The head of Microsoft’s Xbox division has expressed confidence that Sony will lower the price of PlayStation 4 in western markets, following the recent decision to cut the console’s price in Japan.
"I fully expect they [PlayStation] will drop price," Phil Spencer told IGN. "When I think about the playbook they’ve used in the past, we feel good about the plans we have in place going forward in the holiday. If history tells, then we’ll see a price drop from them coming."
Despite being in competition with the PlayStation console maker, Spencer observed the positive side of a price war: "It’s great for gamers when price competition happens. We saw that last holiday, and we saw crazy sales numbers on all of the consoles."
PS4 and Xbox One both launched in November 2013, although to date Sony’s machine has comfortably outsold its leading rival, with over 25 million consoles shipped worldwide to date. Microsoft has not yet divulged an exact sales figure for its flagship home console.
In addition to posting strong sales worldwide, PS4 is also tracking faster than the multi-million selling PS2 in the U.K., where it is reported to have outsold Xbox One on a monthly basis since the beginning of 2015.
PS4 launched in Japan in February 2014, and has since gone on to sell over one million units in its home territory. The console has also managed to beat Xbox One in U.S. monthly sales on many occasions.