Negative response to Xbox One helped shape PlayStation 4's marketing strategy

Ever since the controversy surrounding the Xbox One and its previous DRM and used game policies came to light, Sony has played the PR game quite well. According to Polygon , Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida told Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu that the negative response to the Xbox One was a great source for the company’s PlayStation 4 marketing decisions.

“There were lots of people who gave their opinions on that issue to my Twitter account before E3,” Yoshida told Famitsu magazine this week. “It’s not that our hardware policies are decided strictly based on user reaction like this, but when we were thinking about what we had to bring across and how to bring it across, it was a very useful source.”

The new console war has started before the consoles even hit stores

Sony also got praised for the pricing of its next-gen console by pricing it at $399—a full $100 lower than the Xbox One’s $499 price tag. This has made a lot of gamers decide to wait for a month for the PlayStation 4’s launch rather than going in for the Xbox One. Here in India, however, the PlayStation 4 will be taking a definite lead in terms of sale thanks to the recent revelation that the console will be making its way here this year itself . The Xbox One, by comparison, won’t be seeing a release in India before late 2014.

Just recently, Indian game retailer Game4u has started taking pre-orders for the PlayStation 4 . The console can be pre-ordered from either Game4u’s brick-and-mortar stores or from the company’s website.

To pre-order, those interested will have to pay Rs 3,000. Once the console is launched in the country, those who have booked the console can pick it up and pay the remainder of the cost. The company does point out on its PlayStation 4 page, however, that Sony hasn’t yet announced a release date or price for the console in India.