PS4 retail launch expected to be a global event

  
      Sony has already made it clear that it intends to launch the PlayStation 4 this year. But typically that has meant the PlayStation console becomes available in one territory, then there’s a few weeks before it launches in another. In the case of Europe, Sony usually keeps gamers waiting a few months before launching.
But for the PS4 that looks set to change if GameStop is to be believed. According to Mike Hogan, executive vice president of GameStop, Sony is planning a global launch for its next console. That means all the major territories (Japan, US, Europe) will get it the same day, or at least the same week.
The claim was made during a GameStop earnings call, where he also pointed out they have no idea what Microsoft has planned. Indeed, Microsoft is letting everyone wait, probably until E3, before it announces what the Xbox 720 is and when it will arrive.
A global launch for a console is difficult simply because of the amount of hardware that needs to be produced in order to make it happen. However, the PS4 is using x86 components mainly from AMD. There’s nothing really exotic about those parts, meaning Sony should have more choice about where to have the PS4 manufactured and in greater quantities. That also bodes well for the price point.
If Sony can pull off a global launch around September or October, and at a reasonable price, that bodes very well for the PS4 going into 2014. Of course it needs the games, too, but it shouldn’t be hard to at least do a better job than Nintendo has done with the Wii U so far. And if the announcement line-up was anything to go by, there’s going to be a very healthy selection of exclusive titles.