Retailers react to PS4 SA price and launch announce

Mario Dos Santos, Chief Executive Officer of Ster Kinekor Entertainment (SKE, distributor of Sony Entertainment products in SA), said in a press statement issued on 21 August 2013, that he is confident the PS4 will arrive in South Africa before Christmas, with an expected retail price of R6,299.

“The price point, although not officially set due to the uncertainty around the Rand exchange rate, is currently planned at an RRP of R6,299 including VAT and it will not be beyond this for launch. Retail will be communicated to plan at these levels,” said Dos Santos.

According to Microsoft, South Africa is not in the first wave of countries to receive the Xbox One or the new Xbox Live services. Microsoft has confirmed that any imported consoles and games will work, but services such as game downloads and purchases online will have to be done on an account listed in one of the countries that have been approved. An official SA price point for the Xbox One has not been announced.

Following the PS4 price and availability announcement, MyGaming contacted local retailers asking for comment on the price changes and the launch date. While certain retailers did not respond by the time of publication, those who did are quoted below.

Phoenix-Tech

Local retailer Phoenix-Tech has slashed the prices of two of their pre-order bundles for the PS4 and the Xbox One. In addition, two new Super Bundles have been added, tacking on an extra controller for the PS4 and an extra controller with an unannounced free game for the Xbox One.

Phoenix-Tech has previously notified consumers that should they secure their pre-order at the listed price, Phoenix-Tech will refund them the difference. Should the retail price be higher than what customers have paid, there won’t be any extra fees incurred.

Phoenix-Tech also notes that listed prices and launch dates are subject to change.

Kalahari

Kalahari told MyGaming that they have not locked in their retail price yet, as they are waiting for final unit allocation numbers to determine pricing of the consoles.

Kalahari will, at most, match the recommended retail price suggested by Ster-Kinekor Entertainment. Customers are advised to place their pre-orders soon, as stocks are extremely limited, to avoid disappointment.

Kalahari further said that they always endeavour to match or beat the best price on the market.

AnimeWorX

AnimeWorX has now lowered their pre-order price to match the SKE RRP – R6,299.

AnimeWorX repeated their previous promise to customers; those who place their pre-order online will be notified should the console be more expensive than the listed price, and will be refunded in full if the order is cancelled. If the retail price is lower, customers will be refunded the difference.

AnimeWorX also added that they too were waiting for final unit allocations to begin planning distribution to customers. MyGaming was told that the retailer has pre-orders on around 75% of their allocated PS4 units.

CNA Online

CNA Online confirmed that they would be updating their PS4 pricing by next week, and would either match, or come very close to the recommended price. CNA Online is also waiting for unit allocation numbers to be finalised.

Customers with an Edgars, Jets or ThankU card may sign up for a pre-order for the PS4 console for just R500. The pre-order turns into a voucher code e-mailed to you. CNA will contact customers who have pre-ordered the console to finalise their order and arrange payment.

BT Games

BT Games reiterated their earlier stance and told MyGaming that next-gen console pricing remains unconfirmed due to exchange rate fluctuations, delivery times and retailer unit allocations. Customers placing their pre-order through BT Games will be notified of the price when it is final and will be urged to settle their order once notified to avoid disappointment.

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