The PlayStation 4 Camera was originally supposed to be included with the PS4 console, but Sony axed the device's out of the box status to beat Xbox One on price, according to a report today.
Making the "PS4 Eye" camera an add-on is said to be how Sony was able to announce the PS4 price to be $399 (UK£349, AU$549) at E3 2013.
This boldly contrasts with the Xbox One price of $499 (UK£429, AU$599), and the fact that Microsoft is including the Kinect camera and actually forcing Xbox One owners to have it plugged in.
Sony is doing nothing of the sort, leaving it up to consumers.
Sony's sneaky move
Not only did Sony sacrifice an out of the box camera in favor of a lower PS4 launch price, it did so quietly, according to IGN.
The company discreetly informed retailers of the camera's removal and didn't even mention the lower PS4 price point, according to the site's multiple sources.
That way, Microsoft was none of the wiser about the significant price difference between PS4 and its Xbox One console.
PS4 Camera fragmentation
Of course, this makes Sony's PS4 camera a little less relevant for next-generation video games, as TechRadar pointed out in its 10 overlooked Xbox One features story.
A fraction of PS4 owners are likely to pick-up this PS4 camera add-on for $60 (about UK£55, AU$99), and that means game developers will be less inclined to develop for a small portion of PS4 audience.
Meanwhile, 100 percent of Xbox One owners will have access to Microsoft's 1080p camera, and they'll always have it plugged in to the console. It won't be collecting dust in the box, as it'll be required for the console to function.
This may be Microsoft's revenge if it is able to show that the Xbox One Kinect is more useful than its previous Xbox 360 iteration and, most importantly, worth the extra $100 (UK£80, AU$50).
- This is only one part of the console war. Read up on all the Xbox One vs PS4 features.
You'll find everything you need to know about the PS4 in the video below:
