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PS4 Launch Date: November 15th
Today Sony announced the official release dates of the PlayStation 4 console: November 15 in North America and November 29 in Europe. From the article:
"The system will be available for $399/€399/£349 in 32 countries by the end of the year, the company said. The date comes just days before the Black Friday post-Thanksgiving sales, but given the strong pre-order interest for the system already, the PS4 might be hard to find on store shelves in the days after it drops. Sony revealed that one million PS4 systems have already been pre-ordered worldwide. The company notably did not mention a release date or price point for the system's launch in its native Japan."
There are quite a few US states that have no sales tax at all, so that explanation doesn't quite work. If I wanted the PS4, I can swing past a store in New Hampshire and pick it up for exactly its $399 price tag, no additional taxes.
Then, of course, being the fine upstanding citizen you are, you dutifully pay the sales tax due in your home state on goods purchased outside the state, so that difference probably evaporates. Oh, wait, no one does that. Never mind...
There are other more reasonable reasons why hardware may cost more in the EU than USA. For example, in USA, hardware typically only comes with a 6 months warranty. In Europe, your consumer protection is much much better; for example, it is not limited to month or even 1 year, but can be over a reasonable lifetime of the product, which maybe 3-4 years. Many consumer do not understand this and take out additional insurance covers which are usually unnecessary.
This year for sure, right?
I'm just dying to replace my Eyefinity setup, eight cores, dual-Radeon HD7950, Cherry MX mechanical keyboard, gigabit ether, gaming mouse and 7.1 surround sound with an...iPad.
I'll get right on that. What I'm really looking for is a platform where I can only play games that Apple Corp has approved.
You are welcome on my lawn.