Even though it’s already been discussed that Sony made the PlayStation Eye camera a separate purchase in order to stick to the $399 price point, this wasn’t done in order to compete with the Xbox One.
Speaking to TechRadar, VP & Managing Director at SCE UK and Ireland Fergal Gara denied removing the camera for competition’s sake because “we couldn’t possibly have known what the Xbox was going to cost.”
Gara did explain what went into the decision however. “What I’ll say is, lots of ideas were considered you know, lots of different combinations and of course price was I think fairly clear from a very long time out but you know everything about PS4 is about giving gamers choice.
“So if you don’t want a camera you don’t have to have a camera. If you want to trade in games, you can trade in games. So there’s been nothing in the whole proposition that is overly restrictive and I think the reaction has proved that people value that.”
Each PS4 comes bundled with The PlayRoom for free though, with the PS Eye being a separate $60 purchase. Regardless of whether consumers go for it or not, the incentive is definitely there.
