On Friday, Sony released the PlayStation 4 gaming system in the United States and Canada for $399. This is the first new gaming system to be released by the company in seven years, but Sony is desperate for better business after a disappointing loss in the most recent quarter. Following the loss, Sony’s shares dropped 11%.
Before dawn on Thursday morning, some people were starting to line up outside game stores, securing their spot for when the system would officially go on sale at midnight. “Later on tonight it’s going to be a lot worse, because that’s when all the people who got pre-orders are going to come down here,” said 14-year-old James Stewart, who arrived at the Game Stop store in Ocean City, MD around 4 a.m.
Microsoft will also be revealing a new Xbox system, Xbox One, in the next week, and the two companies will have to battle it out over the course of the holiday shopping season. The Xbox costs $100 dollars more than the PlayStation though, so many people are opting for the less expensive option. Other savvy shoppers have a different plan in mind though. “My plan is to buy the PlayStation, hopefully sell it for more than I paid – and then use that money to pay off the iPads I have on layaway for my kids,” said Jennifer Robbins in Fort Myers, Florida.
