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China lifted its 13 year long console ban back in January and as a result, console makers are preparing to capture the market. Microsoft has already announced that it will be launching the Xbox One in China sometime in September but Sony might not be far behind as it is also preparing for a Chinese launch. Nintendo is also working on a custom Wii U for the country.
Sony's plans were revealed by documents filed with the Shanghai stock exchange, which show that the company has worked out some deals with Shanghai based companies to sell Playstation hardware and software. Sony commented on China's lifting of the console ban in January but didn't give much away, a company rep simply called China “a promising market.”
Sony is still tight lipped on its plans for China, we don't know if the company will be bringing the PS4 to Shanghai to battle it out with the Xbox One directly or if it will be creating its own custom console, which would remain exclusive to China- similar to what Nintendo is doing with the Wii U.
Engadget noted that Sony's announcement did state that it would “introduce quality, healthy games that are suitable to China's national conditions and the preferences of domestic players, as according to the relevant government policies.” China still has strict laws on what can be shown on a video game so it should be expected that the software side of things will be tailored to comply with the country's laws.
China has been without consoles for over a decade so there is no telling just how successful the Wii U, Xbox One or PS4 will be. However, considering that the country is still an emerging market, price will play a big factor, as will the selection of games available that comply with local laws.
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KitGuru Says: The lifting of the console ban and the subsequent launch of the Wii U, Xbox One and PS4 in China, will likely give all three companies a financial boost. It will be interesting to see which console grabs the Chinese market more with its strict policies. I think Nintendo's kid friendly approach could actually give it an edge over there. What do you guys think?
