PlayStation 4 to Launch at $399 with No Used Game Restrictions

[Shawn Zipay]

During tonight's Sony E3 2013 conference, Sony announced that the PlayStation 4 will launch this Holiday season for $399. That price, for those keeping track at home, is $100 cheaper than the $499 planned launch price of the Xbox One.

PlayStation Plus is a requirement for playing the PlayStation 4 online. Though it is priced at less than $5 per month for the service, it is quite a bit cheaper than Xbox Live Gold subscriptions. PlayStation Plus also includes a free PlayStation 4 title every month in addition to the handful of free PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita games that the service currently offers subscribers every month.

PlayStation Plus will also include early access to game betas and demos in addition to special offers. Most all of this is in stark contrast to what Xbox Live Gold membership requires.

Sony has also confirmed that there are going to be zero restrictions on used games for the PlayStation 4. This is also in direct contrast to what Microsoft is planning for the Xbox One, with their highly restrictive used game stance. PlayStation 4 will also have no need to ever "phone home" once every 24 hours, while the Xbox One does.

Their cloud gaming service, powered by Gaikai will allow PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 owners to download and stream older PlayStation titles, including PlayStation 3 titles as a form of backwards compatibility.

[jimykx]

I'm even considering getting a ps3 after I build my desktop.