and will be priced at Rs. 39,990.
The gaming console was launched internationally in November for $ 399 and has sold more than 2.1 million units.
"After a successful launch across the U.S. and European markets, we are putting in all our energy to introduce the PS4 to Indian consumers. India launch is happening ahead of introduction in the Japanese market, which speaks about our commitment to the market here," PlayStation India Country Head Atindriya Bose told reporters here.
PlayStation is quite popular in India with an estimated user base of about 1.8 million users across PS2, PS3 and PSPs.
The PS4 is powered by an eight-core AMD Jaguar CPU and features 500GB hard drive, 8GB of unified memory and built-in Blu Ray drive. It also features WiFi connectivity option, an Ethernet port, Bluetooth and two USB ports.
Asked about the pricing, Bose said the cost may appear steep but tax and duties alone constitute 35-38 per cent.
The Indian gaming console market is estimated to be worth Rs. 750 crore and Sony claims to have over 70 per cent share.
"Though I can't share exact sales targets, but we are confident of showing similar numbers as PS3 in the third year (of its sales)," he added.
The PS4 console would not include any pre-bundled games, but gaming enthusiasts can choose from a library of over 20 first and third-party games, including titles like Knack and Killzone: Shadow Fall, priced Rs. 2,500 onwards.
The PS4 system would include a DualShock4 wireless controller and integrates second screens, including the PlayStation Vita system (PS Vita), smartphones and tablets to connect gamers to the PlayStation ecosystem wherever they are.
Sony said the PlayStation camera will be retailed at Rs 4,990, while an additional PS4 controller would be available at Rs. 4,990.