Sony has announced that the PlayStation 4 will go on sale in Japan on February 22nd, 2014. A special day-one edition of the console includes downloadable copy of Knack and an enhanced warranty. The basic set will run customers 41,979 yen (like $425) without a camera, or they can get it bundled with a camera for 46,179 yen (around $465).
According to Sony, the date was chosen to ensure that a certain amount of software can be ready. The plan is for some homegrown games to be available as well as a variety of Western imports, which have been doing well of late.
I’d suspect the real reason, however, is so that Sony can have as many systems in North America and Europe as possible during the November/December purchase rush. In Japan, consoles in general haven’t been doing as well as handhelds. The PS4 may indeed end up doing very well, but it will presumably be a much bigger deal in NA and EU. Furthermore, there is no real competition in Japan. The Xbox One will be dead on arrival, and the Wii-U is selling as badly as…the Wii-U. There is no urgent need for Sony to step on the gas and slam the PS4 into the Japanese market, and therefore, it’s easy to see why the system will be skipping the 2013 holiday season in its homeland.
