For PS4, $399 is the ‘magic price’

Whenever we hear an analyst predict a favored console in the Xbox One vs PS4 showdown there's one key difference they point out between the two systems: price. The Xbox One, releasing November 22, is priced at $499, while the PS4, releasing a week earlier on November 15, is a much more attractive $399. Executives on both sides claim the $100 difference in price won't alone determine a winner, but Sony is quite confident in the PS4's "magic price."

Speaking to Business Spectator, Sony's Masayasu Ito explained the original plan was to include a PlayStation Eye with every PlayStation 4 console, similar to what Microsoft is doing with the Kinect and Xbox One. However, to keep the PS4 priced more affordably at $399, and not suffer too much of a loss on hardware sales, Sony decided not to include the camera in a bundle. As it is, the PS4 is rumored to lose Sony about $60 per unit sold; the company hopes to recoup this loss through sales of peripherals, software, and services.

Unlike Microsoft, which feels the Kinect is an integral part of the Xbox One, Sony's own Andrew House doesn't believe the PlayStation Eye is a system-seller.

"Certainly for the earlier part of the lifecycle, the vast majority of the audience that we speak to tells us that their primary wish is for the full controller interface and there's not necessarily a huge emphasis being placed on camera interaction," House said. Having said that, he also expressed confidence that Sony could "adjust messaging" over the time should they decide to eventually bundle a PlayStation Eye with the PS4.

Is the PlayStation Eye peripheral a must-have for PS4 owners or do you prefer the magic price?