While we do tend to pay over the odds a lot of the time, the best thing about living in the UK – aside from fish and chips, of course – is that retailers will fight tooth and nail for your business. This results in a ridiculous number of loss leaders, where supermarkets and specialist chains will launch outrageous deals in order to drive foot traffic into their stores. It also means that prices drop incredibly fast, as various shops react to different promotions.
It’s no real surprise, then, to see a flurry of outfits reduce the price of the PlayStation 4 around the web today – even if it hasn’t technically received a price drop like the Xbox One. For those out of the loop, Microsoft confirmed yesterday that it will be selling its next-gen system for £329.99 in these parts moving forwards – and that includes bundles with some of its biggest games. But already, retailers are bringing Sony’s system down to the same price.
For example, on Amazon.co.uk right now, you can buy the Japanese giant’s best selling box for £329.00 alongside a copy of the upcoming FIFA 15. The online arm of HMV is offering an identical deal, albeit a few pennies more at £329.99. In fact, if you were particularly quick, you could have imported the soccer sim alongside one of the PlayStation maker’s slick new systems for just £313.00 from GameStop Ireland earlier in the week.
And it’s not just EA Sports’ footy franchise that’s getting in on the action. The British branch of GameStop is selling the console’s Watch Dogs bundle for £329.97, while Amazon (again) is currently out of stock on its Destiny package, which was, until very recently, also going for £329.00. It’s now being sold by a third-party seller at a premium – for £377.08 to be precise. Even GAME, a notoriously expensive outlet, has a bundle featuring FIFA 15 and The Last of Us Remastered for a reasonable £349.99.
The message, then, is that the market in the UK is heating up ahead of Christmas – and that means that console prices are dropping across the board. Microsoft may be making more of a deal out of its RRP reduction to £329.99, but it seems that Sony’s allowing retailers to go ahead and sell its system for the same price, too. While this is likely to increase sales for both manufacturers, the real winners here are consumers, who are going to get much more for much less money when they head to the shops.
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Comments 21
£300 bundle with a game is quickly becoming more likely day by day.
@Jazzer94 We'll definitely get there on Boxing Day - if not earlier.
@get2sammyb Yeah I can see that happening especially with MS becoming rather aggressive due to losing one of its best territories.
@Jazzer94 I'm still on the fence about Xbox one. It's not.blind fanboyism, I've tinkered with my brothers who swears a lot of improvements have made since launch, but asides from the media playback stuff, it still looks the same to me. So theres not much that's really wanting me to buy it. Although, Sunset Overdrive does look very fun...
It's definitely a good thing for all that ms is willing to fight for the UK, not sure they'll swing it any time soon if at all
Crikes - the 4th Xbone price cut in under a year!
I still see no reason to own one. I might take one if they were giving them away, and it would go straight on eBay.
I don't see any reason to own one and more reasons to own a WiiU, but that's just me. I kind of hope microsoft would do away with the damn Xbox division and concentrate on windows and business stuff, which is what they should be doing. I honestly don't get the reason for them keeping this console business while losing money. O.O it just boggles me. I understand they can afford it, but damn, sometimes you have to just cut the cord.
@AhabSpampurse I have all the systems (I always do so I don't miss out on anything) but so far with the xb1 I am not impressed at all, in fact it's back in it's box at the moment until something comes out for it that I want (and before anyone asks why I got it then my brother offered it to me for £200, I couldn't turn that down really plus he then let me have it for £100 because he wanted rid, bargin ^_^)
honestly at the moment the xb1 isn't worth it because the ps4 plays games better and has better exclusives (at least to me) not to mention that most of the xb1 exclusives are coming to pc so I say wait untill a few games come along that are only on the xb1 that you absoluty can't do with out and get it then plus it should ne pretty cheap by then too
I've been thinking about picking up an X1 as my second next gen console so I guess it won't be too long until I can get a used one for around the £250 mark. Either that or get a Nintendo Wii U.
@Demi_God its about ecosystem. The more products from a company you own or services you subscribe to that tie into eachother, the more likely you are to stick with that company for current and future products (even if it means sometimes having to have less features in one area or another)
that fish and chips looks good enough to eat !
Glad I have my PS4!! I can see these bundles selling out across the uk before Christmas!! And best thing sony can do is announce a GTA V bundle, I bet the pre-order for that would sell out super fast!! But it's Great news for everyone.
I thought the UK was all about the Playstation.
I wouldn't be able to find room for it. Plus it's too ugly to sit in my home. Xbox slim I'd definitely consider but not till its at the £199 mark just to pick up the 3-4 high scoring exclusives in 2 years time. And for crying out loud stop thinking about the money and flipping hire some technical engineers and put the power supply 'inside' the console. An external power brick is so 1990s.
Aww bugger. Nearly Christmas already? I got my PS4 the day it came out, and that seems like about 2 weeks ago.
I don't care I already have my PS, jus drop the price on games then we have a Deal....... 😚💨💨💨💨😁😁
@Paranoimia agree with that completely!
@thedevilsjester but if your not really turning that profit from that division other than keeping it afloat with other money made from patents and stuff, you kind of have to cut the cord on it. It's really a no brainer and at that point forget about the ecosystem if that is what's happening, that doesn't have anything to do with it at that point other than a company swallowing it's pride from a brand.
@Demi_God not really, sometimes its better to have a product that you lose money on to entice users into your ecosystem in hopes that you make your money back (and more) from the other areas that they would not have done otherwise.
Google is a great example of this. So are gas stations in most of the USA (they often lose money on every gallon sold if you just buy gas).
There are indirect benefits from products that lose money. Amazon gives a free (paid) app every day to any android device, its obviously a money losing proposition, but it brings customers (that may buy something) to the amazon app store platform that would otherwise stick just Google's.
@bbq_boy I don't get why everyone hates external power bricks, it keeps the system cooler and if there is a problem with it then it's easily replaced without having to either send the system off to be repaired or having to replace the system outright
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