Sony have announced that the Playstation 4 console is going to start shipping in December 2013 in Asia. It is limited to five countries – Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan, it is still two months before the launch in Japan, Sony's home country.
The console will be released first in North America, Australia, New Zealand and Europe – in November 2013.
Microsoft have said that the Xbox One will be released on November 22nd in 13 countries, but none of them are in Asia. The company have mentioned that the Xbox One should hit retail in Asia in late 2014. Sony will have a full year almost on Microsoft in this profitable region. Dedicated gamers will of course be able to import the console, but this can be costly, especially when factoring in custom charges.
Sony have also said that titles will be released in Chinese and Korean languages at launch which is important for those specific regions, many of whom don't speak English and would have to rely on subtitles otherwise. Watch Dogs will release with native language support shortly after the English language version.
Sony Computer Entertainment Japan Asia (SCEJA) deputy president Hiroyuki Oda said that Sony “decided to offer online multiplayer as part of the charged PS Plus service in order to deliver a more stable and smoother online feature.”
Kitguru says: If you currently are living in one of the Asia territories will you get the Playstation 4 or wait almost a year for the Xbox One?